48 hours of my life . . . Back to Work

This one goes out to my Aunt Cassandra who asked me to blog about my life at the hospital.

So if anyone wondered what my first real day back was like . . .

21:00 -Try to go to sleep. Emmy is restless and wanting to eat.

22:00 - Emmy is finally sleeping. I cry at the thought of leaving her the next morning.

03:30-5:00 - Emmy decides to start sleeping well. I stay awake anticipating her waking with every grunt and stir.

5:15 - Glare at my alarm as it goes off.

5:45 - Check my email and find that the overnight team tried to call to sign out new patients as the census on our floor has exploded.

5:50 - Go to pump the milk Emmy decided not to drink overnight and find that the cord on my pump has shorted out.

6:00 - Pull out of my driveway.

6:25 - Ride the elevator up 12 floors and get signout on several new patients.

6:45 - Realize I have forgotten all my passwords. Call Aukai and have him email my password cheat sheet.

6:55 - Finally log onto the computer. Go to introduce myself to my new patients.

8:05 - Run down 7 flights of stairs to find a lactation consultant and beg for some adapters for the hospital breast pumps. Realize that I left all of my bottles on the 12th floor.

8:20 - Run up 7 flights of stairs.

8:25 - Ask my senior if 8:30 rounds are really going to start on time. She assures me that they are and I groan as I realize I don't have time to pump.

8:45 - 8:30 rounds start 15 minutes late.

10:30 - My friend looks at me and subtly asks if I need to pump. I nod, and then look down to find that milk has leaked through my nursing pad, bra and scrub top.

11:00 - Rounds end.

11:15 - Inform my senior that I have to go pump, and run down 7 flights of stairs.

11:30 - The bag I am pumping into falls and milk spills all over my lap and chair.

11:45 - Run up 7 flights of stairs.

12:00 - A patient walks in to wish the nursing staff Merry Christmas. I recognize him as someone who could barely lift his thumbs earlier this year.

12:30 - Walk in late (again) to noon conference.

13:00 - Go up 12 flights of stairs.

13:30 - Realize that what I thought was the photocopy of an admission note from overnight was in fact the original. Cross out the many notes I have taken on it and hang my head as I place it in the patient chart. *sigh*

14:00 - Frantically check labs and make phone calls.

15:00 - Informed by nurse that I must move my milk to a special fridge set aside for breastmilk. Shake my head at the irony of putting my baby's food in a fridge labeled "BIOHAZARD."

16:00 - Afternoon rounds. Half way through my male attending asks if I am breastfeeding and if I have found time to pump. He informs my senior that I must pump every four hours and will probably need her to take my pager. I don't know whether to be embarrassed or to kiss him.

16:30 - Afternoon rounds end. Start a new list of tasks.

16:45 - Transfer a patient to the PICU and run down three flights of stairs to find an intern who can show me how to use the new discharge set-up.

18:30 - Aukai calls. He has found a cord that will work for my pump. Take an elevator down 12 flights of stairs to grab it from him. He asks me if I have time to eat dinner with them. I look at my sweet children, give them kisses, and say "no" as I run back to the elevator.

18:40 - Cry as I take the elevator up 12 flights of stairs. Run to the call room to pump again.

19:00 - Back to work.

20:00 - Push ativan on a seizing kid.

23:00 - Listen to a new baby crying across from the call room. Cry as I think about Emmy and then remember what Aukai told me: "Just be grateful your children aren't the ones in the hospital."

23:30 - Pump and update sign-out.

01:00 - Pump and lie down. Lay awake in bed for 1 hour before dozing to sleep..

02:30 - Get a page to check on a patient.

03:30 - Lay back in bed.

05:30 - Alarm goes off. Shocked at how much sleep I have gotten and wonder if my pager is really working. No overnight admits? That is unheard of for me! Pump and then go to start printing off sign-out.

06:20 - Start updating my colleagues about overnight events.

08:00 - Call a pediatrician about a patient who was discharged the prior night. Leave multiple messages.

09:00 - The pediatrician who I called pages my senior, livid that she hasn't heard anything about the patient who was just discharged. *sigh* Slip out and use different messaging options until I finally get through. Apologize profusely.

10:30 - Sign-out ends. Start discharge paperwork for those who will be leaving over the next 24 hours.

11:30 - The child who couldn't speak a week ago suprizes us by tolerating juice and crackers.

13:00 - Give up on finishing the paperwork and finally sign out for the day.

13:15 - Reminded by attending that I was supposed to be out of the hospital by 13:00. Sigh and tell him, "That's assuming I didn't get here 30 minutes early yesterday." Pump.

13:40 - Finally step outside the hospital, late, again.

14:10 - Step into the house. Give Emmy and Ashton a kiss on the head before putting my scrubs directly into the washer and jumping in the shower.

15:30 - Watch a movie with Ashton and Emmy while Aukai takes Isaac to violin.

14:15 - Emmy and I go down for a nap.

16:00 - Aukai grabs Emmy and I keep sleeping.

19:30 - Wake up to help Aukai put the boys to sleep and spend some time with Aukai and Emmy.

21:00 - Emmy goes to sleep. Start getting ready for bed.

Pouty Emery

Love this picture Holly took of Emery on her blessing day. She

was fed up with being photographed.

Happy

Emmy laughed for the first time yesterday. I was holding her while working on something, looked down and saw a big smile on her face. I smiled and said, "Hi Sweetheart!" and she laughed. So happy I got to see it. :)

Comfort

While making lunch I heard Ashton say this:
(In the typical sing-song voice he uses with Emmy) - "Mommy has a knife, but don't worry Emmy. She's not going to cut you. She is cutting a tomato. I picked it . . . "

Isaac: "Mom, next time we have art I get to bring home my pinch pot!"
*Emmy startles and cries as Isaac runs up and yells this in her face*
Isaac: "Oh, I bet she got scared because I said the word 'Pinch.' She probably thinks the pot pinches or holds pinches. It doesn't really pinch Emmy."

Em and Ash

So, once again, Ashton insisted on posing with Em. They make a pretty cute pair. : )

Dreamy

So, seeing as the upstairs is done, I finally, for the first time, on my third kid get a NURSERY! That means, for the first time, I get to think about really decorating a nursery. :) The fact is, the "nursery" is really going to be a place to keep all of Emmy's baby stuff and will double as a guest room until she is about 2, but hey, I can still have fun, right?

Cruising the web I ran into this dreamy set by Serena and Lily. We found a BEAUTIFUL hardwood daybed at an estate sale that Emmy will graduate to. I love this color and think something like this white Ruched Quilt would look fabulous next to the dark wood Something like this citrine with a bubble gum pink and red?

The designer included this custom applique with the set. The bird is a wonderful touch.

On another twist, I still cannot get over this room. I apologize that I cannot remember where I found the image, but I LOVE this eclectic design. .(Mom, can we say "Bohemian tendencies?") I wonder where I could find a rug like that . . .

Catching Up.

The past couple weeks have been filled with . . . well . . . a lot.

1. My wonderful twin sister came out with her ADORABLE (and HUGE) 4 month old son! Being the amazing person that she is, she single-handedly took us from utter chaos to organized (or at least as organized as she could get us in 2 days). We enjoyed showing off the botanical gardens and our favorite place to eat, a local Russian restaurant called D'vin. It was very hard to say goodbye!

2. After eight hard months of work, Aukai has finally completed the upstairs . . . or at least enough for us to live in. (Pics to follow) :) The carpet came in the day after Holly got here so she helped us move. The boys are finally out of the family room and in a real room of their own! With a DOOR! It feels a lot like I imagine Emmy feels when we unswaddle her each morning.

3. My parents came out and we had a wonderful visit. The boys enjoyed a full week off school, filled with spoiling. Remarkably, they still seem to be the sweet boys I knew 1 week ago. :) My dad came with a whole list of things he wanted to do, including seeing the arch and about 5 places to eat, most of which Aukai and I hadn't tried before. Yum. :)

4. Emmy was blessed at church.

5. Emmy started smiling (socially) about 2 weeks ago, but has really kicked it up this week. She had her first real tears 3 weeks ago. She is holding her head well, tracking, regarding faces and is very social. We took her to a pediatric neurology party last night, and everyone commented on how she is calm, very alert and developing well. It means something special when peds neuro people say that. :)

6. I went back to work on Wednesday. I think I cried for a full week in anticipation. Fortunately they put me back on clinic, so I don't hit the full swing of things until after Christmas. It helps that I know she is left with the most awesome dad in the whole world.

7. Isaac has been cracking me up lately. He is so articulate that sometimes I forget he is only 6.

a.Last week, Holly asked him if he wanted some mashed potatoes. He looked at her, confused, and said, "What's a potato?" (We don't eat them much). Holly explained that it was a vegetable that grew in the ground like a turnip or carrot. He thought for a second and said lightly, "No thanks, none for me today."

b.Isaac has had a bad cough, one that has caused him to throw up several times in the past couple weeks. After returning from Ted Drews, I heard *cough, cough, cough* *pause* *gag, sputter*.

"Isaac, are you OK?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm OK. I thought I might throw up, because I felt it come up in my throat. But then I swallowed. And guess what. It didn't taste bad because it was ICE CREAM!"

Silly boy. :)

8.. Holly surprised us by giving us a new lens for our camera! I am still trying to get used to it, but here are a few of my first attempts:

Loved

As I was rocking Emery to sleep, Ashton curled up close, kissed her on the top of the head and whispered, "Emmy, you're a love-a-bug." in her ear. He stood up then curled back down and whispered, "That means you're loved."

Happy Thanksgiving

Isaac's Family Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. I mean, no (giggle), not thank you for this day. Thanks for this THANKSGIVING day. Thank you for the FAT TURKEY. Thank that we could watch Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

That pretty much sums it up. :) Here are a few pics from our Thanksgiving Day:

Today was a landmark for our family. It was our first Thanksgiving alone. Not our first Thanksgiving without extended family, but our first Thanksgiving with just us, and it was wonderful, especially as we have so much to be thankful for! Emery is four weeks old today. A few days ago, I walked into the living room just as Emery was waking. In a few minutes, she was surrounded by three boys and myself all making silly faces and wishing her a good morning. It is wonderful to see how much the boys love her!

Holidays have become more fun because Isaac and Ashton are starting to really 'get' holidays and tradition. The boys have spent the past several days singing morbid songs about how awful it is to be a turkey in November and just about peed their pants when we pulled the turkey out of the oven. Isaac, of course, had to analyze the anatomy of the turkey and give us a survey of which parts had been removed and what was present in each layer as Aukai cut the turkey.

I did learn, one big reason why people do Thanksgiving in groups; it means they don't have to cook as much! Considering we have a new baby, the kids were off school yesterday and Aukai spent about 14 hours yesterday working on the upstairs, Thanksgiving dinner was quite the feat. So, I have to brag for a moment. Here is a glimpse of our Thanksgiving feast:

-Honey brined turkey - for those of you in Rochester, yes this is Wegman's recipe :)

-Homemade cranberry sauce

-Stovetop stuffing (hey, you have to cut corners somewhere)

-Mandarin salad with homemade dressing

-Cranberry fluff fruit salad

-Rolls

-Mashed potatoes and gravy

-Baked sweet potatoes

-Homemade pumpkin pie (made from freshly roasted pumpkin)

-Sparkling grape juice

We even pulled out the china for the first time with the boys. Isaac looked at me flabbergasted and said, "I didn't know we had those dishes!" They really enjoyed having a fancy dinner with fancy goblets. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bath Time

Emery's cord stump fell off on Monday (3 days ago). Ashton was so excited, he grabbed it and ran upstairs to show Aukai. I was excited because I no longer have to answer repeated questions about what it is and why she has it.
Better yet, Emery was finally able to get her first real bath yesterday! Not quite sure what to think, she spent most of the time wearing the purse-lipped stare she dons when really focused (bottom pic).

Dolled up part II

All dolled up

And a few more.

This is the outfit Emery came home in, courtesy of my Aunt Cassandra. Didn't get any good photos of her in it at the time, so these are to make up for it. :)

One more.

If only I had a more steady hand. *sigh* I love this photo anyway. :)

Ashton and Emery

Fancy that.

I was looking through pics of rooms with Isaac. He excitedly gawked at the various photos. About 1/3 of the way through he said, "Oh that one! I really like that one. I think I really fancy the light."
"Isaac, did you just say 'I FANCY that light'?"
"Yup."

OK. Well then. I guess that's the new lingo? Either that or my Britt genes are really paying off.

On the flip side, Ashton has become quite the fashionisto, at least when it comes to Emery. He insisted she where a dress today, and later woke her up "because I had to fix her bow." Oh Ashton.

Ashton and Kindergarten

Ashton came to me this morning with the following announcement:

Ashton: Mom, I need 3 shots today.
Me: Oh really, you want three shots. You don't need any shots.
Ashton: No Mom, REALLY, I need three shots.
Me: Whatever for.
Ashton: I have this allergy that makes it so that I can't do secret codes and something else.
Me: Well that is a problem, and what was the other thing.
Ashton: It makes it so I can't eat ANYTHING.
Me: Well that will make you hungry.
Ashton: Yeah, and guess what else, the three shots will count for KINDERGARTEN, so I can go to Kindergarten after I get the shots.

A month ago, our pediatrician told Ashton that in order to go to Kindergarten, he will need 3 more shots. Translation in Ashton's mind, "Once I get three more shots, I can get a cool backpack and go to school on the bus with Isaac!" He hasn't stopped asking about the shots since. He had to have his CBC checked last month and announced that "This is one of the shots for Kindergarten. Now I only need two more!"

Fast-forward to this afternoon during our parent-teacher conference at his preschool. Cognitively, he is right on target. He is doing great with his gross motor skills, struggles a bit with writing, but is overall doing great. He has already met most of the milestones necessary to start Kindergarten. So what is the concern? His overall readiness to sit still in a class of 20+ kids. He is a bit, umm, distractable. He likes to daydream, requires frequent reminders to stay on task, and is always curious and taking in the entirety of his surroundings. (Those who know me well would say he didn't fall far from the tree.) Sounds like a typical 4 1/2 year-old boy, right? Exactly, but that is a problem when you turn five 1 month before the deadline, and you are the only typical just-turned-5-year-old in your class.

When I moved into St. Louis, I learned about a trend to keep younger kids back a year before starting school. Initially, I thought this was ridiculous. The deadline here is almost 2 months earlier than in NY, and why would you hold a kid back from the opportunity to learn? The flippant answer that I was initially given was "for sports." Sports?!?! Are you kidding me? Then I spent the last month on a rotation analyzing children's development. For part of this, I spent a morning at a daycare discussing and observing the normal developmental progress of children, including Kindergarten readiness. We talked about how some younger kids may be ready in some ways, but they may be lacking the maturity to sit still and cope with the structure of school. Others may need a little more time to develop cognitive, motor or social skills necessary to be successful. In other words, some kids just need time to be, well, kids. This is especially important in a city where they have full-day Kindergarten, something I believe helps parents with busy schedules, but does our kids a gross disservice.

Perhaps more important is what it will be like to be (in some cases) almost 2 years younger than peers when you're 12 and developing your first sincere crush or 16 and dealing with the pressures of drugs and sex. The teacher who led me through the daycare exercise said that her own son (who she chose to hold back) has since thanked her as he has seen the younger kids struggle with social pressures. It is hard to say no to people when you are smaller, younger, and socially less mature. This could be a problem considering that Ashton (unlike his older brother), sees rules as a convenience meant to be bent according to his immediate needs.

And then I think about Isaac. He is the youngest in his class (He meets the St. Louis deadline by 6 days). He dreaded going to Kindergarten each day, even though his teacher was amazing and it was only a half-day. He is just starting to like first-grade, but that has been a struggle. Why? "It is just TOOO LOOOONG!" His teacher says you can just tell that he is on the young side, meaning he has difficulty completing tasks until the last minute, likes to daydream and needs a little more prodding. I sometimes feel that he missed out on time to develop through play and time at home. That said, he is reading a grade level above his peers and has no behavioral problems. Would he be completely bored if he were still in a Kindergarten class?

Now I could just say my kids have inattentive-type ADHD (a definite possibility considering their genes), or I can accept that they are both trying to hold up to the expectations posed to kids almost a year (and in some cases almost 2 years) older than they are.

So what is a mom to do? Do I defer and give him an extra year to 'just be a kid' at the risk that he will be cognitively bored when he gets to Kindergarten? Or do I push ahead at the risk that he will be socially behind and dread going to school each day?

What would you do?

My Dad, by Ashton and odds and ends.

1. Ashton filled this survey out at preschool:

My dad has BROWN hair.
His eyes are BROWN.
My dad is 20 years old.
My favorite thing to do with my dad is PLAY VIDEO GAMES.
My dad likes to wear JEANS AND SHORTS.
My dad likes to PLAY POOL.
My dad's favorite food is SPICY THINGS.
I love my dad because HE PLAYS VIDEO GAMES.

2. Ashton just asked me, "Mom, what will Emery be able to do in one week. Talk and what else?"

3. Those who have seen our house know that Aukai is far from a clean freak. That said, there is one thing he is very particular about . . . dishes. This has become painfully evident as I don't believe I've loaded the dishwasher to his specifications once since I've been home more. A couple days ago he said, "Heather, I don't think I'm going to let you do dishes anymore." Isaac walked over, put his hand on Aukai's leg and said, "Dad, everybody is good at different things. Mom is really good at this . . . " *Tries to touch his nose with his tongue.*
Thanks for sticking up for me kid. :)

A few more pictures from that first day with Miss Em

Introducing:

Miss Emery Rose Riordan
Born: 10/28/10 at 8:15 PM
Weight: 7 lbs 7.7 oz.
Length: 20 inches

Top 10 reasons life is wonderful right now:

10. I love that, despite my anxiety about an induction, the birth was close to perfect. After 3 hours of pitocin and less then 15 minutes of pushing, I heard her first cries. It felt surreal. I still don't think I worked hard enough to really have a baby!

9. I love that I can finally take a deep breath! I am surprised each time a yawn feels like three normal breaths. I can eat a full meal without feeling nauseated, bend over to tie my shoes and sleep on my stomach! I could go on a run, but I don't think my OB would be too happy with me at this point. :)

8. I love her little baby grunts, the softness of her beautiful dark hair, and her wonderful newborn smell.

7. I love the birthmark above her eyebrow, the milia on her chin, her slight widows peak and every other little quirk that makes her Emery.

6. I love waking up at 1:00 AM to cuddle simply because she wants to play instead of sleep. I love that it has taken me 6 days to get this post up because I can’t bear to put her down.

5. I love breastfeeding again.

4. I love the way the boys want to hold, brush, dress, change, and play with Emery, how they don't understand why she doesn't think they are hilarious, and the way we have to continually remind them why she can't have that cheese, applesauce, yogurt or jaw breaker that they want to share.

3. I love that Aukai really does seem to love her as much as I do, that as he put it "It is hard to quantify love," and the way I feel slightly jealous when it is his turn to hold her.

2. After seeing so many sick babies, I love the reminder that most babies are in fact normal and healthy.

1. I love that it is finally starting to sink in that we really get to keep this healthy and perfectly beautiful little lady!

Parenting advice from Isaac:

We were outside enjoying a fire. A log broke and scattered ashes around the pit. Aukai pulled on some leather gloves and Isaac asked if he was going to clean up the embers. When Aukai responded "yup" Isaac said, "You're a good dad."
Me: "What makes a good dad, Isaac?"
Isaac: "Oh, you know, someone who takes good care of you?"
Aukai: "Do I take good care of you?"
Isaac: "Oh, yah!"
Me: "How does Daddy take good care of you?"
Isaac: "You know, like right now where he is cleaning up so we don't get hurt."
Me: "Well, that's good." Pause. "Isaac, what makes a good Mom?"
Isaac: "Somebody who helps you with stuff."
Me: "Like what kind of stuff."
Isaac: "Anything, as long as it isn't something you're supposed to do on your own."

What my kids want to be when they grow up . . .

Isaac was about to get out of the car after church last week, when he stopped, looked out the window and said, "Mom, maybe I won't be a paleontologist when I grow up. Maybe I'll be a stay-at-home dad. That would be fun."

Ashton was showing me a toy he got from the dentist this week. He was very excited about getting to go in TWICE (to get a filling revised). I asked him if he wanted to be a dentist when he grew up (because I am trying to brainwash my kids into NOT going into medicine). He quickly retorted, "No, I think I just want to stay a kid."

Smart kids, eh? :)

The Coolest Guy

So It's been determined that Jesus is really awesome. An example of a few things he can do: walk on water, swim without getting wet, stand on his head, and push a swing so hard that it goes over the bar. There you have the gospel according to Ashton. I feel spiritually enlightened now, don't you?

C'est la vie.

Left for work at 6:10 AM. Got home at 8:45 PM. Looking forward to a 30 hour shift tomorrow. After days like this, I embrace Abraham Lincoln's famous words: "I laugh that I may not weep. That is all, that is all."

A few random Isaacisms

Isaac's first day at school:
*Ring, ring* "Hello."
"Hi, Isaac, this is Mom. How was your first day at school?"
"Oh, it was good!"
"Ya? What was the best part?"
"I got to eat lunch at the cafeteria!"
"That's fun. Did you learn anything in class?"
"Ya! We got to do math for ONE WHOLE HOUR! And then we got to go to RECESS!"
"That's cool. Did you make any new friends?"
"Ya."
"Do you remember any of their names?"
"One was named Isabella, and one was named, oh, I don't remember."
"Well that's fun. Do you think you'll ride the bus tomorrow?"
"Maybe. That would be OK, I guess."

Isaac commenting on our night-time books:
"Mom, I like science books more than story books." Stands up and starts pacing, running his hands through his hair. "Do you know what I think killed the dinosaurs? I think it was a combination of ALL those things. Maybe there was an asteroid, and that killed some of the dinosaurs, and then an ice-age came and . . . " he trails off for the following five minutes, pacing around the room with wide eyes and a focused look on his face.
I've decided he should become a science professor when he grows up.

Isaac's thoughts on peanut butter:
"Mom, I LOVE crunchy peanut butter, because it has peanuts in it. Did you know some people can't eat crunchy peanut butter, because they are allergic to peanuts? Some people can't even eat CREAMY peanut butter because they are allergic to the peanut butter."

And a couple Ashtonism, just for fun:
"Ouch, that wasp just stung me. That kind of hurt." *Pause* "Actually, that REALLY hurt!" Starts running around the playground, crying.

The other night Ashton refused to go to sleep until Aukai turned his pillow over. He has a Scooby-doo pillow that has two sides. The first side has Scooby hiding under his paws. When Aukai turned it over, Scooby had a big smile on his face. Ashton insisted on sleeping on the smiley side.

Pretty in Pink?

So, one activity I did not mention on Ashton's birthday was spending the afternoon at the doctor's office looking at pictures of "the baby." She is now 14 oz. and very active. Despite the fact that I am admittedly against genderizing colors, the excitement of a girl in the family necessitated a change in background color. :)

Happy Birthday Ashton!

Today was a big day. I can no longer use Ashton's age to justify thinking about him as a toddler. No, he is now officially a big boy. Those who know Ashton can tell you that he has been 3 going on 10 for quite some time, but now he is 4 going on 20 and as big and mischevious as ever. To celebrate we spent the morning at the zoo and then had a small party with our wonderful neighbors (one of whom is 97!).

Ashton saw a pic of this cake on the cake box and decided that is what he wanted! We had initially talked about putting on sprinkles, but when I pulled them out of the cupboard he looked at me seriously and said, "No, Mom, you're not doing it right." Thanks to Aukai and an emergency trip to the store, we finally got it "right."

Ashton, here are 10 things we love about you:

1. You are very happy and very funny. You love being silly and making other people laugh, and frequently exploit this to try to get out of trouble. You are mischevious, and we always know we're in trouble when your eyebrows go up, your eyes sparkle and you scrunch your nose.

2. You are extremely kind. Whether its lying about Isaac's timeout so he can get out and play or sharing your favorite candy, you love to make others happy.

3. You think you are Isaac's twin. When older kids and kids your age are over, you frequently opt to play with the older kids. When I suggest otherwise, you state, "No, Mom, that's a baby."

4. You love music. When Isaac practices violin, you like to play along using the piano or blocks. This drives Isaac crazy. You make up elaborate songs describing your activities and imaginary worlds about dragons, monsters and aliens. We nicknamed you our 'little bard.'

5. Your favorite colors are green and pink. You love anything sweet, especially ice cream, but also love all fruits and most vegetables. You don't like crusts. You love pizza and will tolerate hot dogs. You love roasting anything over a fire!

6. You have an imaginary friend named Fiona. Fiona has red hair. She can be as tall as a house or as small as a beetle. She can swim in the ocean without having to come up for air. She is always kind and has taught you almost everything you know. Fiona has an infinite amount of money and will always give it to you if you break a favorite toy.

7. You like pretending you can't speak and using gestures to communicate. You do this when you are feeling especially silly or especially grumpy.

8. You know your mom is a sucker. When you get out of bed at night you creep along the walls to reach her before Daddy sees you. You love to cuddle with her in bed in the morning until she gives up going back to sleep and offers you breakfast.

9. You love anything to do with balls or water. You are unusually coordinated for someone who just turned 4. You throw a frisby better than your mom.

10. You are incredibly independent. It is not unusual to find you making your own food, such as lemonade (with a dose of fresh-squeezed lime juice and fresh mint from the garden).