Asher: 4 years old

Before our race on Saturday

at his PT eval

This is hard- I don't know where to start, to describe this sweet boy.  It is impossible to believe that Asher was late to talk, because he is always talking.  It is hard to believe that he's only been potty-trained for 4 months, because he is 100% accident-free.  

Asher knows how to talk to people.  He is pretty clever about interpersonal things, and knows how to work things in his favor.  He knows how to sweet-talk people and compliment them to get a positive reaction.

Asher has a serious sweet-tooth.  He still asks for treats when he poops on the potty, and every once in a while will try to get a treat for going pee!  At night, he asks for one dessert as soon as he finishes dinner, and then will ask for another if the rest of us are eating dessert later.  

He is my snuggle bug.  Ever since he was little, he has known just how to fit his body to mine for the perfect snuggle.  I love the way he feels tucked up next to me.  I worried when I had Charlotte that he might not want to be my snuggle bug anymore, but fortunately, we still get our cuddles in.  

Strong elements of Asher's personality are emerging.  He is caring and concerned, but also bossy and sometimes argumentative.  He wants what he wants when he wants it, and just this morning, I watched him climb over Benjamin's head in order to get into his preferred car seat.  He is extremely competitive.  He wants to "win" everything (the getting undressed race at bath time; his kids' dash last weekend).  He has a favorite spoon (yes, that is ridiculous) and he races downstairs in the morning to grab it so that Benjamin won't use it.  

Getting "the most" eggs on Easter

He is collecting treasures- basically pieces of trash- that he carries around in his hand or tucks in his pocket.  Things like a broken button he found on the playground, or coins we find on the ground.  He doesn't seem overly emotionally attached to these things; he seems disappointed if he loses them (which he always does, because they are small and he is forgetful), but quickly moves on.  

At night, Asher sleeps with a stuffed animal and a blanket.  He changes his mind about which are his favorites, though.  Right now he sleeps with Broccoli and a brown fleecy blanket that was a throw blanket on our couch; before, it was his big dog he got for potty training and a fleece blanket I made for him.  And as long as he has his thumb to suck, he is happy.

Asher still naps everyday, except for the day at school where they baked cookies but weren't going to eat them until after nap, and he was so excited he couldn't sleep.  He will sleep 3-4 hours sometimes on the weekends, more nap than Charlotte!  

Asher's favorite foods are peanut butter and jelly, string cheese (only Polly-O brand), dried fruits, applesauce pouches, and pasta.  He also loves pizza from Poppi's and Chinese food noodles.  He no longer eats a single fresh fruit or yogurt.  He loves vegetables, especially broccoli and carrots.  And of course, all desserts, no matter how terrible.

His current favorite movie is Wreck It Ralph; before that it was Aladdin, and before that, Frozen.  He loves snuggling up to read stories, and we are working our way through a collection of Winnie the Pooh.  He is good at imaginative play, and it has not yet stopped thrilling me to hear him and Benjamin playing and pretending.

He also loves to play outside, and loves to see his friends and family.  He's always requesting dinner with someone- I guess his family just isn't exciting enough!  He's now spent the night by himself at Meema and Papa Nick's twice, and is perfectly happy to stay there without us.  I love that he feels just as at-home there as he does here.

There is so much more to say about Asher, and I've been thinking about this post for days (weeks), but I know there are things that I'm forgetting.  So for now, this is Asher at 4 years.