Lochlan 4th: Long Sentences and Budding Singer

This post is well overdue for all the wrong reasons and I am learning from that. Lochlan and Margot hit 4 back in October and it truly is a milestone year for both of them. For those of you who are close to our family you are well aware of the journey we have been on for over a year now with Lochlan. He has made great strides with his speech since his third birthday. Late last year Clem and I both had a nice little wakeup call when social interactions took a turn in the wrong direction at school. We acted fast and the whole journey became a learning experience for us as parents and the whole family. 

For any parent, the third year of a child's life is the hallmark year in developing their personality. Both Lochlan and Margot took this year to really jump into the personality waters head first. For him love, snuggles, curiosity, sensitivity were the key traits during his third year. Now entering into his 4th year he’s grown out of some parts of these changes but we are certainly entering into new territory. New found obsessions in the last year include:

• Darth Vader
• His new favorite color Strawberry, Rainbow, Lollipop, Shark
• The Garbage Truck from his last birthday. 
• His Purple Shoes which are on the verge of being thrown away.
• Wearing his sister nightgowns to bed (Santa brought him 7 from Germany)
• Sticking His Tongue Out

Starting his second year of preschool was a new chapter thanks to the strides he’s made in speech therapy over the summer. Now he’s developed a great interest in singing like his older sister. He has great memory when it comes to certain tunes. I attribute that to Clem’s genes, he’s able to sing the most random songs to me from time to time. He especially loves to sing to his sisters, putting him on the spot though, send him in shut down! 

This year he has blossomed greatly at school, developing friendships with a few boys in his house and a few of the girls. It seems, as I’ve discussed with another parent in our class/house, I/we completely oblivious to who some of the kids are because I’ve been too removed from their daily class routines. All will change in the new year, I’ve promised all three of them and my husband. His interest in sports or outdoor activities has blossomed as well. The twins took immediately to their scooters last winter and now move faster than their big sister. Lochlan is certainly the more cautious one compared to his twin sister. 

Over the summer he enjoyed hanging out with his buddy Logan, who is one of his older sisters oldest friends. Logan in a way has become his big brother. The two are like old chums every time they see each other, unless an iPad is in hand. While this year had it’s struggles, Lochlan truly soldiered on and pushed himself on his own, showing a new determination to learn. One thing that has been prevalent since the summer, his interest in books is blossoming. There are times we have found him in bed or in TV room reading a book, or at least to the degree at which he can comprehend. 

Four has already proven that it will be a year of testing boundaries. From not listening to certain people who he thinks, cannot punish him or taking that one step out into the world without our guiding hand. This was a typically benchmark the first time around with our eldest. Welcome to the 4’s. All in all, we are so proud of Lochlan and the strides he has made with his therapy and adjusting to a school environment. We are looking forward to exposing him to more sports coming this Spring.