Grace at 4 years 3 months

My beautiful Grace is 4 years 3 months and just the loveliest little girl. She is sweet, caring and just an absolute delight to be around. I'm not sure what they put in her Iv in hospital, but from the day she came out, she has been obsessed with learning how to write, I've got a few books that have been stashed away, ones that use a white board marker and she can just rub off and use again - they are a HUGE hit! She loves them, the only problem is, she never wants to do anything else. From the time she wakes up of a morning, until it's time for bed, she just wants to practice her writing. She is improving so much too and can write all her letter, most of them quite neatly too. She can copy words, and I'm constantly being asked to write a list of words for her to practice. I am so pleased that she is starting to really enjoy learning, prior to this she just wasn't interested in anything, just wanting to play and even then she would flitter between things. It's wonderful to see her so engrossed and the leaps and bounds she is taking - all on her own steam!

She is also loving drawing and doing the most amazing and imaginative pictures. She loves drawing garden scenes, complete with flowers, fairies and rainbows. She also has perfected her helicopter drawing, which always have to have a pilot - usually her with long, flowing hair!

She is loving her 2 days a week at pre-school. Next Tuesday Wendy will be taking her, as I start uni too early to stay for the goodbye song. She's not really keen on just being left, without me staying until 9.30am, so I'm sending the Mil in my place. I'll still be able to stay with her on a Wednesday, so hopefully she'll be fine with that.

A funny thing happened this week. Normally Duane picks her up from pre-school, but I did on Tuesday as a rare event. I was so excited to do it and bounded in expecting a big cheerful reunion. Imagine my plunging heart, when Grace saw me and her little face dropped as she asked Where is Daddy? I'd planned a big shopping trip with her, and promised a special juice at the end. She just kept asking for Daddy and then asked if we'd still be able to go for ice-cream. Hmmmm, What do you mean Ice-cream Grace? She then answered so coyly that Daddy ALWAYS takes her for ice-cream after he picks her up from school, one in a cone. After a little more drilling, it was ascertained that this has been there little thing for quite a long time. Sweet and naughty all rolled into one! I love it though, love that they have a special ritual together even if it does involve crap food just before dinner. I didn't take her, they can keep that as their bonding thing. She did insist as I left her on Wednesday that I was not to pick her up, Daddy would thank you very much. And he did and they had ice-cream.

She is such an independent little girl and so willing to help me around the house. She has her jobs to do each day. Making her bed, feeding the dogs, helping unpack the dishwasher and setting the table each night for dinner. She also loves doing her own washing, and can do it all by herself from start to finish. It's so sweet watching her stuff it all in, put the machine on the right settings, put in the powder and then keep checking for it to finish. She then hangs it on the clothes horse, and brings it all in when it's dry.

I love spending time with her, as she is just so easy to be around. She is an enchanting little girl, with such a beautiful nature.

Over the last few months she has taken on an edge of maturity, and now I can see her thirst for learning developing. I had doubts at the end of last year if she would be ready for school in 2011, but now I know that she is most definitely ready and is going to thrive!