Kyler and Jeanette: Calista Year Five Retrospective

18 August 2016

Calista Year Five Retrospective

Now that Calista is five, it's time to think back on the last year.

There's a lot of obvious ways Calista grew and changed, like her increase in skills through dance class

and soccer, finishing preschool,

and moving into a booster seat.
Physically, she's moved firmly into "kid" territory, capable and strong. Calista rides her bike like a pro,and needs a bigger one, to be honest. She is much better at video games than I was at her age (or maybe even now), and draws pictures that are understandable, especially after she explains them to you. Videos and games are some of her favorite things, but Calista is also very active, dancing and running around almost constantly. She is becoming quite the chef's helper,

stirring sauces and even using real knives to cut up soft vegetables (like zucchini) and cheese.

We love going to the library, and she always has to take books to bed with her.

And sometimes even on her...

She has been learning to sound out words, but Calista gets easily frustrated with herself, thinking she can't do something at all because she can't do it the first time.

We're working on it.

But despite her frustrations and telling me she can't read, Calista actually is learning to quite well, recognizing words and randomly pointing out "eggs" and "boxes" while we read Pippi Longstocking, for example.

The clothes she wears are important to her, and Calista has opinions and loves to pick out her own clothes each day, often dresses, or purple, or both.

She's only just starting to actually get a say on what we buy for her, and is usually thrilled with anything I pick out.

We had a busy year, going to the zoo nearly every week, to the dinosaur museum several times, to Banff National Park

multiple times,

sledding for the first time,

a daddy-daughter dance,

and even a road trip with Grammie May - without Mom and Dad!

Through it all, Calista is our girl: happy, loving, smart, strong, independent...

...annoying and whiny, not listening or obeying and lying on occasion.

Sometimes we get frustrated with her, and she gets frustrated with us. I'm not proud to admit I've had more than one yelling match with Calista this year.

I'm hopeful this next year will be better, and she and I both learn how to handle ourselves with more maturity. Poor first child, dealing with our inexperience.

But she's not the only child, is she? Most of the time, Calista and Craig are great friends, playing really well together.

They read, run, color, are superheroes, and play all sorts of pretend.

Sometimes, they get mad at each other. Sometimes they hurt each other, like the night Craig started crying and Calista told me he fell off her bed, but in the morning I noticed a huge bite mark on his back. Sigh. See what I mean about sometimes lying to us? ...she's learning, she's learning...

Still, they love each other.

With the coming of Caleb, Calista became a big sister again.

While I was pregnant, she was really excited to come to all my midwife appointments and hear the baby's heartbeat, watch mom grow,

and check on the size of the baby in the "baby book" (also known as my embryology textbook).

Now that Caleb is born, she loves holding him and singing to him. Caleb in turns loves her, grinning at her frequently while she talks to him.

All in all, despite some frustrations, I love Calista so much. She is my buddy and my baby girl, and I am incredibly grateful to have her.

And now, the photo retrospective:
August: