Karsten Update

I meant to do an update on Karsten around his birthday, but just kept putting it off.  Uploading pictures is a lot easier than sitting down and really thinking about how your child has grown and changed over the last year and how much he means to you.  To start with the easy part, Karsten has grown 2 1/2 inches over the past year putting him at 47 inches tall and right at the 97th percentile.  He weighs 46 lbs and is at the 75 percentile for height.  He is long and lean. 

He has grown so much more in other ways though.  He is so much more calm and easier to deal with than when he was 3 and 4.  When I ask him to clean up or help out or anything else like that, he readily says okay and just does it.  At times, as I am making a request of him, I half-expect him to quickly refuse like he used to, but he rarely does.  He is the easiest in the morning and gets dressed and brushes his teeth without having to be asked twice.

He has gotten more gentle and caring.  He used to annoy people (mostly Peyton and us) on purpose just to get a reaction out of us, but he seems to have grown out of that as well.  I remember that he used to gently knock into Cooper all the time and would just poke him and bother him.  We had to move Peyton's car seat between them because he was always pulling on his leg or touching him in some way.  Now they play together really well and Karsten and very sweet and gentle with him (most of the time).

He has always been a cautious kid, but this year was determined to learn to ride a bike without training wheels by the time he turned 5 and he did.  He overcame his fear of water this summer and now is happy to jump in the pool and and swim under water.  At the beginning of the summer he was still wearing a ring floatie in the shallow end of the pool with his face and hair completely dry the whole time we were there. 

We have found through soccer and gymnastics that he is a really coach-able kid.  He does exactly what the coach asks him to do and works hard.  He may not be the most naturally athletic kid, but he gives it his best.  I have seen him fight to hold back tears both on the soccer field and in the gym when he got hurt, but he just kept on trying and didn't give up.  Thinking back to when he was 3, I would have never guessed that he would have grown up to be that way.

It is amazing what a year of growing and maturing can do to a child.  He is such a sweet, lovable, and helpful child.  His teachers describe him as mature, kind, calm, and that he problem solves with peers really well.  I think he is going to do amazing in kindergarten.  He can read small books with 3 and 4 letter words in it.  He can write all of his uppercase letters and is working on mastering all of the his lower case letters.  He seems to have a real affinity for math and likes to add numbers up in his head all the time.  His fine motor skills have gotten much better and he has really enjoyed playing with Legos and creating lots of really cool things with them this summer.

I am so proud of him.  The boy that I often thought would take me to my grave is now a pretty chilled out guy and a joy to be around.  We love our sweet Karsten.