This past year has been a year of such growth for you!
Just one year ago today, you decided to stop sucking your thumb and you've never looked back: a testament to your will.
You went from not being secure in the deep end of a pool to excelling in the butterfly in swim team!
 |
| Toby at 18 months |
On our vacation this summer, you charged ahead with Jonah, climbing rocks and exploring trails. You are finding your independence and it is wonderful to see that quality develop. I love to see you venturing out of your comfort zone: riding your bike alone or with your brother, etc.
You still hesitate and work through big anxieties. On our recent day at the beach, it took me awhile to realize that fear (fear of not being able to see the lake bottom? fear of the fish biting you?) was keeping you on shore. I love that you let me lead you out into the water and that you trusted me enough to venture out to the diving platform with me swimming next to you. You had such a blast after you conquered your fear and could not get enough of the jumping/diving/swimming after you tried it!
I am so proud of you, always, for working through your anxiety, talking it through, reasoning with yourself, and I love seeing the confidence spring forth when you've overcome your hesitation.
 |
| Toby in 2007 - 4 years old |
Your fears are not always so simple to overcome. You've heard too much about recent gun violence, and I can see how much it worries you. It makes me sad to hear you ask why people are able to buy guns when they might do violence. It breaks my heart when you ask if we've remembered to lock our doors at night and if it is likely that someone might shoot a gun in our neighborhood. There are no easy answers for this one, although I suppose it is one more indication of your maturing brain: moving beyond a dualistic way of perceiving the world to the realization that not everything breaks down into "good" or "bad."
Your thinking is logical and thoughtful. It is lovely to reason with you - your stubbornness finds a beautiful complement in your logical reasoning. Your memory is amazing and you often surprise us by the details you recall about an event. You still love to read non-fiction and you learn very well by reading: I suspect you are a contextual learner. You eagerly share all that is in your head, whether it is the newest video game tidbit or something you read or learned at camp. Your dialog is the soundtrack to our days and although some of it (Pokemon, for example) does not stick in my brain, I love to listen to you.
You readily accept the value in work first/ play later and are very motivated to get your "jobs" done in order to have free time. Similarly, you are willing to work hard to reach a goal. You're proud of your progress in school, and you connect your effort with your performance: I admire your maturity in this area. This summer you diligently worked on front flips on the trampoline: this is hard, since you've watched your brother effortlessly flipping on the trampoline for years, and it was frustrating for you to have to work so hard in order to inch incrementally closer to a full flip. However, you perservered and now can perform a beautiful flip.
You're almost always calm and serene: and you draw others to you with your sunny disposition. You have a wonderful group of friends and it has been fun for me to watch you make friends with new classmates and swim team-mates this last year. You and Jonah continue to be best buds - you will both miss each other greatly being in separate schools this year!
You are sweet and loving and you still love to cuddle. You are very gentle with the cats and Jazzy allows you to carry her around like a baby, an honor she does not tolerate well from anyone else! You love Pepper as well, and you've been great at remembering the details of her care and training!
 |
| Toby in his favorite orange shirt, skinny jeans, and nikes! |
Perhaps most surprising to me over the past year has been your developing fashion sense. You still LOVE to wear orange and other bright colors. You developed a preference for skinny jeans and during the school year, you refuse to wear anything other than jeans. Your love of shoes thrills (and scares) me: this spring you just had to upgrade to some cool black and neon-green Nikes. You have distinct musical likes (along with a few dislikes) and one of your great joys is listening to your ipod.
Fourth grade will bring many new opportunities and I look forward to seeing what this next year holds in store for you.
But for today, enjoy your special summer day! Whenever you need me to be there, I will always swim right beside you through the deep waters: I will be the one cheering you on!
Mom
Love this. Wonderful tribute to a great kid.
ReplyDelete