Kiera Update: 3.5 Years

Her Grandpa thinks she's brilliant and she's the darling only granddaughter to her smitten Grandma.  It's hard not to love this adorable little girl who gets excited about a pretty dress and a matching hair bow.

So what is this brilliant three-and-a-half-year-old up to these days?  Kiera goes to preschool three mornings a week with Soren and Matteo and is thriving there.  Her teacher reports that she enjoys the various activities and plays with other kids.  She has fun there, and while it is only on her own timeline that she will play catch-up, the singing songs, listening to stories, interacting with peers and practicing numbers and colors and A,B,C's can only help.

Two times a week Kiera has speech therapy.  It used to take her time to warm up at the beginning of each session, but now she gets right to work.  The speech therapists work with her on articulation since there are certain sounds she has trouble with and she drops the last consonant of a word when she speaks.  They think her problems with articulation are compounding her inability to use phrases, let alone speak in sentences.  We are seeing improvement in her speech, but it's been slow, very slow, progress.

Unlike her brothers, Kiera is very interested in babies.  A friend of mine had a baby in August and because I know her so well, I knew she wouldn't mind if I show up with all four kids in tow.  I think the boys were more interested in the cupcakes I'd brought along to celebrate the Baby Jude's "birth day", but Kiera wandered down the hall softly calling out "Baby?" as we passed each door in the corridor looking for my friend's room. I made the kids keep their distance during our visit at the hospital, but Kiera finally got to hold the baby a few weeks later. I couldn't tell if she understood that he wasn't a baby doll because when he moved, she looked like she didn't know what to make of him.

Kiera continues to be an adventurous eater with a good appetite.  We're not sure where all that food goes though since she's so dainty.  No matter what we serve, we're confident she'll eat it and without a complaint!  Given how vocal two of her brothers are about their likes and all their dislikes, it's so refreshing to have a meal with Kiera.  However, some of their picky-eating has rubbed off on her.  Since they won't eat the crusts of their sandwich, Kiera won't either. She's also taught us that hot dogs and burritos can have "crusts" too and eats all but the backbone of her bun or the side of her tortilla.

Kiera has recently become my little sidekick.  She likes to be by me, even if I'm just doing chores.  She's actually quite good at folding laundry!  If I'm making dinner, she'll pull of a stool and watch me as I prepare the food.  She's generally content following me around or accompanying me on errands.  The one-on-one time is not only good for bonding, but it's good for speech, because she's not being drowned out by her louder and more talkative brothers. 

Kiera has a much different energy about her than her brothers.  She's much calmer and quieter.  But that doesn't mean she doesn't have some spunk to her.  She loves going to the playground and especially loves the swings.  The hard and higher you push her on the swings, the happier she is.  She's also a good climber and I suggested Chris take her to a climbing wall.  Kiera has been able to pedal her tricycle really well from pretty much the first day she rode one even though it's possible she never road a bike prior to joining our family. More recently she's been getting quite good on the balance bike.  Although Kiera is not the quickest walker, she's still a good walking buddy.  She's always game for a hike and never whines or complains.

Because of her calm energy, Kiera has what I think is a higher-than-average attention span.  She can play quietly with toys and especially loves building with her Magnatiles and coloring.  We have to keep a watchful eye on her when she has a marker in hand, because she's already developed a reputation in our family for coloring where she's not supposed to and neglecting to put the caps back on.  

At the Waconia Rodeo in July.

For all the calm that Kiera exudes, two things light a fire under her - getting frustrating with not being able to figure something seemingly inconsequential out (like fitting two puzzle pieces together - she jams them together instead of trying another piece) and having something taken away from her.  Now she does have three siblings who are also learning impulse control and are known for snatching something from her hands, but for Kiera's part, she's pretty darn sneaky, and it gets her trouble.  She gravitates towards whatever a brother is holding, waits for him to put it down and moves in on the object.  It doesn't matter how nicely we tell Kiera her brother was still having a turn, her face immediately loses emotion, but just momentarily, and then she cries ugly, crocodile tears.

It's in these moments that Kiera's hard past is speaking out.  At only three-and-a-half years old, she's burying a lot, until an interaction triggers something deep in her psyche and her only ability to cope is to shut down.  We can only guess at what's going on inside her mind.  Has she never had anything that was truly hers and does taking away a toy represent a greater loss in her life? 

Even after the tears stop, we don't see the real Kiera again for awhile.  Her eyes divert ours no matter how much we ask to see her beautiful eyes and she holds out with the silent treatment.  It's frustrating and heart-breaking all at once.  This little girl has so much potential and we have to be patient as we help her unlock her potential. 

At that's why I love this final photo of Kiera I leave you with.  Kiera is generally a very happy kid, but she's not necessarily a smiley kid. Our au pair, Celina, captured this moment of pure joy in Kiera.  That day there was no stone face, no lack of eye contact and no silent treatment.  Just the real Kiera.