Happy birthday, sweet Callum!

Your dad and I have both noticed big gains in your intellectual development lately.  Part of it is school—you’ve been doing so well and learning so many things.  You know all your letters now and write many of them very well, and you’re starting to sound out words and recognize them on the page when we read books.  You’re finally not skipping the number fifteen when you count.  You enjoy quizzing your dad and me on math problems and subitizing.  I’m glad you’re still happy to give hugs and kisses, though, and we have some nice cuddle time every morning.  It’s going to be a big adjustment (probably bigger for me than for you) when you start school full-time next year, but I’m sure you’ll do well.

You were very proud to be the Star of the Week at school during your birthday week.  You got a special crown, shared family photos and your favorite book (The Monster at the End of This Book) with your class, and even brought birthday treats.  Your teachers, who are about the best we could hope for, shouted “Happy birthday, Callum!” as we approached the line-up area on your special day.  You were so excited, you jumped and skipped all the way from the car to the school building.

You are definitely losing your baby fat.  Your cheeks are still soft and kissable, but they’ve lost the bouncing quality they used to have when you ran.  Now your skinny little bottom barely hold up your pants.  Much like your brothers, it looks like you’re going to be outgrowing the length in your pants long before you outgrow the waistband.  We’ve had some pretty silly-looking situations when I put a pair of pants on you that end up being high-water.  It’s a paradigm shift for me that outgrown Callum clothes now go to the Goodwill bag rather than into basement storage for when the next kid is ready for them, which is what I always did when your big brothers outgrew clothes.

We had a good holiday season filled with the usual jaunts around the state.  The weather was cooperative this year, and we were able to get to all the family events.  As usual, we ate lots of treats and got lots of presents.  Your favorites from this year have probably been your stuffed panda, Stuffle, your Busytown board game, and the What Should Danny Do books.  Those books are choose-your-own-adventure-style stories geared toward young kids.  The premise is that a little boy named Danny is faced with various moral or behavioral conundrums throughout his day, such as whether he should throw a fit because he didn’t get his favorite plate at breakfast or whether he should just deal with it and enjoy his pancakes.  The first time we read it, you made all the good-behavior choices.  I was glad to know that you’re at least aware of the decision you can make to help everyone’s day run more smoothly.  After that, you got braver and started making some of the “stinker” choices.  You got the follow-up book about Danny’s choices during the school day for your birthday, and you’ve been enjoying a mix of reasonable and stinker choices in that one too.

You’re getting excited for our home remodeling project.  Your dad was so tickled when you spent a long time on his lap this weekend looking at and talking about the 3D rendering on the iPad.  You were very interested in it and enjoyed explaining to me what the different changes will be.  You know all about the mudroom and the balcony and the new positions for kitchen appliances.  I’m glad you’re getting enthusiastic, because when we talked about the project before, you seemed to feel some trepidation.  It will definitely be a bit of a transition, especially when we move out of our house so the workers can knock down walls and make big changes.  But we’ll stick together and let you come see the work as it happens.  As of this time next month, we plan to have vacated and for the work to have begun, so watch this space for an update on how you and your brothers handle the transition.

We got our plane tickets for our spring break trip to the Florida Keys.  I’m not sure how much you remember from our last trip there two years ago, but now you’re certainly at an age now where it will making a lasting impression.  I love our Keys trips because of what a great combination of activity and relaxation they are.  We can visit historical sites and wildlife preservation organizations, or we can just chill out by the beach and pool.  I think your brothers prefer the pool, which irritates me a little since we could do that in Iowa, but at least they’re close together so we can easily do both multiple times a day.  We have lots of slushy beverages and other treats.

Sometimes, if you want a particularly junky snack or screen time or something, I say, “All it costs is…” and you fill in a number of hugs or kisses you’d like to give me.  Lately you’ve been offering one hundred hugs, which would take a very long time if you could actually count to one hundred.  It usually ends up being closer to ten or twenty, which is a pretty good compromise.

I love you so much, my big boy.  You’ve learned so much and grown so much, I know you’re on the path to big adventures.  I’m just happy that you’ll give me a hundred hugs along the way.

Love,

Mommy