My dear Callum,

Happy birthday, sweet pup! You have reached your seventh birthday, the same age your oldest sibling was when you were born. That seems like a sort of circle-closing in our family, like we’ve moved on from the little-kids-in-the-house stage. That makes me a bit sad, because I loved your little-kid days, but I’m also excited about all the wonderful things that come with you getting bigger.

Obviously our options are still limited, but it’s nice to know that I’m unlikely to have to leave a movie partway through in order to wander around the theater lobby with you. You don’t need to be carried home if a walk goes long, and you can even read well enough to hold your own in a lot of games, traditional and video.

A month ago, we still planned on having you go back to school in person after winter break. That was before we knew a lot of things, including this outrageous omicron surge and the fact that our beloved Mrs. Davis would still be teaching your grade online. We did a Zoom with the teacher to whom you were assigned for in-person school, and she seemed like a lovely person, but it concerned me how many little kids kept taking off their masks and getting up in her business. One night, long after the deadline to choose an enrollment type had passed, I had a dream that we made a request for an exception to the deadline and for you to stay in online school with Mrs. Davis. When I woke up, I burst into tears because I realized how much actually wanted that. I confessed my feelings to your dad, mostly expecting him to talk me down from my freak-out. I thought he’d remind me that you’re fully-vaccinated, that the likelihood of anyone in our family having serious health complications from COVID is low, and that our school district still requires masks (even though a lot of first-graders have a hard time keeping them on). I’m also aware that I shouldn’t put too much stake in emotions I have while underslept, which I certainly was at that time due to the disturbing dreams.

To my slight surprise, your dad said he’d been feeling the same way. All the things I expected him to remind me are still true, but you’ve had such a wonderful experience with Mrs. Davis that it seems foolish to turn away from her. I am very privileged to have the flexibility of schedule that allows me to support your online school work, and I think it would be less stressful for everyone for you to start your in-person school experience at the beginning of the academic year, when everyone in your classes is starting in a new classroom with a new teacher.

All the district offices were closed for winter break when we decided to request the exception, but with some guidance from a friend on the school board, we got through and made the request. The district administrators kindly granted it, and Mrs. Davis said she was thrilled to have you back in her class. We got it all sorted out in time, and when winter break ended, you logged into Mrs. Davis’s Zoom and continued the excellent learning you’ve been doing all year.

Your academic development has been remarkable. You’ve become a confident reader, and you were invited to join math ELP. You’ve only done one real session of that so far, as the first one was mostly introductions and organizational topics, but you held your own just fine. It’s fun and rewarding to watch you grow. I know you’re proud of your own successes, too. I asked you if you have any idea what you’d like to be when you grow up, and you said you want a job like your dad’s where you can work from home. You may not remember the years when he went into the office every day, but you really enjoy the cozy lifestyle we’ve adopted. It’s the biggest upside to this whole pandemic mess. I really love having my people all together with me as much as possible, and I love that you’re still happy to be a part of it.

You lost another tooth this month. Unlike most kids, you lost your top front teeth before your bottom teeth. At a recent dentist appointment, the dentist speculated that you might have the same issue as your dad, where you’re missing the two top teeth that flank the front teeth (lateral incisors?). She didn’t know for sure, as you’ve never had the kind of x-ray that would show that, and she didn’t think there was a great rush to get that done. That might be why you lost your top teeth first, because the extra space next to them made room for the permanent teeth to grow in unimpeded. In any case, we live in a world rich in dental resources, and we’ll get you sorted out one way or another. The good news is that you didn’t have any cavities. This is probably because of the good job your dad does brushing your teeth every night. I brush them in the morning before school, and it always seems like we’re in a hurry. I’m sure I don’t reach the two-minute brushing goal most of the time. But something’s working, so I guess I’ll continue to count on your dad to really get the job done at bedtime.

Another bathroom task you’ve done well recent is a COVID test. We all did tests before holiday travel, and you spit into the tube like a champ. We test your school-attending siblings weekly, so another advantage of you doing school from home is not asking you to do that every Friday morning. Due to the super high demand, our state testing facility has had much slower turnaround time in the last few weeks, and it’s nice to have one fewer test to fret about.

Your current favorites: Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson and Tales from Deckawoo Drive book series, chicken wings, wearing pajamas all day, playing Minecraft with your siblings, playing King’s Quest with me, dancing in the dining room, working out, waffles, and playing outside when weather permits.

You are such a joy, my sweet little guy. I will never regret the extra hours I’ve spent with you. Your curiosity, creativity, humor, and interesting in your world make me smile every day.

Love,

Mommy