Rinse 2 cans (15 oz each) of garbanzo beans. Dry them well on paper towels, removing as many of the skins as possible. Spread on a parchment-linked rimmed baking tray and let dry, uncovered, for 2+ hours.

Heat oven to 425F with convection. Bake beans, stirring every 10 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp (about 25-30 minutes total). Stir, then turn off oven and let them sit in the oven for 15 minutes.

Mix:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp MSG
• a healthy shake powdered chipotle

Toss the dry-roasted beans in the spice/oil mixture. Let cool completely before storing, loosely covered.

Dear Tobin,

As usual, you spent this month brimming with energy and enthusiasm. You haven’t been super excited about school lately—your regular teacher is out on maternity leave, and I think your long-term sub isn’t quite living up to the standards the regular teacher set. She should be back this spring, and I know you’re looking forward to that. You love babies, and I know you’re going to be excited to see pictures of her newborn and hear about his developments. While you’re not thrilled about the day-to-day school experience, you’re certainly invested in the sixth-grade social scene. Almost every day after school you play at a friend’s house, and you’re invited to sleepovers many weekends. It can be hard to keep track of your social calendar, but it’s helped that you have an Apple watch now, so at least I can find your location and text you if we need to make adjustments to the plan.

Your money-making schemes have yielded some good dividends lately. You’ve been doing a multi-part study about the genetics of giftedness. You had to spit into a tube to provide a DNA sample, then you did some interactive activities and had biometric data taken, and then you took an IQ test. The staffmember who administered the IQ test mentioned that you may or may not be eligible for the final part of the study, which is an MRI. She said it sounded cool, because you get a 3D printout of your brain when it’s all done. I later received a communication from the research lab stating that people were only eligible for the MRI part of the study if they were academically gift and also had a diagnosis of autism or ADHD.

I’ve had my suspicions throughout the years that you may have a touch of the ADHD, but it was never disruptive enough that I sought out any kind of diagnosis or treatment. I was never sure (and am still not sure) if your inability to sit in a chair through an entire meal is outside the normal range for a kid; all I have for comparison are your siblings, both of whom are on the sedate side. Regardless, you’ve never had a problem achieving good grades in school, and your teachers have never complained about your behavior. You get along well with others, so I figured as long as you weren’t experiencing any negative outcomes, there was no need to pathologize you.

In any case, it didn’t matter, because a member of the research team called me up and said that you scored so high on the verbal portion of the IQ test, they want to do the MRI on you. I clarified that you do NOT have an ADHD or autism diagnosis, and she double-checked with her supervisor. She was right the first time: they want to take a look into that weird and wonderful brain of yours.

I expressed some concern about whether you’d be able to lie still in an MRI machine for that long, and she assured me that even if you can’t complete the full session, they can still use whatever information they can get and it shouldn’t dissuade us from doing it. I imagine if their usual audience is kids who definitely have ADHD or autism, they’re prepared to handle a variety of tolerance levels. I’ve had MRIs several times, and for me the worst part is the loud noise. You have no qualms about loud noise, so you may do just fine. The best part from your perspective is that you get $95. Despite being a person with no expenses, you really love earning and saving money, and being a lab rat is an interesting way to do that.

You had your first band concert as a member of the advanced band. It’s amazing how much musical growth happens in one year of band lessons. Attending those concerts reaffirms my belief that there is no more selfless a human being than an elementary school band teacher. You and Artemis both like the band teacher at your school, and I think she has a good sense of humor. That is probably a requirement for the position.

At dinner the evening of your concert, you mentioned that you had asked to introduce the song “Samba la Bamba,” but the teacher had only vaguely acknowledged your request. From attending previous concerts, it seemed to me that the kids who did introductions had something fairly lengthy prepared, probably with the teacher’s input, so I wasn’t really expecting you to do the introduction.

When “Samba la Bamba” came up in the program, you walked to the microphone and gave a very eloquent introduction to the song. Then, at the end, you said “also known as SAMba la BAMba,” in a crazy accent that cannot easily be rendered in text but reminded me of Yosemite Sam. I’ve watched the video of it about a hundred times, and quite a few parents laughed about it with me after the concert. You’re a nut and half, Tobin.

Your current favorites: food from Panda Express, playing online games with your friends, sleepovers, the Percy Jackson book series by Rick Riordan, Flamin’ Hot Funyuns, cookies and milk, maintaining family traditions, wearing Adidas sweatpants and hoodie, and playing indoor soccer with Callum. You’re a great brother, a great son, a great friend, and a joy to have around. I don’t know exactly what I expect to see when we get the 3D printout of your brain, but I have a feeling it’s going to be spectacular.

Love,

Mom

Dear Callum,

I’m thrilled to say that you’ve been a healthy, energetic little guy lately. Your dad and I have both noticed that you’ve been full of pep, dancing all around the house and skipping and running home from school. You often ask to go out and ride your bike or Tobin’s skateboard, and you’re doing well on both. I don’t think you’ve attempted any ollies yet, but maybe Tobin can coach you on those this summer.

We had a GI specialist appointment for you last week, and your doctor was mildly concerned about some elevated calprotectin numbers you had on a recent test. That’s a measure of intestinal inflammation. Normal for a typical person is a level under 50. Before you started treatment for Crohn’s, your level was 1600. It had gone done to 108, which your doctor said was acceptable for a Crohn’s patient. We had labs done before your last appointment, and the good news was that your nutrition levels are looking great. You had previously been deficient in vitamin D and iron, and those levels are back in the normal range after adding supplements. Your doctor also pointed out some other nutritional and inflammatory markers, and she said those were all good too. The bad news was that your calprotectin was at 450. She wasn’t sure what was causing that, though it’s possible you had some blood draining into your digestive system either from your mouth or your nose. You’ve had a cold lately, which could have led to a nosebleed down your throat, and you’ve also had some gum tenderness. She had us repeat the calprotectin test, and it came back at only 38. That’s excellent, a good level even for a person without IBD. That means that your elevated levels must have been caused by something else that is now resolved. It also means that your treatment protocol is working. We don’t have to add any new drugs or send you for another colonoscopy. You probably will be getting an MRI at some point in the next couple of months, but that’s expected for all Crohn’s patients, and your doctor said there’s no big rush.

Even though worrying is a hobby of mine, I found it hard to be too het up even before we got your follow-up test results. You just seem to be doing so well, it was hard to imagine you were having internal problems. Your energy has been great, you haven’t had any GI pain or diarrhea, and your appetite has been good. Also, as I mentioned to your doctor, even your fingernails seem to be growing faster lately. She said that’s an indicator of good general health and nutrition. You’re still not gaining weight like she wants you to, so we’re giving you as many snacks as you want along with your regular meals. You are a fan of treats as well as a good helper in making them.

We got our Christmas tree not long after Thanksgiving. We had a slightly unsatisfying experience, as we didn’t get as good a look at the tree as we would have liked before we committed to it. Once we got it home, it looked kind of scrawny and deformed. You love to name our Christmas trees, and you accepted my suggestion of the name Olive Oyl. I’m sure you have no idea about the cultural context for that name, but trust me, she emulates the boniness and lumpiness of our tree. Fortunately I was able to buy some artificial greenery to fill in the meager areas, and now it looks pretty good. We had a good time festooning it with all our old favorite decorations, including the ornaments you and your siblings made at the Corning Museum of Glass over the summer. You’ve been relishing opening a little door on your Advent calendar each day, and you’re getting into the holiday spirit well.

It’s been unseasonably warm (climate change is real), so we haven’t had much of the fresh early winter snow we usually see. That has meant more outdoor time for you, which is good not only for your biking and skateboarding interests, but also for inspecting bugs. You and a couple of your school friends like to gather bugs at recess, and I’m pretty sure you follow your teacher’s rule of not bringing them inside. If we happen upon a box elder bug on the way home from school, you always want to sit outside and let it crawl on you for a while.  You’re kind and gentle to living things, from insects to cats. We don’t have many stray cats around our neighborhood, thank goodness, so I guess you’ll have to be the local bug guy.

Your reading skills have really taken off lately. You’ve read some thick chapter books, including one by an author you got to meet in person through the school district’s Visiting Author program. You do love using technological devices, but it only takes a little prodding for you to put the iPad down and pick up your book. You’ve even chosen to have ten extra silent reading minutes at bedtime instead of having me read to you a few times lately. You still like your bedtime cuddles, so I just lie there next to you while you read. Then we continue the ritual with a multi-stage series of goodnights to you and your stuffed animals (I make you choose two, since I would really like you to get to bed before midnight), a couple of games of Wordscapes and Best Fiends on my phone, and going to sleep. You always ask me to tell you before I leave to go to my own bed. I’m glad to do it, thought often enough I fall asleep for a while in your bed that you’re also asleep by the time I leave. You don’t need me to stay with you until you fall asleep anymore, but it’s awfully cozy in there with you, and sometimes it just happens.

Your current favorites: playing board games, including Sorry and Trouble that you got as a gift at the doctor’s office the other day; cookies and cream ice cream; our “lemons into lemonade” trips to Trader Joe’s after you have to get blood work done at the nearby medical lab; playing online games with your school friends; your ELP class at school, particularly the fourth graders in the class; reading; dancing; and lifting weights. You flex your tiny biceps at me and ask if they’ve improved. I always tell you yes. Maybe I shouldn’t blow smoke up your butt, but you’re so darn cute.

I love you, my dear Callum. Have a wonderful last month of being eight.

Love,

Mom

Dear Artie,

December is sliding by so quickly, much like all of your fifteenth year. This is your last month of being fifteen, and with all the hubbub of the holidays, I’m sure it will be your birthday before we even have a chance to catch our breath. A sixteenth birthday is a big deal, but I have nearly a month before I need to come to terms with that.

Your grades first trimester were magnificent, straight-As in all your classes, including a few A-pluses. You’re taking honors French, honors English, and AP World History, as well as biology, Algebra II, and band. After finishing up a sculpture class first trimester, you finally have a study hall now. As of this year, participating in marching band counts as a P.E. credit, so that gives you a little extra room in your schedule.

Partly as a reward for your excellent report card and partly just because you needed an upgrade, we got you a new cell phone. So far the screen isn’t cracked at all, and it seems to be working well for you. I hope you enjoy it and put it to good use. Your school has a pretty strict no-phones-in-class policy, so when I feel an urge to send you a funny meme, I try to time it so you get it at lunch. Sometimes you acknowledge it and sometimes you don’t, but it makes me feel better knowing that at least your hardware is reliable.

You have an appointment coming up next week in orthopedics to check on the state of your spine. At your last checkup, they found you were close enough to being done growing that it was unlikely for your scoliosis to worsen. I certainly hope you get confirmation of that prediction at your appointment. Assuming you can get to your full skeletal development without significant worsening of your curve, you can avoid surgery. That would be wonderful, since spinal surgery is a pretty major operation with a long and painful recovery time. Obviously it can’t be avoided in every case, no matter how diligently the patient braces, but your fairly mild curve plus your great bracing work will, I hope, keep you out of the OR. You have done a truly exceptional job being consistent with your bracing. I don’t know a lot of teenagers who would never have to be reminded at all to put their brace on or to wear it for the correct number of hours. You handle it all perfectly, including making up time on the weekends when some kind of weeknight activity makes you lose a few hours.

At your last appointment, the doctor said there’s the potential that you could reduce your bracing hours to only overnight, which would be a nice lifestyle improvement for you. We’ll find out soon whether that will come to pass. I was talking to Callum about the various ailments our family members have, and he was feeling nervous that he might have scoliosis too. I told him that it was possible, but one good thing about scoliosis is that it has an end. Unlike Crohn’s disease, which he will probably have to manage for the rest of his life, scoliosis either resolves itself through bracing and physical therapy or surgery. In any case, it’s not a life sentence, and I’m so happy of you for (hopefully) being near the end of your scoliosis journey.

You’ve gotten into movies lately, often watching them in your room at night on our various streaming services. You also went to the movies with friends last weekend. You saw Godzilla Minus One, and you really enjoyed it. You explained some of the plot to me when I drove you home, but I still don’t know what the title means. This will be a spoiler on the off-chance that you read this before Christmas, but I got you a FilmScene gift card so you can continue to see a lot of movies. FilmScene is our local independent cinema that shows a lot of more independent and artistic films than the mainstream theaters, so I hope you can make good use of it and enjoy film both as entertainment and as an art form.

Your current favorites: watching movies, pasta, Mubby’s Chex Mix, telling jokes, giving me goofy smiles when I take pictures of you, winning the quiz games you play in French class, lounging in your bed, playing video games, and keeping the dinner table conversation lively with your witty rejoinders.

You’re a special person with a lot of really interesting things to offer. I wish everything in life could be as comfy as your preferred clothes, but even during the bumpy years, you’re still one of the great joys of my heart.

I love you, my sweet firstborn.

Mom