Dear Callum,

You are becoming such an interesting little person. One of the things I most appreciate about you is how comfortable you are both alone and with others. Ever since you were a baby, you’ve been able to amuse yourself. I could give you a toy and you’d sit and play with it for a long time. Nowadays, you still do that, and not only when there’s a screen in front of you. Sometimes you go outside to play by yourself, with the condition that you must stay in our back yard, and you can just hang out for over an hour. You stack rocks, play with sticks, examine the tree and garden, sing songs to yourself, and get dirty.

You’re equally happy to play with others, though, especially your siblings. You love it when they get home from school and play with you. You and Tobin like to play Laundry Ball (basketball shot into a laundry basket), and you and Artemis like to play video games. I’m so glad you have them, because two years of online school has limited your socialization opportunities. You’re on a baseball team this spring, which just started, so hopefully that will give you some chances to play with kids your age too.

We had an absolutely wonderful trip to the Florida Keys during Spring Break. After two full years of very limited activities, it was so much fun to return to some of our old favorites. Best of all, the area is primed for open-air fun. Our two favorite restaurants are open to the breezes, and the aquarium is all open-air too. Of course we spent lots of time in the pool and the ocean, and you and your dad and Tobin even took advantage of the tennis court. I’m not sure you’re ready to face off against either Williams sister yet, but it was a fun new activity for you to explore. We also visited a nature preserve that had lots of interesting flora and fauna. A highlight of that excursion was the fish pedicure. We sat at the edge of a lagoon and stuck our feet in, and little fish nibbled our dead foot skin. It tickled a lot.

We normally reserve sodas for our weekly family cocktail hour on Saturday nights, but we were on vacation mode, which meant cocktail hour every day. You acquired quite a taste for Sprite, and you’ve been asking for it every day since we got home. Eventually you’ll realize that I’m not going to relent—sugary soda is a treat, not a daily choice. I admire your perseverance, but it’s not going to happen. Your dad and I are going out of town for a few days next month, and Mubby and Skitter will be here to take care of you. I imagine if you try during that time, you might get a different outcome.

Today, after your writing lesson in school, you showed me a story you wrote about our trip to the beach. You were proud to show me the way you described the experience using all five sense:  you saw the water, heard the birds, smelled the sea air, felt the warm sun, and tasted the picnic we had on the beach. You said that writing is your favorite subject, and I’m glad you’re excited about it. You’ve been doing very well in all your subject areas, and these days you’re doing language arts ELP once a week. It will be interesting to see how your academics progress once you’re back to in-person school. Online school is very easy to tailor to your interests and abilities, and I hope it’s not frustrating for you to be in a less individualized environment. In any case, you’ve built very solid reading and math skills, so I’m confident you have a good foundation.

Last Christmas, you got a watch as a gift, and you’ve recently rediscovered it. One of your favorite of its functions is the alarm, and you’ve been getting yourself out of bed every morning since you started using it. That’s been very helpful, as our mornings are often harried, trying to get everyone fed and combed and to the correct place. You used to be kind of a bear to get out of bed, but now that you get to use your fancy watch to wake up, it’s been a lot easier. Every morning when I go in to wake Tobin up, I check on you as well. It’s always a Where’s Waldo moment to find you in the sea of stuffed animals, and it’s hard to predict where your head will be pointing. You’re an active sleeper.

You like me to stay with you at night until you fall asleep, which is fine with me, because I like to cuddle you and listen to audiobooks. In fact, I probably sleep for 30 to 45 minutes in your bed every night. I’m not always a great sleeper, so it’s nice to know that no matter how crummily the rest of the night might go, at least I have a solid chunk of sleep next to you.

Your current favorites: playing King’s Quest VI on my computer, riding your scooter, playing baseball, cuddling with your massive pile of stuffed animals, the Magic Treehouse book series, reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with your dad, strawberry ice cream with chocolate syrup, and steak.

You are sweet, tender, sometimes crabby, and often funny. I love that you’re getting braver and are excited about trying new things, like swimming in the ocean and playing baseball.  I love you so much, my bright-eyed boy.

Love,

Mommy