Dear Callum,

This has been a month of manageable-but-annoying health challenges for you. For quite a while now, you’ve been complaining of pain in your gums when your dad brushes your teeth. You also fairly frequently have a swollen lymph node on that side of your neck. It ebbs and flows, sometimes better and sometimes worse. I took you to the dentist to see if it was a problem with a tooth, and she assured us that it wasn’t a tooth issue. She did notice a white patch on your gum, so that’s probably the culprit. However, she didn’t offer any advice on how to fix it. We’ve tried a few strategies around here, such as switching to a sodium lauryl sulfate-free toothpaste and cutting citrus out of your diet. So far we haven’t found a clear trigger or solution. We have an appointment with your pediatrician on Monday, so hopefully she’ll be able to offer some advice.

Another issue that came up around spring break time was a sore throat. I took you to Urgent Care, where they performed a throat culture and determined that you didn’t have strep. The doctor noted that your throat and tonsils were swollen, though, and all your lymph nodes were enlarged. I asked about the mouth thing, but that kind of got buried under the more pressing issues. You also were having some digestive distress, and we already had an appointment with your pediatrician to discuss that. We got to do the fun activities of taking a stool sample and getting blood drawn, and the lab determined that you don’t have any of the inflammatory markers that would point to Celiac disease or other autoimmune conditions. Everything in your blood work was normal except that your hemoglobin was a bit low. That’s often an indication of low iron. Your doctor was a little puzzled by that, because the other things she would expect to see in an anemic patient weren’t true for you. In any case, we’ve added a multivitamin with iron to your breakfast routine. I also read that iron deficiencies can cause mouth sores. That’s not a slam-dunk answer, but maybe boosting your iron will help your other issues.

Your spring allergies have not yet come on at their full strength, though I know it’s coming any time. We’ve been bracing ourselves and starting you on daily Zyrtec and nightly baths. Your poor little body has so much to manage, I really hope you aren’t too miserable this spring. Last year we mostly kept it under control by keeping you indoors as much as possible, but that doesn’t seem reasonable to do this year. You love school and playing with your friends, and I’m afraid it would be detrimental to force you to stay inside for recess.

We have eyedrops that help a lot, so when things get bad, we’ll start using those every morning before school. We’re really only supposed to use them once a day, but one time you had a terrible attack after already having received a morning dose, and our friend who’s an allergist said we could repeat the dose. My plan is to let your teacher know that we’ll dose you before school, and if you get so uncomfortable that it’s inhibiting your learning or you’re truly miserable, the office can call me and I’ll come give an emergency dose. It’s very helpful now that you’re more receptive to eyedrops, because when you were smaller, I could barely pry your eyelids open to get them into you against your will. Now that you’re better able to handle them, at least we have the “big guns” for the worst moments.

Baseball has started now, and you’re a proud member of the Diamondbacks. You and your dad have been playing more backyard baseball this year, and I understand that you’ve made big strides in your skills. You have the same coach as last year, and he was accustomed to the very beginner-level game you were playing last season. Your dad told me that at practice the other night, your coach noticed the hits you were getting off the pitching machine, and he said, “Callum came to play this year.” I think you were pretty proud of that.

Soccer starts in another week or so, and you’ll be a beginner there. It will be your first time on a soccer team, but watching Tobin’s games last year got you interested. Our family’s schedule is going to be very busy, with you and Tobin playing both soccer and baseball at the same time. Here’s to hoping for a good-weather spring, because I’ve seen a lot of pictures of soccer parents shivering on the sidelines, and I’ve certainly been one of the baseball parents shivering or roasting in the bleachers.

School is continuing to go great for you. You’re wrapping up your second grade year with lots of friends and excellent academics. Your goal is to never get under one hundred percent on a spelling test, and you’re on track to accomplish it. The spelling bee is coming up next month, so we’ll have to put more focus on preparing that list rather than your classroom spelling words, but you’ve always done great on those with minimal home quizzing anyway.

Your current favorites: ice cream cones, baseball, riding your bike, the Humphrey books by Betty G. Birney, talking to your friends at lunch (and not eating much of your lunch), making and playing Scratch programming games with Artemis, playing Switch, and learning Spanish on Duolingo. You’re on a practice streak of 101 days now, and I love it when you try out Spanish phrases on me. You don’t usually understand when I reply to you in Spanish, but at least you’re getting started. You definitely have “Gracias, mi amor” down pat.

Have a good month, my little sweetheart. I hope all your troubles heal up so we can enjoy the lovely springtime.

Love,

Mom