Dear Callum,

The word that comes to mind when I think about you lately is energy. I don’t know if it’s because we’re getting your Crohn’s disease well-controlled, or if it’s a developmental stage, but you have been in high gear. You’d rather run home than walk, you love to play with your friends (and your siblings and your siblings’ friends), and you have been riding your bike a lot. I’m so happy to see you so full of life and excitement.

You still don’t love the fact that you have to get so many shots. There’s your every-other-week shot of Humira for Crohn’s, plus you’ve had to have an extra series of hepatitis-B vaccines because your first round didn’t generate antibodies. Now we’re all in the timeframe of Covid boosters and flu shots, and you had to get a couple of blood draws to check for Crohn’s related blood counts too. You sometimes feel a little sorry for yourself, wondering why the one-in-one-hundred had to land on you. I don’t want to dismiss your feelings, because I’m sure it’s pretty crummy to have to get so many shots and know that you’re immunosuppressed. I do try to remind you, though, that there are so many one-in-one-hundred things out there, almost everybody’s going to end up with one of them. Artemis has scoliosis, Tobin is colorblind, and we know other people with more serious conditions as well. For the time being, I’m grateful that we have the treatment options and vaccines that we do.

Photo by Gary Clarke

You’re curious, smart, and interested in the world. I think school is going well for you. We’ll learn more when we have our conference with your teacher, but from everything I’ve heard, you’re learning and enjoying yourself. You’ve taken an interest in insects, partly due to your friend Griffin being very excited about them. You and Griffin and another friend formed Bug Club, which mostly involved crawling around in the mini-prairie by your school playground looking for specimens. I think Bug Club got thwarted, because your teacher and principal didn’t want you bring unwanted guests into the classroom. I can’t blame them for that, but Griffin did find a really cool praying mantis a while ago. You also checked out a very informative library book about the life cycle and migration journey of the monarch butterfly. We read that over several bedtimes. Predictably, you got tearful when the butterfly’s life ended, and you kiboshed my suggestion of trying to raise a monarch caterpillar into a butterfly and then releasing it, because it would be too sad to let it go. In any case, I think you enjoyed the book. We see monarchs pretty often around here, and it’s interesting to think about where they started before passing through here (the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada) and where they’re headed (central Mexico, mostly).

I recently took advantage of the generosity of a Family Folk Machiner who donated delicata squash to our sharing table and made a filling for squash ravioli. You got excited about the prospect of making homemade ravioli, and you got involved in the whole process. I was nervous that you might pinch your fingers in the pasta-rolling machine, but you didn’t. You weren’t too interested in the squash filling, but you made a second variety with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. You and Tobin both enjoyed eating that. Your favorite food group is still meat, though. You love tearing into a ribeye steak or demolishing a pile of chicken wings. I made wings for dinner last night, and I’m glad I bought a large quantity. Most of the family likes wings, but when you’re at the table, they disappear particularly quickly.

On a recent no-school day, you suggested that we take a trip to the mall to do some ice skating. We often go skating when we’re visiting Ames, but we hadn’t been to the Coralville ice rink in a long time. You caught on faster than I expected, with only a few spills, and you recovered quickly from those. You preferred to stay by the wall most of the time, but you ventured out mid-rink a handful of times and did very well. Tobin was eager to coach you, and Artemis came too. We all had a fun time zipping around together. You hadn’t been to the mall for a long time, because it is one of my least favorite places in the world. Even before the pandemic, I avoided it whenever possible. You and Tobin both love it, though, and you took a spin on the carousel too. It’s funny that you have so many fond memories and associations with something like a mall, but I’m glad we were able to get out and enjoy it on a weekday afternoon when it wasn’t too crowded. In fact, the low crowds made the ice skating especially nice, because a trip to a highly-populated rink brings the challenge of dodging other skaters.

Your iron count was still a little low at your last blood test, so we’re adding some supplemental iron to your diet. Between that and the ferocity with which you consume meat, we’ll have your levels up in no time I’m sure. Sadly, it will take another blood draw to find out for sure. I call you my little pincushion, and I hate that it’s the case, but I also admire how well you handle it most of the time. Like recovering from a fall when you’re ice skating, you’re learning to take a deep breath and push ahead to the next challenge.

Your current favorites: muffins, playing outside, playdates with friends, steak, chicken wings, video games, the shows Word Girl and Odd Squad, cuddling up to read and talk at bedtime, and playing the various instruments we have around the house. You’re going to do a recorder solo in an upcoming Family Folk Machine open mic night, and I’m so proud of you for being brave enough to do that.

I love watching you dive into life and explore the world, my sweet Callum. Enjoy the remaining nice days of fall.

Love,

Mom