Month Forty-five

Dear Henry,

This pretty much sums up the last four weeks: Why? Why? Why? Why, why, why, why, why, mama? Why? Why? Why? But why? Why? Why? Mama, why is it that way? Why? Why? Why, why, why, why, why, why? Why? WHY? Why? Why? Why, mama, why? Why? But why? Why, why, why, why, why? But why? Why? Why? Mama, why is it that way? Why? Why? Why? Why, why, why, why, why, mama? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why, why, why, why, why, why? Why? WHY? Why? Why? Why, mama, why?

We took a trip down to California. You decided, dear son of mine, that you were not going to use the iPod entertainment we traveled with, but you also decided to be a really great vehicle-traveling companion so that turned out okay. Thank goodness, because a ten-plus hour car ride is quite a journey when you're three and a half and have an inordinate amount of energy to burn through each day or when you're a parent of a three and a half year old with inordinate amounts of energy. While in Cali, we visited the California Academy of Sciences - where you, Miss E., and baby Robin (I guess now we should call her Toddlin' Robin) stamped on projected bugs on the floor for a good fifteen minutes, we went to Miss E's neighborhood pool, we visited the Oakland Zoo, and played dress-up. And that was just the first part of the trip. You also got to meet Baby Sofia, hike through the Redwoods, and stop to run from the waves on the beach numerous times on the way home.

On the food front, you tried unagi. Unagi sushi, Bean! You didn't like it but 1. you tried it, and B) your papa said it wasn't very good unagi. I'm beginning to think your poor sleeping habits are a result of your using every effort to try new foods and eat the foods that are good for you. So, it's six one way, half a dozen the other. If we're talking musical tastes, well, somehow (the details are sketchy) you heard Sir Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back song. While the true meaning is lost on you, you picked up on the word "anaconda" - you say it "aconda" - and you would request we sing the Aconda song over and over and over. It's all highly inappropriate but somehow fitting considering we had you listening to the Black Snake Moan soundtrack when you were just a wee lad.

Things you do that make me laugh, purposeful snorting. You figured out how to do that and now you do it all the time. But you don't always remember to do it initially so you'll be laughing or running or jumping and not snorting and then it is almost as if you can see the lightbulb turn on over your head because the switch is flicked and then it is all snorting, all the time. As kids go, you're rather funky. And, boy howdy, has your imagination ever kicked it into high gear. You created an entire new species of bird called the "Puhkash" (the second syllable is pronounced like how you would the Kashi brand of organic food). You seemed to really enjoy when I narrated the story of the Puhkash bird so we spent quite a bit of time in the car and at the park and in the grocery store talking about how the Puhkash bird is native to the Northwest and squawks both when it is happy and when it is sad. It does not fly and it sleeps on one foot standing up. Stuff of that nature.

You continue to love all sea creatures - your favorites are currently the starfish (Ochre sea star) and the octopus (you call it an oktapodi). But you have also connected with the Seymour Snail (there's actually more than one but you call them all Seymore Snail) that lives outside our building. You love to watch him slime his way down the walkway and up vertical climbs. You call the slimy trail he leaves behind art because that is the way it is described in one of the books we checked out from the library. I'm glad you can see the beauty in slimy things, kiddo.

Love,
Mama