Tenderness

Linus continues to enjoy worms, beetles, bees, spiders, and pill bugs. Yesterday we were at Four Mile Historic Park and he kept spying bugs that hid before we could run over to look at them with him. There was a barn kitty ambling around the place in that way that cats do. Linus kept trying to pet it, but it walked away from him every time. Even so, the cat stayed in our vicinity much of the time and before we left he let Linus hug him. He is very gentle and loving toward living things (except for flies). He found a very small worm and when he held it out for me to see it, he whispered. Apparently loud noises would upset the baby worm. He helped me do some more planting this week and kept finding worms. After he put one back into the ground he said, "I will dig carefully so I don't frighten it."

I think Linus might have allergies. He has had a runny nose for a few days now. I had hoped he would miss out on that part of his heredity.

He is showing more signs of maturity. We went out for dinner last night and he ordered his own meal. When the server asked if he would like a booster seat he said politely, "No. No, thank you." We were so proud of him. Then he went back to being the goofy three-year-old that he is and drank his water and lemonade from two glasses at the same time. He sat on my lap to share apple pie with me and it was so nice to cuddle with him.

Matthew's Birthday

The three of us had fun celebrating Matthew's birthday on Monday. I baked a cake and Linus helped me frost it. I handed him the jar of sprinkles and told him to decorate it. I left the room so that I wouldn't hover over him and tell him how to do it. It turned out great! My favorite thing about it was the corner where there was a solid layer of sprinkles.

We treated Matthew to eating out at a sushi restaurant, which made him very happy. Linus tried his very first sushi, which had a vinegary plum center and no fish. The vinegar taste was too much for him, resulting in a funny, I-don't-like-this expression on his face. He was a good sport about it. When the server offered Matthew free dessert for his birthday, Linus told her quite excitedly, "We have cake and ice cream at home!"

I took Linus to a nursery to pick out a cactus for Matthew. When I asked him if he wanted to make Matthew a card he told me he'd already made one for him. Wow! I was surprised by that.

Bouquet

I got out Linus' little vase that he used in his room last summer. He picked Johnny Jump Ups for it and put it on the bookshelf next to his bed. I also got out my flower press and we put some in there to dry and be used in some unforeseen project.

This morning he told me, "I love you in plain sight." My mind immediately went at the words like I were analyzing a poem.

We joined friends at the zoo this afternoon. I took Linus and Chase to the bathroom and while they took turns Linus told Chase, "I love you." She put her hands on his face and said, "I love you." Then they started giggling and chanting, "I love you!"

We went to play with friends we haven't seen in a couple of weeks because we've all been sick. Linus said to them, "We had a virus. It is mostly gone, but not all gone." The kids, ages five and three, just looked at him blankly. So begins the era of him receiving blank stares when using vocabulary his peers don't have. I swear I'm not purposely turning him into a geek.

The staff at the dentist office once again praised Linus for sitting so still and accommodating their various requests to put tools in his mouth. His teeth are all healthy and he got to put a big red star on the outside of his chart to show that he had no cavities. A clean bill of health also meant that he got to choose two prizes from the basket. He picked out plastic bugs. One is a grasshopper. I think the other is an ear wig, but Linus doubts me and wants to ask Matthew his opinion.

Fast Approaching Summer

We've had very pleasant weather that is changing over to hot weather in the next day or so. Linus and I have been spending much of every day outside. He continues to have a cold, so we cancelled our play dates with friends and did things in the yard instead. Linus is a good helper with yard work. I let him use the hand trimmers to cut the edges of the lawn and that made him feel like a big kid. He's been telling people, "I was two and now I'm three. I'm growing up." He also helped me refinish the porch swing. I had someone out to work on the sprinkler system. Linus ran through the sprinklers in his swim trunks and looked like the epitome of summer.

Linus has a new cousin. Baby Evan was born to Sara and Billy on Wednesday, which means he shares a birthday with cousin Brandon. I drove Linus batty with my running to check my email for updates on the birth. Linus really likes babies and it will be fun to see him with Evan when we visit Wisconsin in a few weeks.

Sara and Billy got Linus an ant farm for his birthday. We've been having such a fun time with the ants since they arrived on Friday. After we had them settled into their new home, Linus told me, "Now I need a queen." When I asked why, he said, "Because she'll lay eggs, and then we'll have babies, and then they'll grow up." That is just like him to be thinking ahead to the next step.

Matthew and I got to sleep in on Saturday. Linus was hungry when he woke up and got himself yogurt to eat. He did come to ask Matthew to get him a napkin. After he ate, he went back to bed. Later I saw the rubber jar opener thing and Matthew said Linus got it out to open his yogurt.

He has been very loving lately. At random times during the day he tells me, "I love you, mama."

What's Going On?

We planted some more seeds in our little garden. We got the lettuce and broccoli in and have to be vigilant at keeping the soil moist. We visited the Garden with friends and got another look at the dinosaur sculptures there for a temporary exhibit. I had fun instructing the kids in holding their hands very still in the pond to see if the koi would come over to taste them. I was most excited to check on the peonies there.

We were looking forward to the start of a music class for Linus, but the day before it began I got a call that it was cancelled because enrollment wasn't high enough. Linus cried and was very disappointed. I'm in search of another one for him. I didn't realize how interested he was in it.

Lyz painted and framed some watercolors for Linus and he was excited about receiving them. While he unwrapped them he went on with some sort of rhyming riff. Later he told me, "Such magical pictures she made for me. I love to get art in the mail!"

More pill bug conversations have occurred: He said, "Maybe they eat other creatures in the ground." Then he asked the ones in his bug jug, "What do you like? Ants? Other sow bugs? What do you like, sow bugs?" Then he told me, "The sow bugs are my new friends." The ones we have in the yard are actually pill bugs, because they do roll up. I made a mistake in telling him sow bugs and pill bugs are the same.

Thursday afternoon we were playing at the playground. While I was pushing him on the swing he asked, "Why is the sky blue?" I've thought about this moment since I was pregnant with him. I told him, "The way the light bounces off the particles in the sky makes the sky look blue." He accepted that answer. Then I wondered how right I was.

Here are some other things he has said or asked recently:

"Why does the world go from day to night?"

"We can't see our food go into our stomachs." I said, "No; would you like to?" He answered, "Yes. Why do our bodies need food?"

I can't remember what precipitated this, but I told him he was foiling my plans. His response was, "Well, kitties foil plans."

"Mama, read that book to me. I can't read it correctly."

If you ask him what his favorite color is, you'll get an answer like this: "I love yellow. I love blue. I love purple. I love black. I love pink. Green. I love orange. I love white."

He says his favorite song is "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep." He has had a thing for that since last summer when he yelled it out like a rock star.

"Dead head me. I'm a flower."

"I want my big intestine out of me. It is too big."