What's Unlucky to Caleb Is Our Pot of Gold

"I'm the unluckiest kid ever."

"Why is that?"

"I'm adopted, I don't have any brothers and I'm an...outtie...what's that letter?"

[He does have an outtie belly button which I think is the cutest one I've ever seen and I thought maybe that's what he was talking about until he said that about the letter.]

"The letter?"

"Yeah, you know, the letter that means I like to be around people."

"Oh, an 'E' -- and 'extrovert'?"

"Yeah, I'm adopted, I have no brothers and I'm an 'E'."

"What's unlucky about being an extrovert?"

"Well, I have no brothers, nobody to play with."

"Oh, what's unlucky about being adopted?!? Adopting you is about the 'luckiest' thing that ever happened to Dad and Me!!!"

As so often happens, the conversation got distracted from there and my heart was left in pieces on the living room floor.

The Measure of One's Life

"They fit all of his life into seven discs! That's short."

Caleb's current audio book is on the life of Benedict Arnold. A lot of the stories he has been listening to are eleven discs in length.

"How many discs do you think it would be if they turned your life story into an audio book? Eleven?"

"Yeah. [Pause, moment of thought.] No, thirteen."

The boy has aspirations. I have always said he needs more than one life to live in order to do all he hopes to.

Tough Jobs Call for Rough Languange

After not playing with his Playmobil for months, Caleb had finally pulled them out again. I was on my bed semi-distracted (painting my fingernails) as he had a game of cops and robbers going nearby when I suddenly heard:

"Get in the car D*** it!"

"Caleb, that's not something to be saying."

"Why not?"

"You know how we've explained that words are like knives. Well, that one is like a sharp, sharp knife. It's not for everyday use. It may have its uses, but it is certainly not for play."

[This is a concept that we got from the book "Loving the Little Years" by Rachel Jancovic.]

"Well, what can he [the police man] say then?"

"How about 'Darn it'?"

"Well, that doesn't sound like a real police officer. This is a realistic game."

Melting Mama's Heart

On our annual road trip to Leavenworth (enjoying the gorgeous autumn colors along the way), we were talking about beauty.

Me: "What comes to your mind when you think of beauty, Caleb?"

Caleb: "I don't know." (No surprise here.)

Me: "What's the most beautiful thing you can think of...that you have seen?"

Caleb: (without missing a beat) "You."