August 26, 2003 - Tuesday
"Harry, mommy's birthday is next week. Did you think we should get her a present," I asked Harry, wondering if he is old enough to understand much of what I was talking about. Certainly he's old enough to understand about presents and probably he'll have some understanding of getting mommy a present.
"Yeah," he answered somewhat matter-of-factly, but with enough enthusiasm for me to go on.
"What do you think we should get mommy for a present?"
"I don't know," he said. No surprise in that answer.
"What do you think mommy would like to have," I continued.
"A firetruck." Well, he was thinking about presents anyway.
"Do you think mommy wants a firetruck?" I asked, with only a slight hint that maybe that wouldn't be her first birthday wish. And, Harry seemed to get the message.
"Maybe we could get her a teddy bear."
"A teddy bear?" I asked with more curiosity.
"She doesn't have one of those. Maybe mommy would like to have a 'friend.'" We call all of Harry's stuffed animals - his teddy bears, piggies, doggy, etc. - his "friends." Now he was on the right track, I think.
"That's a very nice idea, Harry. I think Mommy would like a teddy bear from you." It would genuinely be from him, bringing his personal interests and heart to a present. And, she doesn't have a teddy bear (well, at least not now that she's given them all to Harry and Jeremy).

After school in the car I asked Harry again about getting mommy a birthday present. Again he brought his own interests to the idea.
"We should get her a box. You could get her a big box and I could get her a little box."
"And what would we put in the box?" I asked.
"I would put beetles and caterpillars,"
"Do you think mommy would like beetles and caterpillars?" I asked, regretting at this particular moment that she always does take a sincere fascination in Harry's insect discoveries and often discovers them first and shows them to Harry.
"Yeah, I would put stag beetles and stag caterpillars and mosquitoes and cicadas in the box and I would put a top on the box so they couldn't get out."
Hmmm, I see where he's going with this and I can see he means very well. Perhaps we'll have to get back to this discussion a little later.


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