I spent a couple of hours this morning plugging some holes in my first chapter and printing out my tax forms to mail tomorrow. As we�re self-employed, we always owe money (even when, as this year, we get a refund, because we have to pay our quarterly installment) so I make a point of mailing it at the last possible minute every year. AJ was kind of groggy when he got back from the playground, so we played quietly inside until lunch, after which he was somewhat revived and sprinted out the door to do a few laps around the driveway on his tricycle. I had somehow failed to listen to the weather forecast for today. It has been quite cold but sunny for several days and, as no storm has moved through and it was sunny again today, I assumed it was much the same. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find the weather so warm that jackets were not needed. It was absolutely perfect for sitting on the porch while AJ skidded around the pavement yelling, �Look at me, Mommy! I�m going round and round!�

During AJ�s nap, I took a nice long walk around the neighborhood. Due to my cold and the cold weather, I haven�t been able to do that in a while. It was fun to see all the new things popping out of the ground. Daffodils, forsythia and magnolias are in full bloom. The Virginia bluebells look like they�ll be blooming any day now. In a stroll through the nature preserve, I found Marsh marigolds, Dutchman�s breeches and pulmonaria already blooming, although most still haven�t flowered. The trillium are also coming up, as are a few of the ferns, although they were so tiny they were hard to spot. I was heartily scolded by three pileated woodpeckers for invading their space. Their chattering woke up a sleepy barn owl, a rare daytime sighting.

AJ woke up shortly after I returned and we decided it was time to put together his bed. AJ dragged out his play tools from his toy chest and I hauled the pieces of his bed upstairs from the basement and we both began hammering. It was a surprisingly quick project, despite the fact that only one of us had functional tools. The whole thing was moved, assembled and made in less than an hour. AJ was thrilled. He�s particularly excited about the sports theme quilt that has pictures of all of his favorite things on it. He admired it from afar until I suggested we read some stories on it. He grabbed a couple of books and hopped up, bouncing a little and rolling around. Then we went outside to play � more tricycle riding, some soccer and our daily trip to our �secret house.�

The secret house is in the back corner of our yard where an old tree cracked in half and fell down, still alive, forming an archway that in a few weeks will be covered in leaves. Once through the archway, there is an ancient woodpile � it was here when we moved in � that makes a perfect seat. It is up a hill so it overlooks the stream from a height of about 4 feet. You can also see the horse pasture from there, but it is very hard to be seen from anywhere, especially once things leaf out. AJ and I try to go there once a day to look at the stream, pretend to fish with the sticks we find on the ground, watch the birds fly around and smell the smells of the woods. We usually talk. AJ almost always asks, �What�s secret mean?� to which I respond, �What do you think it means?� Sometimes he just replies, �Can you help me?� and then I explain. Sometimes he says, �It�s when I know something and you don�t.� Then he tries to come up with something that would be a secret. �Do you know the soccer ball?� The soccer ball is not a secret. Then he starts making up words. �Do you know mizza?� Aha! A secret.

I then took AJ back into the preserve where I had been earlier in the day where we marveled at all the new little plants coming out of the ground. On our way home, we passed the neighbors who have a little boy AJ�s age. They were playing in their yard and invited us to join them. C grabbed AJ�s hand and showed him all his favorite places in his yard. Then they grabbed two toy lawn mowers and began bashing them into each other while C�s baby sister looked on and the moms chatted. I had to drag AJ away to go home for dinner, an enterprise that was only successful because I promised we could meet them at the playground after school tomorrow.

AJ decided he wanted to sleep in his new bed tonight. We kept our usual bedtime routine, but read the last few stories in his new bed in an attempt to acclimate him to the new place. He was so excited that he kept wiggling under the covers and pretended to sleep and snore while I was reading. I tucked him in, sang him some songs, then left the room. Downstairs on the baby monitor I could hear him rolling around. After about a half an hour, I heard little footsteps and an opening door. I ran upstairs and found AJ standing at the top of the stairs with his arms out to his sides proclaiming, �I�m not tired anymore!� I hauled him back into his room and asked if he wanted to sleep in his other bed. �No, I�m not even tired!� Eventually he admitted that he did indeed want to go back to his crib. I tucked him in again, sang him some more songs, and he was asleep in minutes. Part of me was happy he wanted to be back in the little bed. But I also loved hearing the sound of those little feet padding across the floor.

[Second entry today]

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