“When we were kids the coolest dinosaur in world was the brontosaurus, which means 'THUNDERLIZARD'. But it turns out brontosaurs isn't even a thing, it's just an apatosaurus which means 'deceptive lizard', which isn't nearly as cool. I don't want my gigantic lizards to bring the lies. I want them to bring the thunder.” 

― John Green

View fullsize

I sit on the floor and play with him as we set out to build Dinosaur Nation with his new magnet tiles. Mostly he plays with the dinosaurs and leaves the building to me, which is fine because these tiles are somewhat addicting. By the way, it is true about the brontosaurus, I am corrected each time I make the mistake. He cuts me some slack however, reminding me without judgement. I swear he knows every single name of every single dinosaur, and today I watched as he read a whole book to himself as he sat on the floor of his bedroom. I know he has the book memorized, but still, it was a long book. I don’t question how fast he grows and changes, or how he doesn’t miss a word we say. I do my best to answer every time he mutters “why” over and over again, until he is satisfied. I try not to get too emotional when he crawls in my lap out of the blue for a hug, and says, “Oh, Gramma, I love you.” All I can do is try to be present. To listen and watch, laugh and love him back.

For someday Dinosaur Nation will become a thing of the past, a memory of what was, when the two of us sat on the floor and played, while Mamma worked and Daddy baked bread in his bakery.