Some days, I’ll intentionally sit back and observe Ishaan. Watch how he chooses to interact with everything. I watch the way he uses a pillow to make a bridge from the bed to the nightstand in order to reach the clock.

I wonder, “Are you going to be an engineer like your Babaji? Building bridges? Designing railways?”

Other days, I see his obsession with certain things and think, “Is this going to be a lifelong interest?”

Yesterday, we read his new favorite book, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, and played with his animal masks. He now knows that the cow says “Moo!” And can say “duck” and “pig” and “dog.” He knows the cat says “meow” and the sheep says “baa, baa” (his favorite, obviously).

I was singing him the song while holding up the mask of each animal.

He stopped looking at me and looked over to the arm of the couch where I had placed the syringe I had used to give him Tylenol.

He reached for the syringe and placed it on the cow mask. I stopped singing and said, “Oh! You’re giving medicine to the cow!” And then immediately thought, “Are you going to be a vet?”

It makes me think of that book we read to him sometimes. “When I look at you and you look at me, I wonder what wonderful things you will be.” I’m always wondering. Who will you be, my sweet baby?

A bird-watcher. An engineer. A vet. Whatever you choose to be, my Ishu, I can already tell that you will do it with so much dedication and focus. And I will encourage you and support you and be your biggest cheerleader.

Love your love for life.