Today is Owen’s birthday. I heard a rumor that when he woke up this morning, he stayed in bed whispering: “One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four,” until someone else was awake for him to ask, “Am I four yet?”

And then: “I’m four! I’m not going to be three anymore!”

And later: “But why am I four?”

And: “Why is it my birthday?” (Possibly he was trying to figure out how to conjure a repeat performance of the day.)

And finally, smiling blissfully: “I want to be four forever.”