Oh, Henry

When I started blogging my #5 was 18 months old.  I remember the day he tried to run and scraped his knees.

We lived in Illinois then.  In a pretty house that was on a golf course.  Everything was clean and neat. Even Henry…and that was what I didn’t like about it!  I missed animals and my kids bring in bugs and getting dirty.  That is where Henry was born and he asks a million questions about it.

Henry is my guy. 

He is the only one of my three sons that looks like me.  He is quirky and does the craziest stuff—which truthfully is just like his dad but the fact that he looks  a lot like me makes it funny.

This morning as I was watching him get on the bus through the window (baby it’s cold outside!) I actually got a lump in my throat as he looked so big.  My blog is really Henry’s life chronologically. 

He waits amongst the snow hills.  Sometimes he sings to himself.  He turns and waves to me many times.  He knows I am there…loving him loving me.  And that is exactly what it is.  I love that he loves me.  And I love that he loves me loving him.  He knows this because I put his blanket in the dryer at bedtime so he can get some warm snuggles. Also because when told to eat all his spinach I take a huge forkful when no one is looking.

He asks me things like “when is the first time you smiled , mom?”

He hugs me so tight with his little biceps and it keeps me strong all the day long.

This all may sound dreamy as we all know what seven year old boys are like.

While my seven year old doesn’t like to take showers and when tired his voice goes up an octave.  It’s okay.

Yesterday he was just being lugged around on my hip.  Now he smells like school, like metal desks and the heavy acrylic paint of the art room. 

He lays with me in my bed and often I hold his hand while we each hold half the book.

I watch him get on the bus with his snowpants and boots in a bag—he plays with his friends in the snow and later he tells me with great animation the play by play.  It usually involves swinging  and jumping high into the snow.   My guy Henry!  He is growing so fast, I just want to drink up these days.

Tomorrow is the Christmas party at school.  I will dress him super cute, and even I will trim his nails.  It  is that special. He will give his sweet teacher a present and when he does I am certain his cheeks will be red and he will scurry away super fast.  Oh, Henry!