henry at five

We always say that Henry follows in his brothers’ footsteps, only ... more. Bigger. More enthusiasm (for activities both good and ill advised). Bigger emotions. More questions. Unlimited energy. He is like the distilled essence of boy to us.

This year, Henry has “double schools.” Four days a week, he goes to preschool in the morning, and then he finishes out the day at daycare (on Fridays, he just has daycare). He is learning so much. The other day we were at the store, and out of nowhere, Henry said, “Mom, I think I can spell Max’s name.” And he very carefully sounded it out: “Mmmm ... M ... aah ... A ... ex ... X. M-A-X.” Then he followed the same process to try to spell Liam’s name and came up with L-E-M. I thought maybe the first one was a fluke; after all, it’s not exactly hard to remember how to spell M-A-X. But when he did Liam’s name, it was clear that even though he didn’t get the spelling exactly right, he definitely understands the fundamentals of sounding words out. He is starting to do that all the time with words he sees during his day, and it is thrilling. He’s also asking to read books more and more. I was a little worried because he never seemed all that interested in paying attention when I would read to them at bedtime, and because as much as Liam is a big reader, Max just isn’t, so I wondered which way Henry would go. Well, I don’t need to wonder anymore.

It seems like wherever we go, Henry knows somebody. Out to breakfast? There’s his friend from t-ball. Shopping for groceries? He sees three kids from daycare. He is so outgoing and social, which really stands out in our little family. He makes friends easily, and is free with his affection. All the little friends we see are very excited when they spot Henry, and run over for a hug or a high five or a fist bump. Speaking as a person who is prone to social hibernation, I really hope this is a trait he’ll keep as he grows up.

If Henry had his way, he would be grown up already, doing all the things his brothers can do, only bigger and better. If you ask him what he wants to do when he is grown up, the first thing he will tell you is that he wants to live in Washington, D.C., in a big white house (really, THE big white house). And we have no doubt that if that’s still what he wants later on, he’ll find a way to get it.

Happy birthday, Henry, our fearless, determined boy!  We can’t wait to visit you in your big white house.