henry at three

What a busy day! Henry was up before dawn, as usual, and when I wished him happy birthday, he insisted that it couldn't be his birthday yet because nobody was at our house to celebrate with him. Five long hours later, it was finally time for his birthday brunch, and Henry was in his element, greeting his guests as they arrived and charming everyone. His look of amazement as he sat before his Thomas the Train cake (Thomas is a new but intense interest for Henry) and we all started to sing was priceless, and his joy as he opened each of his gifts was infectious.

At three, our Henry is incredibly smart and funny, by turns sassy and sweet. He is impossibly stubborn and has a one-track mind when it comes to what he wants, and he never lets his big brothers get away with pushing him around or leaving him out (no matter how hard they try). He is creative and has a big imagination, which is a pure pleasure to watch. And he's always trying to figure out how things work, sometimes with happy results, and sometimes less so, like a few days ago, when I noticed how cold it was in the house and checked the thermostat to discover that Henry had turned the setting down to 53 degrees. He is inventive with language and has been making these leaps of logic that just amaze me, even though I watched his brothers go through the same process.

A big deal to Henry right now is figuring out people. He is a fickle creature and decides he doesn't like any given person in his orbit at least twice a day, with one notable exception -- my brother J, who Henry totally hero worships. At least once a week, Henry will ask if he can call Uncle J, and I will help him dial the phone, then I just sit back and listen and laugh. Henry usually asks J for something, whether it's a Dilly Bar or a purple watch or to deliver tables and chairs to our house in his big truck or just to come over and see him, and I can hear J laughing over the phone because it is so nice to be the recipient of that kind of trust and unwavering belief (and because it's a nice break from the routine of his days at the fire station). For the record, for his birthday, J brought Henry not only the requested purple watch (I have no idea where he found one!) but also a fire truck that turns into a robot and dances.

It's a time of big changes for Henry. He is working hard at potty training, and starting tomorrow, he will be at home with us during the day instead of at daycare. It's going to be a major adjustment for all of us, but we think he will be happy, and we think we'll be able to keep our sanity even with the destruction he leaves everywhere in his wake. At any rate, it'll be a wonderful experiment.

But for today, we've just been focusing on celebrating our smart, gorgeous, bright-eyed boy. Happy birthday, Henry! We love you, and we can't wait to see what your future will bring.