henry at nine

This morning, Henry and I took breakfast to my mom and my uncle Doug, who were at Gramps's house for the night. He got to sit in the kitchen with his Yami and eat a breakfast sandwich and some hash rounds, and then we went in to see Gramps. Henry has been a little worried and uncertain about whether he wanted to see Gramps when he's so sick, but in the end, he decided to go in and say hi. They had a long conversation about a glass bell Gramps has on his nightstand. It used to be part of a set of Christmas decorations, but it's been repurposed now so Gramps can use it to ring for assistance if he needs it. Henry has apparently never held a bell before (?), so he was very excited that Gramps let him ring it. They also talked about how Henry is 9 on 9/9, and Gramps sang a silly little song with the words "nine nine clementine."

It's a bittersweet day for our Henry. You all know how smart and sassy he is, so this year, I won't focus on that except to say that he continues to amaze us and make us laugh every day. What you may not know is that Henry is also really sensitive and feels things very deeply. All the boys know that Gramps is not long for this world, and it is very hard for them (for all of us), but Henry in particular has a depth of feeling that is at once surprising and not. I don't know if it's his age or level of development or what, but Henry is all heart, and his heart is hurting right now.

But it is his birthday, and even in grief there can be happiness and celebration. So today we celebrated our boy with lunch at Red Lobster (yummmmm) and then later at home with a special birthday pie we picked up from Bob Evans at his request. He's had phone calls and visits and gifts from all the important people in his life, and he knows without a doubt how loved he is.

So happy birthday to our crafty, creative, feisty Henry. I have a feeling it's going to be a golden year for you!