A Few of My Favorite Things... About Henry

Every night, Henry forgets he's expected to go to bed. We haven't figured out if it's a "I don't want to miss out on anything" issue or something else, but every adult in the household has at least one night of pain-in-the-assness each week. This process can become so consuming and embittering. In an effort to celebrate all wonderful, quirky, hilarious, amazing parts of my first-born, I thought it would be good to spend some time on... 

A Few of My Favorite Things About Henry

• The phrases he's picked up and uses often in hilarious ways:
• "Check this out." Often used after the creation of new Mega Bloks vehicle, train track, crayon drawing, or preceding a spastic new gymnastic move. 
• "Can I get a little help here?" Most commonly used after a fall, his tiny hand emerging from behind the couch/chair/table accompanied by his tiny voice and adult inflections. 
• "He's got that head going." Sullivan's favorite new activity involves headbanging and this is Henry's response when he sees it.  
• "What the heck?" Nough said. 

• He loves to be helpful (on his own time). He puts away his laundry. Pours, cracks eggs into and stirs pancake batter. Feeds Sullivan. And loves to help set the table. 
• We now play HideNSeek and it's soooo fun! Henry either stays silent in his hiding spot (which terrifies me) or giggles. He asks me to "squeak" to give him hints where I am so I've renamed it Hide and Go Squeak. 
• He says "I love you" often. Sometimes it may be a procrastination technique to start a conversation before bed, but it works every time. 
• When Sullivan cries, he has a special voice he uses to say, "It's okay, Sully. I'm here." And then sings "Row, row, row your boat." To make matters better, the interaction
  
  usually ends with, "He stopped crying. Now he's smiling at me!" He's also invented a game called "Jhoop!" where he raises and lowers plastic letters on Sullivan's tummy while saying "Jhoop." They both seem to enjoy it. 
• For the past several months, he's gotten attached to a handful of stuffed animals. He carts them around with him and talks with them, generally reassuring them that he'll take care of them. They include a dog (which is actually a purse), a hedgehog the size of a yoga ball, a "winney pig" named Martha, a cheetah that's as long as him, a giraffe from the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and a blue jay. When he can't be with them, he asks us to keep an eye on them.
• How he hates wearing pants. 
• And shoes. 

• After he draws, there is inevitably marker on his hands or crayon underneath his fingernails. The surprising color melts me. 
• The way his face looks when he is sleeping. It's a still glimpse of the rarely seen angel with softly closed eyes, salmon colored lips slightly open and his overgrown hair swept across his forehead. 
  
• The way his mouth looks when he's doing something wrong or trying to keep a secret. He creeps around the corner, admitting guilt before I even know there is any reason for it. His mouth is open, jaw wagging back and forth like a slow-moving pendulum, and his eyes look down towards the ground. "Mommy, I think, maybe, I need your help." 
• His silly face that's accompanied with a "Woo?"