Monday, July 25, 2011

Teenager


Here's the sweetest boy in the universe.

Henry was born on July 25th, in one of the last years of the last century, and there hasn't been a day since that he has not touched my heart with his capacity for pure joy.



It was scary to get pregnant again, to contemplate what I didn't know, to have another baby and not worry was that a seizure is that normal is it starting, to hold him and Sophie simultaneously, like twins except that one was much larger and staying the same the other smaller and developing in miraculous ways before my eyes. I had thought I might be stunned by that development, stunned and saddened as he overtook his sister in every possible way, but I experienced the opposite and marveled at the simplicity of it, the simplicity and beauty of "normal" development, the effortless ability to swipe at something, to bend and crouch and fall down a step, stop and look back in surprise and try again, backwards. I thought him genius, of course, and admired Sophie all the more, her efforts double, triple, infinitely more difficult as they were stymied nearly continuously by seizures.


Henry came into the world screaming as all babies do who are fortunate to be strong enough to object, but his screams turned to smiles very early and there was nothing that didn't please him.

Henry, five WEEKS old

Henry did everything early -- smiled, sat up, rolled over, walked and talked -- and we used to joke that it was God's way of easing what might have been very anxious times. Either that or Henry was just eager, always, to get on with life.

Henry and his beloved cousin Mary with Pop Pop

He made his brother Oliver laugh for the very first time.


With Sophie, he shares the sweetest of all the relationships in our family. I really don't think I could do justice to the love between them with words only.


-- or the love and gratitude I feel for him. He's been the light of my life for thirteen years.

Happy Birthday, Henry. May you always be filled with joy!

Another birthday post for Henry is HERE.

36 comments:

  1. Hi Elizabeth,
    A great post for my formal introduction to your blog. I have read and enjoyed the blog for some time and Phil and I talk about you as a friend. Your posting brought me to tears, the absolute beauty in your portrayal of your son. Thank you for your support and kindness. By the way, you also make me laugh. Enjoy his day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. this touched my heart. his sweetness is so evident.

    happy birthday, henry! and to you, mama.

    ReplyDelete
  3. He is such a gorgeous young man. His eyes are deep pools of feeling, intelligence, and happiness. I hope you stop for a moment, while celebrating him, and celebrate yourself as a mother, too.

    The love between Henry and Sophie reminds me of the love between Katie & David, except that in birth-order, David came first. He loved her from the very beginning - no jealousy. It's a beautiful miracle...and so is your Henry.
    Happy Birthday, Henry!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy day to you all! I love my children's birthdays because it allows me the opportunity to shower them with accolades and get all mushy like no other day.

    Have a glorious celebration.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy birthday to an obviously special boy! May he always be joyous.

    Loved the photos!

    Best,
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful post,photos and young man. Happy birthday to him!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, Elizabeth, this post left me sobbing. You can really put him across! You're an amazing woman!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful son. Beautiful mother. Enjoy the day!

    ReplyDelete
  9. The most beautiful post of yours I think I have read yet. Wow.

    Happy birthday Henry!!!!!

    PS We have arrived.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This might be the best birthday post I've ever read. I wish you had written more, the writing- and story- is so touching and compelling. Henry is gorgeous (he looks like a Jonas brother lol ) and obviously inherited his mother's intelligence and depth and capacity for love.
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have tears in my eyes.

    Children are so beautiful. All children are just so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  12. oh oh oh oh oh. I often wonder what it would have been like to have Cooper first, and to then experience the 'normal' development. Beautiful boy, beautiful words, love seeing that pic of your daddy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Since everyone else has already exclaimed "beautiful" multiple times,
    I'll say lovely, just for variety!
    And beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  14. An absolutely tribute to a son...perhaps he could be cloned and distributed around the world?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh my gosh these pictures ... I don't know if I can handle this much cuteness :) Happy birthday to your sweet stunning Henry! He is so gorgeous that it's almost unfair to the rest of us. He got his mama's beauty, inside and outside.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh Elizabeth what a beautiful and moving testimony to your precious growing man. I can only imagine that your children have been blessed by example with compassion, intellect, and love.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Just so beautiful, what an amazing tribute to your son, I love that pic of you with them just after he was born, what love and joy!

    Birthday wishes to you all, and a happy birthingday to you, Elizabeth!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Happy Birthday to your glorious son! And thank you for sharing these photos - I can just feel his warmth, sincerity, and love emanating from them.

    ReplyDelete
  19. You have so much wisdom .... The heart kind of wisdom. Your son is a beautiful boy. Time is a flying.

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is lovely. I especially like the photo of you in the hospital. I had similar feelings when my daughter was born and saw typical, 'miraculous' development. But I think while I realized just how hard Ben had had to work for the littlest things, I was also angry at the injustice of it all. Happy Birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  21. In tears. What a gorgeous tribute to your son. Thank you. And a very happy birthday to Henry.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow. This made me tear up.

    Happy birthday to your beautiful boy!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Elizabeth -- You keep the love light burning in the most incredible way.

    Happy Birthday, Henry.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is just so filled with your love and his joy - and the way you told it is so real and tender and poignant, you have a gift for that. It made me weep and smile at the same time. Happy Happy Birthday to your Henry!

    ReplyDelete
  25. oh how i love each one of you...
    even when you break my heart,
    in the way that you want a heart to be broken.

    xoxoxoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  26. Happy birthday Henry! This is such a beautiful post. As you know, it really is all about love. The photos show a boy brimming with love in his heart. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I loved this post and the pictures. What a wonderful way to start my morning!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wonderful post. Henry came into the world screaming as all babies do who are fortunate to be strong enough to object, is a sentence I will remember for a long time.

    I hope he's read this post. Happy Birthday, Henry!

    xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  29. What a gorgeous son and brother. He has special gifts that will guide him through life in unique ways.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is the loveliest thing I have read in a long time.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Happy birthday Henry!

    Beautiful, beautiful photos. Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  32. So sweet. He's gorgeous too. I see you in his picture.

    ReplyDelete
  33. That was just wonderfully sweet! This is my first time visiting your blog. My heart has has now been warmed.

    Sigh.

    Such warmness.

    Happy Birthday Henry!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Happy birthday to Henry! The photo of you smiling, with baby Henry and little Sophie is precious.

    ReplyDelete