I’ve started being open with the kids about the fact that a judge is going to decide if we should adopt Baby Henry

Greta is my most strong-willed, dramatic child, so it makes sense she’d have the strongest reactions:

Don’t I remember how perfect it was with just the three of us, Baby Henry is very annoying and touches her toys and sometimes he bites her, and no she doesn’t not want him here FOREVER

And also, 24 hours later, she loves him so much and even though she doesn’t always like him, she wants him to be safe because he is her brother

Me explaining he will always be her brother, no matter what happens, and nothing is definite yet (and also little brothers are generally annoying)

I also have a little brother who can be annoying, but despite my interest in mailing him away in a box when I was four, it was never a genuine possibility that he could just…go away

Eleven things about my eleven year old boy:

1. He loves bread. He can eat 3 bagels in one sitting. Dry. Not toasted. My grandma got him money and a bag of buns for his birthday gift. No joke.

2. He remembers ailments about people. A distant cousin of mine brought her dog to a family reunion summer of 2016. At that time the dog had a benign growth. Flash forward to the family reunion of 2017, (we hadn’t seen them for the entire year), the first thing he said to my cousin was, “I’m glad Ruby’s tumor is gone. Is she feeling better?”

Yesterday I was getting birthday treats for his class. On the way to the store he asked if we could get something special for a classmate who can’t eat gluten because he didn’t want to leave her out.

I could go on and on.

3. He has become a reading machine. He’s super into graphic novels. His favorite series is the Amulet series.

4. He loves sports, but has zero coordination.

5. He’s LOUD. Everything he does is LOUD.

6. He likes having “family nights”. Specifically family movie nights.

7. One time he accidentally knocked a roll of toilet paper into the toilet. I found it weeks later hidden under my bathroom cabinet… with my oven mitt. He’s resourceful 🤷🏻‍♀️

8. He spends a lot of time on the ground. He loves sliding on the ground, jumping into the ground, falling on the ground. Jeans don’t last long.

9. He never complains if I ask him to help me with something.

10. He can catch a mouse with his bare hands.

11. He loves when I blow the blow dryer in his face. He’ll drop whatever he’s doing if he hears me blow drying my hair, and stay until I’m done.

Batman: Well, excuse me, but you’re not going to get any sleep, because I’m not putting you to bed until FOUR in the morning, so you’ll be EXHAUSTED.

Iron Man: Then I’ll assign you a six page ESSAY, because you don’t know LOGIC.

Batman: But I know algebra, which is more important!

Felix, out of nowhere. “I don’t feel like dancing, I had a long day.”

Greta, when learning we were going to a local festival. “Mommy, I’m going to get my face painted like a tiger and scare you to heavens!”

Felix, when offered a slice of cake at a birthday party. “No thank you, I’ve already had plenty of sugar today.”

Felix to Greta after they had an argument. “When I say mean things to you, it doesn’t mean I don’t love you. I like you. Well, most of the time I like you.”