OyChicago blog

Graduations, recitals, and sporting events are big moments parents don’t forget, but there are so many little things you want to remember too. With another child about to join the Krit clan, I wanted to share a few of my favorite Henry moments.

Henry’s Girlfriend

Henry has a girlfriend. They have been together for a year, and it’s super cute to watch them interact. Henry even openly talks about her as his “girlfriend,” so he’s clearly not in the embarrassed phase, like he will be when he reads this article. When they meet, hugs and kisses on the lips are exchanged (we’ve tried to discourage the lip lock but it’s pretty awesome to watch). This sweet little blond-haired girl bear hugs Henry, picks him up (no idea how) and then they smooch. Her father jokes that one day she will carry him over the threshold.

Mispronunciation

You want your child to speak well, you want to understand what they are saying, but when your child takes the word “truck,” like my nephew did, and turns it into a swear word, it’s hilarious. Henry never did that but he had a few cute speech mishaps. The best are not exactly appropriate for a blog, but it warms my heart when he says, “lello” for yellow and refers to superheroes as “superherlos.”

Expressions and Singing

Out of nowhere Henry sounded Canadian and I loved it. He would turn to you and say, “Here ja go.” I have no idea where he got that from but it always put a smile on my face and I of course adopted the phrase myself. At many meals, he looks at the table and his little face lights up and he says, “I love this,” even though he hasn’t taken a bite of his food. After tasting a nasty thai chili bar once, he curled up his nose and looked like he was about to puke, then said, “I love this,” and declined another bite. This happens with movies he’s never seen, toys he’s yet to play with, and exercise equipment the moment Amazon drops it off.

You have to be careful with kid expressions. It’s like a song; after a while it molds to you and all the sudden you are telling your coworker, “I not know,” which is not so cute coming from an adult.

Speaking of songs, it’s amazing how children remember lyrics. Henry comes home with a new song all the time. Hearing a little voice carry a tune, even off-key, is priceless. The other day I sang, “Steal My Kisses” by Ben Harper, and then I kissed Henry. After that, he started singing it and kissing me. We were in the grocery store, and he kept doing it – laughing, singing and smooching. I hope that lasts another few years.

Naming his Brother

Henry has been really excited for a sibling. When we told him that we were going to have a boy he asked, “and then a girl?” Eventually, he decided a boy would be great, and he informed us, “I will feed him with my muscles.”

He even named his brother. My wife was explaining to Henry that she was reading a book of names, to figure out what we’ll call the baby. Without much hesitation, Henry announced, “The baby’s name is Crocodile, or Crocodile Krit.” And because Henry has been so excited for his brother to arrive, he shared the name with his friends. Fast forward a few weeks, and Erika is picking up Henry from school, and his “best buddy” starts rubbing her belly and says, “You got a baby croc in there!”

We are looking forward to Crocodile Krit, interactions between the boys, and the crazy things that pop out of Croc’s mouth.