when i was trying to sleep, i kept trying to list in my head some of henry's favorite things

mommy
his girlfriend, bella
ari, simon
small shiny objects
joe
pokemon
drawing pictures
taking pictures (henry got a cool Polaroid Mio Camera for hannukah)
star wars
harry potter
disneyworld
baseball, cal ripken
dvds
school
light sabers
yoda
cartoons
spongebob
watches
patagonia underwear
his shiny nike sneakers
his blankets
batman
sweat pants and sweat shirts
his birthday
swimming at nana's
aunt alice's and uncle peter's beach house
trading cards
cactus cantina
suzanne and meghan
the manhattan pokemon store
me
jack
marbles
currency from around the world
reading
encyclopedia brown
your bed at home
electric blankets
funland at the beach
max's ice cream in glover park
ice water
catching fireflies
shells
eating crackers
dressing in costumes

i am reading this aloud to henry to remind him why he has to be strong and get better. what awaits him on the other side. i am all for bribing if it works. i'm going to add to this list as henry tells me more.