I wrote you a letter last night but it disappeared. I told you how I was still transferring videos of you on to DVD. I watched one called "Happy 7th Birthday to Henry." All of your classmates from JPDS sang Happy Birthday to you in English and in Hebrew. Mrs. Singer said that she missed you and loved you.

I was thinking back about how I had wanted to get teleconferencing for you so you could see and hear your class, and they could see and hear you. I tried to get in touch with the CEO of a company that makes equipment that lets you do that. I never heard back. I should have been smarter about that.

One other thing I tried to do and failed was to get the basement turned into a fun classroom and retreat for you.



I wrote an application to a television show called While You Were Out to have them come to our house when you were in the hospital and make the basement a classroom. You weren't in the hospital at the time, but unfortunately I knew that you would go back in sooner or later.

I thought it would be a great surprise and make you happy. I never heard back from them either.

Yesterday morning I met with some people who are going to make our house bigger. We couldn't do any construction when you were alive. We were told to keep you away from construction sites because the dust was dangerous for you. I think it will be a little crazy around here until they finish but it will be nice to have more space. I'll put up pictures of the changes.

I am watching John Edwards, the guy who lost his son. He hasn't said anything about his son yet. We'll see.

I love talking about you. I love writing to you.

I love you.

Photo of the day.

Joe asked me to read this to him last night. I am pretty sure that I got it at the Barnes and Noble in the shopping center next to Calhoun Beach Club in Minneapolis. I bought it more for Jack, than you I seem to recall.

This is the Thomas the Tank Engine book that features Henry.

I never had noticed this page before.

Photo of the day.



This is us with President Clinton. He spoke on TV last night and was really good.



You were a Clinton supporter even when you were a baby. That is Aunt Alice feeding you at their beach house.

President Clinton is really smart and knows a lot of things. One thing that you taught him about was Rescue Heroes. You were holding a card when we met him and you told him what it was. Cal Ripken was very cool because he really knew a lot about Pokemon when you talked to him.

We had Jack stay up a little late to listen but he was busy reading and didn't really pay attention. I think that it might be a little hard for him to understand.





Bill Clinton was speaking at something called a convention. I have been to two and they are a lot of fun. On the photo above you see this thing hanging from my neck. It is called a credential. They let you go places at the convention. The other photo was taken inside the place where the convention was being held. If Elvis ran he'd win. My first job out of college was working for a guy named Walter Mondale who ran for President. He was from Minnesota.

Check out the white stuff on my nose in the next picture. This was when I worked for Mondale for President. Remember how we used to sing the song

I WANNA BE A LIFEGUARD
Blotto

Selling shoes
Another loser working in a shopping mall

9 to 5
A slave driver telling me "Get on the ball!"

A crowded store
I kneel before them
Misery beyond compare
Sweaty socks
A lady boxer
What's she got against fresh air?

I want an ocean and some sunscreen lotion
Take me to the beach with a thousand pretty girls in reach
I, I, I wanna be a lifeguard (help,help,help,help)
I, I, I wanna guard your life
I, I, I wanna be a lifeguard (lifeguard, lifeguard)
Hardly any clothes (lifeguard)
Sand between my toes (lifeguard)
White stuff on my nose

Selling shoes
Another loser working in a shopping mall

I'm getting fat
What does it matter?
Nobody cares at all

But next July, I'll say goodbye to every out-of-it, dull-witted fool
Convert their feet into meters, marking distance at the swimming pool

Summer blondes revealing tan lines
I'll make more moves than Allied Van Lines

I, I, I wanna be a lifeguard (be a big man, now...get a great tan, now)
I, I, I wanna guard your life
I, I, I wanna be a lifeguard (lifeguard, lifeguard)
Sitting on my chair (lifeguard)
In the salty air (lifeguard)
White stuff on my nose

I, I, I wanna be a lifeguard (help,help,help,help)
I, I, I wanna guard your life
I, I, I wanna be a lifeguard (lifeguard, lifeguard)

Lounging on the deck (lifeguard)
Whistle 'round my neck (lifeguard)
White stuff in my nose
I, I, I wanna be a lifeguard (lifeguard, lifeguard)




Each time I went to a convention my guy, like Mondale, lost. So I just don't go anymore. It is better for the country.

There is an election again like the one when Al Gore ran against George Bush for President. You guys voted in your class in the Gan.



This is a picture of me with George Bush's dad, George Bush. Isn't that interesting, they have the same name. Jews don't do that. We only name our babies after people who have died. I guess that is another way for the person who is dead to live on. I think it would hurt even more if you had a son who died who had the same name as you.

George Bush, the daddy (and guy in the picture), lost a daughter. I wrote you a little while ago about John Edwards, who is running for Vice President, he lost his son. I wonder if he is going to talk about him when he speaks on TV later this week. When Al Gore gave one of his speeches he talked about almost losing his son, Al Gore, Jr. Clearly, they aren't Jewish either. Al Gore's son got hit by a car leaving an Orioles game. I remember when it happened. It seemed so terrible and scary.

Photo of the day.



This was at Catherine and Tim's wedding. Jim and Sam just had a baby boy. You have a new cousin, Benjamin Ari Kreindler.

We went to Pamela and Jeffrey's house in West Virginia this weekend. Ever since the Fourth of July, sitting on the roof of the car has become a big deal for Jack and Joe. Joe gets up there and says,"Fireworks." It is very cute. The house is down the block from a big stable with lots of great horses. You would have loved it. Both Jack and Joe rode Sugar the pony. Sugar was very nice. Joe said he didn't want to ride, but when I took him over to pet Sugar from her saddle, the next thing we knew Joe was riding around the barn.





Joe was wearing his cowboy boots. They used to be Josh's. Joe's favorite outfit is his pajamas and his cowboy boots.



We walked like that over to Fresh Fields the other morning.



We worked on our "loafing." West Virginia is a nice place to relax.



There is a song where they call West Virginia, "Almost Heaven." I guess we were a little closer to you, then. I want to come out to the cemetery. Hopefully I can come soon.

Love you, cowboy.

Photo of the day. I was swinging your David Ortiz bat this weekend. It feels nice. I wish it wasn't just gathering dust in my closet. Maybe Jack or Joe will use it when they get older. I think the Glover Park league has switched from aluminum bats to wood.

Jack finished up rocket camp. His friend Maxwell was in his group. Next week Jack goes to movie making camp. I think next year he'll go to one camp for the summer. I think it is better that way. Sooner or later I hope he goes to Camp Ramah. That is where Aunt Jen went to camp. When I was a kid I went to Adas Israel's Camp Tel Shalom, but that isn't around anymore. Too bad because it was like going to the Gan. It was a lot of fun.

Jack and I went to Dave & Buster's at White Flint today. Everyone from my work went there to celebrate doing a good job. Jack is really good at the games and he had a great time.

We went into this neat photo booth that makes drawings. Our drawing is based on the style of Leonardo Da Vinci, at least that is what the machine said.



Jack was a little bummed because he said he forgot to smile. I think he is really beautiful.

Photo of the day.

Photo of the day.



More Minnesota. This was the day that you and Jack and Mom left for Washington on the Honeywell Jet. The man was nice to drop you guys off before heading to New Jersey. I drove. I still remember getting the last bits and pieces of our stuff out of the apartment at Calhoun Beach Club and into the Isuzu. We had sent most of it home by UPS. Boy, we collected a lot of stuff while we were there.

Joe's favorite things to play with now are all of your Pokemon figures. He dumps them out of the bin and begs me or Mom to play "Kokomon" with him. I get on the floor before leaving for work in the morning and help Joe arrange them all in rows. That is playing "Kokomon."

It was always exciting to find new Pokemon or Batman stuff for you while you were in the hospital or later in the apartment. I talked to Mom about ensuring that the "Magic Closet" is part of whatever we do with the Hope for Henry Foundation. Mom is working very hard on it. You'd be proud of her.

I love you, Big Man.

 

Photo of the day. This was taken when we left the hospital after you were in for your bone marrow transplant. You have Fritos, Jack a chocolate chip cookie. I think we drove you around a bit to celebrate your freedom, and then took you to the apartment at Lake Calhoun. Looking back at it, that was one of the best days of my life.  

I dropped off band-aids at the Clinic this morning.



Of course there is something (or someone) missing from this photo. The parking guys! They still know me and let me just pull up and leave our car in front. I love that.



These were the Strawberry Shortcake bandaids. I have been very good about having "girl" bandaids for all of the Matchbox and Jimmy Neutron ones that we drop off.

I think it is important we keep the Henry Toolkit fully stocked. It is fun to try and find bandaids that we haven't seen before.

One thing that depressed me, no matter what hospital we were at, was when there were things for the patients and other kids that were broken or not taken care of. I remember there would be great TVs, or pinball machines or computer games that people donated and they wouldn't work or would be beat up. I think it is great to want to help but you need to make sure things are kept up nicely or else it is just a big disappointment. I think we'll be thinking about that when we do Hope for Henry stuff.