And a Bowl Full of Mush

Used to be at our house that Jodi and I took turns reading books to Jack at bedtime. That's changed since Aidan has been born. Now there are no nights off from bedtime; we alternate. One night I read with Jack, the next with Aidan.

I like reading with Jack. He gets into stories making comments, asking questions, and he remembers details. He likes repetition, too. I read a story by Tiki and Ronde Barber to him last night (which Jodi had read the night before). I missed two pages in the middle and when we finished he knew it and we had to go back.

Aidan has discovered, what I think, is the best book of all time for young children: "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown. It's a simple, quirkly little book that has an old-fashion feel to it. There are cats, a mouse, an old lady (bunny) whispering hush, and more in a nighttime bedroom scene. Aidan loves the details on each page. The mouse moves around the room from page to page and the young little bunny changes how he is positioned on his bed.

Best of all is the simple words and pictures that Aidan can identify. He loves to point out the moon through the bedroom window which also shows up in a painting on the wall of the cow jumping over the moon. He can't point to the three little bears without saying "sitting on chairs."

Tonight he made the connection between the fireplace tools in the book and the fireplace tools at his Papa Dale and Nana Audie's house. "Nana's house," he says as he points at the fireplace scoop and poker.

After reading and before the crib, we sit in the rocking chair in the dark and say goodnight to all the people he knows (Night-night Jack, Night-night Johnny, etc). It helps settle him down and I like to think it sends him to sleep thinking about the people that love him.