All Together Now

Here's another thing that happened while we were on hiatus: Clara began going to bed at the Big Girl time of 7:30pm. This later bedtime prompted us to attempt to make more formal the practice of Joe and Clara being read to together. A part of Julie has been looking forward to reading to the bambini together, so that they can have shared reading memories, too, but another part of her is sad to say goodbye to the days of snuggling in with each of them and their still somewhat respective books.

But, Clara has always had a preference for a story over a picture or concept book, and Joe would often hang out by (and, literally, hang on to) the chair while Julie was reading to Clara anyway. Sometimes, he likes to tuck in along the side. It would be cozy, if two of the three of us--and one in particular--didn't wiggle and shift about so much.

So, rather than Julie be driven slowly bonkers by Joe attempting to clamber up the side of the chair only to flop back down on to the floor in a completely distracting fashion, or jiggle one or more of any of his appendages while snuggled in the chair, Julie decided to decamp to the couch. She also asked Joe if he thought he might like to read books with Clara and Mommy before bed. Our Hero was on board.

The first night on which Joe joined the Birds for books, however, revealed that Julie had made a critical error in that she did not elucidate that reading books with Clara and Mommy would be instead of Mommy reading books with just Clara, and--most important to Our Hero--just Joe. Julie had to admit to herself that she understood, and so, now, she reads books to Joe and Clara, and then after Clara goes to bed about 7:20pm, Julie and Joe read usually two more books.

All's well that ends well.

The first night, after it had gone down. Exhausting.