Bedtime snuggles with Jellybean

Jellybean generally gets put to bed by Daddytwo and I usually put Midget Gem down at the same time. We go through together and I give Midget Gem his milk, read him a book or sing him a song and put him down then sit and read for five minutes in the blissfully comfortable chair beside his cot, then leave because he's fast asleep.


Daddytwo takes Jellybean to his bed, climbs in with him to read him books and sing songs and talk about their days. Then Daddytwo falls fast asleep and Jellybean tucks him in, sings to him and gives me a cheerful wave when I peep into his room!


Tonight I was in a huff and filled to the brim with a need for a hot water bottle, red wine and my own body weight in chocolate. My wonderful husband trotted out to Asda to get me all of the above and took Midget Gem, who had had a late nap so was WIDE AWAKE, with him and left me snuggled up to a very sleepy Jellybean on the sofa.

He knows I'm less soft than his Daddy at bedtime and won't lie down and stay there for ages, I'm a three stories, song, music and gone kind of bed time Momma.


I read two stories then Jellybean told me he wanted to read the third one. He chose "All in one piece" (a Large Family book if you aren't sure) one of my own childhood favourites and I held it so he could 'read'. He can kind of recognise some words - our names, car, train (that's pretty much it, but hey, he isn't even three!) but he certainly can't read. Usually when he reads us a story he just remembers it and recites it - or tells us what's happening in the pictures.


I've started to trace the words with my finger as I read so that he'll learn what each word sounds like and begin to recognise more words and had done so for the first two books tonight. With this book I pointed at a word and asked if he knew what it said. He traced the words with his own finger and said "I can read this book, not you, don't you read this book, *I* am reading this book. I am the king of the castle and you are a dirty rascal!"


That cracked me up, then he made me read him the story properly, then we snuggled down for our favourite game of "What's best".


"What's best, cars or lorries?"
"Lorries of course."
"What's best, lorries or trains?"
"Trains of course!"


Then he asks me;
"What is best, faces or ceilings?"
"um...faces"
"What is your best frave-rit, Daddy or potty?"
"Daddy"
"What is best, butterflies or Macca Pacca?"
"Macca Pacca"
"what is your frave-rit, outside of cars or outside of cows?"
"erm....!"


He is a most excellent boy :-)


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