Bedtime stories

On Saturday night, I took Aidy to bed. We were at Grandma and Papas. So he took some trucks and cars, and I took some books.

He was sleeping in a borrowed "Cars" bed, which he loves, but as it's small and low I thought we should read on the "big bed" before we he went to sleep in the small and low bed - purely and simply so I didn't have a bad back for the rest of the night.

We read a Thomas the Train book, then a fish book and then a truck book. All while he intermittently looked at the pictures and played with his trucks.

I then said, "one more book." I got off the bed and moved towards the smaller bed and got ready to read Goodnight Moon. It took me less than 30 seconds. It took Aidy five minutes as he wanted to move all his trucks and cars to the side of his "Cars" bed - there's a reason we don't usually allow cars and trucks in his bed.

He then asked for the fish book, and after that, the "Tommy book".

Not great.

Anyway, anything for a quiet life, I read them then got out The Blankie book. As you've probably guessed it's about a boy who takes his blankie everywhere.

Aiday saw this and said "Blankie...that one yellow...mine one blue one... mine new... got it from garage sale."

His is blue but it's far from new and it was given to him at birth, not, unlike many of his trucks and cars, bought from a garage sale. I just smiled and read on.

Last night I put him to bed and could tell he wasn't going to go down. I gave him a goodnight kiss but he saw this as time to cry rather than a sign to calm down. I left the room with him shouting, "No daddy. Daddy sleep here, Daaaaddddddeeeyyyyy."

After 5 minutes or so, which is far longer than it usually takes him to calm down, I went back up to him. He instantly chirped up and said, "Daddy sleep next to Aidy." When I said no he said, "milk?"

I got him some milk then told him he had to go "Night night" and daddy had to do something outside. "Outside?" he said. And I answered "Yes, to fix the lawnmower."

No sooner as the "L" left my lips I knew it was the wrong thing to say. He shot bolt upright and said, "Aidy help. Aidy help daddy." I said no, but this didn't stop him. "Aidy help fix lawnmower, Aidy fix it. I got screwdriver," he said, as he made a twisting hand gesture.

I left the room with him calm. But 10 minutes later Erin had to go to him as he was shouting at the window ledge to me in the garage, "Daddy fix it, Daddy and Aidy fix lawnmower."

She told him he could help tomorrow, and as he was so tired that seemed to calm him down.