3 reasons I feel blessed

For Otter's bedtime, we have a routine, just as every parenting and sleep book known to mother recommends. Ours includes a "storytime", where G or I or both of us, in series or in parallel, reads Otter three stories (four if we do a bonus story when none of us is too tired). This is my favorite part of my day.

1. Reading with Otter is joyful and fun and exciting and relaxing, all at once. He asks questions, giggles, recites pieces of his favorite books, points out what he notices, speculates on things unspecified or unpictured. I read to him some nights (while G holds and snuggles the new baby) and get to have Otter all to myself.
   
2. Nights G reads with Otter, I get to curl up with the new baby (who is now 10 weeks old, roughly) on the "foosta" in the living room and listen to G and Otter do storytime over the monitor.
3. After storytime, Otter goes to sleep, and the whole house is peaceful.
4. And, a bonus, just as Otter sometimes gets a fourth bonus story: after that, I get to go to bed myself and sleep.