Tonight Joshua was AMPED before bedtime. It actually started before dinner and the little guy just could not keep still for two seconds. So it was no surprise that he wasn't settling down after we put him to bed. Leif and I sat down to our Sunday night Scrabble game and for the first time ever, I saw Joshua's little head bobbing up and down in the hallway as he crept out on his hands and knees. He knew he was busted so he scooted back to bed and called out that he was just looking for a stuffed animal to sleep with. I doubted that - he'd asked to play Scrabble with us before he went to bed, so I didn't believe that for a minute. Turns out I was very wrong... this is how we found him later:
Not only did he find a stuffed bedtime buddy, but he dragged in the biggest one in his possession and nestled it in right beside him. He's quite generous in sharing his bed, apparently; he's actually squashed up against the wall to make room for his froggy friend.
(This giant frog is actually an old stuffed animal of his daddy's, one that was almost donated just before Joshua was born. We changed our minds at the last minute and kept him, fearing that this would be the stuffed animal Joshua would want to carry around at all times! While that hasn't been the case, tonight's episode is not the first time Joshua has hauled the Big Frog around. When we packed for a recent trip, I had all our luggage open on the bed and told Joshua he could choose 2 or 3 stuffed animals for the trip. He cheerfully replied that he only wanted one. I left the bedroom for something and when I returned, I found this big guy curled up in my large suitcase, taking up the entire space. And Joshua sat beside him on the bed, a cheshire cat grin all over his face. :) Sadly the frog had to stay home, but you gotta admire the kid for the efforts. "Ok, Mom - just one...and I know just the one and where he'll go!!")
