Littlest joys + bedtime reading

In the past several weeks, we started implementing a bit more of a schedule for Cooper. And as such, we've seen him go from napping a maximum of forty minutes at a time to now napping for two hours (sometimes I have to wake him up after two hours), almost daily. A friend told me early on in motherhood to remind myself of the adage My joy is not dependent on how well my baby naps/sleeps. And that is true! That said, longer naps have been restorative for both me and Cooper.

With more of a schedule, we also have a more regular bedtime routine, and the includes reading together after we change Cooper into his pajamas (we love these Magnetic Me pjs). Nicholas and I alternate who reads to him, and sometimes all three of us read together. The other night, I was reading to Cooper and Nicholas snuck around the corner and snapped a few photos of us. Gosh, they may be some of my favorite photos of us to date.

Some books we frequently read at nighttime (or during the day) : Who Sang the first song?, Found: Psalm 23 (Jesus Storybook Bible), God Bless you and Goodnight, Guess How Much I Love You, and Night Creatures: A Lift-the-Flap Book (Peppa Pig). He has many other beautiful books that we read during the day and sometimes at night, but these are the ones we read most frequently that seem to involve him and are a good length for him at this age.

I love seeing him take in the world all around him, reaching for things, studying colors and objects, like he's in awe. I'm in awe too, of the way God created this little boy and how he's growing up right before our very eyes.