As we read, I though about how nice it was that Amy was getting a chance to sleep in. Lucy usually wakes up about 6:30, so even though there are no clocks in Lucy’s room, I was pretty sure that it had to be pushing 7:30. Maybe even 8.

“Are you ready for some breakfast, Lucy?” I finally asked, getting up.
“No. I’m not hungry.” This was a little unusual. Lucy is always hungry when she wakes up.
“Well, do you want to go out in the living room?”
“I want to play in my kitchen.”
“OK,” I said, “Let’s go.”

I opened the door and Lucy yelled, “My kitchen” and went toddling down the hall. It was darker in the living room than it usually is when I get up, and I thought again how much I appreciate Amy getting up with Lucy every morning. I listened to Lucy playing happily with her kitchen, cooking for her stuffed animals. And then I heard Amy’s voice coming from the bedroom.
“What are you doing?” She sounded confused. “Paul, what are you doing?”

And things suddenly clicked into place for me. Lucy’s willingness to cuddle up and read for an hour. Her unwillingness to eat breakfast, usually her favorite meal of the day. The darkness in the living room. The digital green numerals on the cable box reading 1:45.

Sigh. Lucy wasn’t easy to put back to bed. We sang songs and read one more book and when I laid her down in her crib, I lay my head on the stuffed elephant next to the crib and held her hand until she fell asleep. And then I crawled back into bed where Amy laughed at me for a few minutes. And I slept until 8. And when I woke up, Amy was up with Lucy-as usual.