Tucking him in tonight ...

When Owen says a word beginning in V it sounds like a D. Very = Derry.

I'd tucked him in tonight after reading the terrific children's book Russell The Sheep, in which a sheep who can't sleep counts things until he feels tired. I got him snuggled under his covers, sang him a couple of songs, and left the room. As I was leaving he said something, I walked back and he pointed to his face and said "These are my eyes. Closing them will help me fall to sleep."

Cute. But that's not all.

Working on the dishes a few minutes later, I heard him talking and went back up. He was thrashing around in the blankets saying: "I'm having a derry derry hard time falling asleep."

"What do you need?" I asked.

"A kiss."

Charmed, I kissed him good-night again. "Yes, a kiss will help me fall to sleep ..." he said.

"Or perhaps counting numbers. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Four. Three. Two. One."

I left him to it. An hour later, he's still out.