Bedtime moments

Tonight I lay down next to Gregory right before his bedtime. (Ok, I didn't lay down, I sort of contorted myself so that I could put my head next to Gregory's on his pillow. Typically that involves the rail digging itself into my ribs--oh the things we do for our kids.)

"I love laying next to you, Gregory." Gregory shoots his head up and points to himself.

"Not Gregory? Oh, Zachary...." (Zachary is our next door neighbors' 3 year old son, who Gregory has decided he wants to be.) "...I love laying next to you Zachary. Do you like it when I lay next to you?" Gregory nods his head yes.

"Zachary, what did we do today?" Gregory suddenly jumps out of bed and runs to the window and points outside.

"Did we go outside today?" Gregory shakes his head no.

"Oh, did Zachary come over today?" And now the confusion starts. Gregory shakes his head no and points to himself.

"Oh, you're Zachary?" Gregory nods his head yes.

"So Gregory came over today?" Gregory looks at me with a blank stare.

"Zachary, did your friend come over today?" Gregory nods, seemingly happy to avoid the puzzling identity problems I introduced by calling Zachary "Gregory" while at the same time calling Gregory "Zachary." He runs back to bed.

"What else did we do today, Zachary? Did we go to the train store?" Gregory nods his head yes.

"But were there too many people there, Gregory--I mean Zachary?" Gregory nods his head yes, makes a whiney sound and puts his hands on his head, which is the sign for a disappointing "Oh, no."

"Yeah, that was no fun with so may people there, wasn't it?" Gregory sadly nods his head yes.

"But, Gregory"--Gregory shoots his head up and points to himself--"I mean, Zachary, did Daddy buy you something?" Gregory nods his head yes, sits up, puts his hands in fists next to his hips and runs them in circles, the sign for a train.

"Yeah, Daddy bought you a new train Christmas tree ornament, didn't he?" Gregory nods his head yes. (He had accidently broken the old train tree ornament that Grandma Jacobs had given him, and had been asking for us to go buy a new one--by making the train sign and pointing to the door and then making the Daddy sign, since he knows that only Daddy would buy him a new one.)

"And did Mommy read lots of stories with you?" Gregory nods.

"What a nice day, Gregory--I mean Zachary." Gregory shoots up, puffs his chest and shoulders up as big as he can, the sign for big.

"Oh, and then did Daddy pick a big booger out of your nose?" Gregory nods his head yes.

"What a nice day we had. Ok, Gregory--I mean, Zachary--it's time for night-nights; Daddy loves you." Gregory shoots his head up, shakes his head no, and puts up the number 1, then points at the pillow.

"Do you want Daddy to lay with you for one more minute?" Gregory nods his head yes. I put my head next to his on the pillow, and quietly stroke his back.

"Ok, Gregory"--this time, he's tired enough not to correct me--"Daddy loves you, you have a good sleepy-sleepy. I'll see you in the morning."