Bean's Dad.

Marley needs chocolate milk every morning the way that most adults need coffee. She stumbles around until she gets a cup, both stirred and shaken "so chocolate-y, too chocolate-y." Then she brings it to the couch to suck down while bathed in the flickering light of PBS. Arthur. Peep. George. Sid. Whichever early morning friend is there to help her adjust to the start of her day. This school year, Todd is often practically comatose on the couch beside her. Because he's an administrator and not a classroom teacher, he doesn't have to start his job at 6:30 a.m. anymore. Which works out great for everybody: Bean has double the odds of getting her chocolate milk STAT, I get to sleep past 6:30 a.m. most mornings and can sometimes even squeeze in a shower before Todd leaves (Hooray!), and Todd gets some quality snuggle time with Marley every morning. And Rudy benefits indirectly, mostly because a big sister who's already had her chocolate milk is a lot less cranky and a lot more likely to share toys.

This post makes it appear as though Todd and Marley spend a lot of time on the couch. They really don't. Here they are yesterday (below): Todd's perusing the Sunday Globe and Bean's working through her treasured collection of little books in a cardboard orange suitcase. I had just woken up next to them after falling asleep during a pretty perfect situation: Rudy napping, the fireplace crackling, the Celtics playing, and a mug of caramel macchiato ice cream already gone on the side table. I would like more weekend afternoons like this one, please.