Reading is a beautiful, beautiful thing

Reading books is not one of my hobbies.  However, reading magazines, the news highlights, blogs and gossip are some of my favorite past times.  (I'm also a thoughtful and practical reader.  Sometimes, in the middle of the night when I'm awake and want to watch Chelsea Handler or some infomercial for the 10th time, if I'm feeling nice, I will mute the TV and just read the closed captioning so I won't wake anyone up.  I don't do it often, but I feel that the few times that I have done it make up for those times that I can't hear the TV so I have to turn it up.) 


My son, however, loves to read or rather, be read to.  (Although, I am secretly obsessed with the infomercial for my baby can read, so maybe if we had gotten that, he would be reading to us.)  I'm pretty sure he gets this from my Dad who is perpetually reading a book, or perusing a newspaper or reading to my niece.  He is someone who loves to read.  (Once, while we were in an elevator leaving the pediatrician's office, a woman who was in there with us, blurted out, "You're the reader walker."  I stared at her.  I'm the what?  So she said, "You live in my neighborhood and I always see you going on walks while you read a book."  Then it dawned on me, she was talking about my Dad who was standing next to me.  Even the people in our neighborhood have nicknamed him based on his love of books that's how much he loves to read.)  Wubbles loves to come running over, book in hand and raise it to your face.  This is clearly his universal language for, "read me this book, please."

Jim and Wubbles reading

Jim and Cullen read every night.  Cullen crawls into Jim's lap and they decide what they're going to read.  Tonight, Jim asked Cullen which book he wanted to read (there were only 2 choices) and he emphatically picked Ten in Bed.  However, as Jim started off, I could see Cullen nervously looking at the losing book that had been tossed on the ground.  As Jim continued to read, it became obvious that Cullen had made the wrong choice, he wanted the Birthday Surprise book.  So he climbed off Jim's lap and picked up the book and gestured with it in Jim's face.  It was so cute and also reminded me of something I would have done.  Made a decision and then panicked half way through that the other book was probably better and I should have picked that one.

Wubbles likes to help turn the pages

Watching moments like this reminds me what good books are written about; thousands of little stories and memories about hobbies and activities that weave the fabric of someones childhood.  So, while I may not enjoy reading books authored by other people, I love to read the book that is being written in my very own living room.

Until tomorrow, goodbye.