Not just any bedtime story.

Every so often we deviate from Sean's bedtime routine, but it's usually the same sequence around the same time of the evening, with the same roles and the same trading-off points, and while we have a number of potential bedtime books lined up, we usually read some of the same eight or so (Good Night Moon, Time For Bed, The Runaway Bunny, Good Night Gorilla, etc.).

So while Sean stayed up a little later than usual to webcam with his grandparents in California (Happy Father's Day!), we brushed teeth, changed the diaper, and put on pajamas like usual... and went to bed as usual, where we tried to select a story:

Chris: How about "Guess How Much I Love You"?

Sean: (tosses book to floor) (Note: this is unusual; generally, if Sean doesn't want to read a particular book while we're on the bed, he will shove the book down the side of the bed next to the wall. If the library of bedtime books seems understocked, we can usually find the rest of the books there.)

Chris: Maybe "Good Night, Moon"?

Sean: (tosses book to another part of the floor)

Chris: Sean, if you don't want to read a book, you can just say, "No, no, no." How about "One Duck Stuck"?

Sean: No, no, no.

Chris: The Runaway Bunny?

Sean: (tosses book to floor) (glares, then points to Merrie's dresser)

Chris: (baffled) (memory kicks in) "Oh, you want to read "Good Dog, Carl" (which we'd put aside there before putting on pajamas and the new diaper) "Okay, wait a second, and I'll get it." (retrieves book)

Sean: (takes book in his hands and sits up cheerfully to read it)