You don't mind if I sit here, do you?

Ruby wakes up before Shepard most mornings.

Sometimes she'll stay in bed and read a book. Other times she'll come straight downstairs to watch Maisy or Sesame Street, curled up on the couch in jammies with a bowl of dry cereal next to her. It's a quiet time at home, despite the dueling media signals (I typically listen to Morning Edition in the other room). I make coffee, cook an egg, get dressed.

The pattern changed recently when we moved Shep into her room. We did it partly in the hopes they'll both sleep better and partly so I can convert his room into my office, giving me an easier retreat from the general chaos of the ground floor, where I work now. These days they're more likely to come downstairs together, or Ruby will linger in their room awhile waiting for him to wake up.

Today I rose later than usual and heard someone talking as I walked by the kids room. Peeking in, I saw Ruby sitting in her brother's bed. Actually, it was more that she was sitting on top of her brother, who was still passed out with his arms pinned to his sides and his face pressed hard into his pillow. Ruby slouched heavily against the wall, her legs splayed across his back and rear end. She had a book open on her lap, and was "reading" aloud to him. I couldn't make out which book it was, but I'm pretty sure the gist of the storyline was "wake the hell up."