I think “Cars” is my new favorite movie. Not because it was cute, sweet or genuinely funny (it was), but because we watched it on our first Family Movie Night.

We didn’t plan to start Family Movie Night last night. I didn’t think Poppy would sit through an entire movie. She rarely sits through an entire episode of “Sesame Street.” But she was getting cranky last night, and Rockford and I were just bites away from finishing our dinner. “Cars” had arrived from Netflix that morning, so we put it in to try to distract her for a few minutes. It worked. For two hours.

After we finished dinner, I picked Pi up and sat in the recliner. She leaned forward, watching the movie for about 20 minutes. Then she conked out, cartoon style. I rearranged her so we’d both be more comfortable, and Rockford put a blanket over us. She slept in my arms for about half an hour. Then her eyes popped open again, and she said “You’re welpome!” She sat in my lap and let me cuddle her and smell her hair and smooch her cheeks for the rest of the movie.

It was beautiful. I haven’t held her for that long since before she could crawl. She’s becoming more and more independent by the day, and it was so good for my heart to have that time. I hope our next Family Movie Night is just as lovely. I might even let Rockford hold her next time. Maybe.