Bedtime Routine

Jack,

I wanted to blog about your bedtime routine because it's evolved into a process that I enjoy.

Your bedtime usually starts around 7:30. If time escapes me, you sometimes even remind me that it's bedtime by taking my hand and saying "bed" but it comes out sounding more like "behd".

We head up the stairs with your milk (and now - me hiding your binky in my free hand), and head to the bathroom. We've taken to storing our toothbrush and toothpaste inside of your stepstool so you can reach it and you open the stepstool, take out your brush and pape and put in your sippy.

Then you put the lid down and I hand you your brush with a little paste on it and you climb up to the sink to chew on your brush and sometimes try brushing as you copy off of me a little by watching me in the mirror. Sometimes you even want to trade brushes because my brush is bigger and holds more water. I try to rinse it out really well first, but there is usually a little minty paste left over which I think you like. You chew on my brush for awhile and then we put the brushes back in the stool, grab your milk in the sippy and I hand you your binky and we both head to your bed.

I give you a boost to your bed and turn out the lights. Sometimes with a story, sometimes not depending on how tired you are by this time.

From the time that the lights go out, a cycle begins that helps you to wind down. That is the "trade" game. You have your pacifier in your mouth and your bear and I have your sippy cup. You will say "Mommmeeee, Huhg?" and I'll say "Yes, Jack, I'd LOVE a hug". I give you a snuggly cuddle and wait for you to push me away. When you push me away, you always take your pacifier out of your mouth, hold out bear and say "Twake?" This means "trade" and it's my part in the little dance to take your pacifier and bear from your hands, and give you your sippy cup of milk and say "Trade" back to you.

You drink from your cup until you are full and then hold out your cup of milk and say "twake" and I hand the pacifier (or bee-baa, as you call it) back to you along with Rufus and you laugh at the victory of the exchange complete and say "Beee-Baaa!"

About 10 seconds of silence and then I hear: "Mommmeeee, huhhhggggg?" and we start over.

The exchange takes place over and over again and the amount of time between repetitions grows longer until you drift off to sleep.

Love,

Mommy