![[Valid Atom 0.3]](http://www.geocities.com/familyretzlaff/valid-atom.png "Validate my Atom 0.3 feed"){kind=small}
Haleigh and I have a nice bedtime routine right now. After dinner, we play for a bit with Chad or go outside, then have a quick bath at 7:00. She's not too interested in playing in the tub, so we pretty much just wash and get out.
After I get a diaper on her, the lotion-monster comes and gets her (a.k.a I lotion her up while tickling her and growling like a goofy monster) and then I chase her around the apartment a few times to put her pajamas on because she's a great escape artist and doesn't like clothes too much (and she's a bit slippery from all that lotioning), and then we brush our teeth. She would let me brush her teeth for an hour; it's just the coolest thing to brush your four teeth like a big girl, you know.
After the tantrum settles, caused by putting the toothbrush away, we read Goodnight Moon in the rocking chair in her room. Two or three times at least. I point at each thing as I read and now she's starting to point with me. So fun to watch her learn.
We put the book away, and after she shows me where my teeth, tongue, mouth, nose, eyes (ouch), hair, and ears are a few times (that's her favorite thing to do when she's up close to someone... poke their eyes out and honk-honk their nose), we grab a binkie and put her in her crib. I also turn on the aquarium because having some noise in there helps her block out the sounds from outside, and me peeking in the door to check on her every 5 minutes :o)
So I lay her down and blow her a kiss. She blows me a kiss (from behind the binkie) with a smile and a bye-bye. Then I kiss the bottom of each foot twice (don't ask, this is a new one and I have no idea why she likes it) and throw her another kiss. I tell her to close her eyes and she squeezes them shut but opens them real quick (squinting, like I won't notice they're open) to see if I've left.
As I'm going towards the door, I tell her good-night. She lets out a little whine, but once she sees I'm seriously leaving, she rolls over and curls up with her tush up in the air. She's out in less than two minutes.
This is a typical evening during the week because we are on a pretty good schedule. On the weekend however, things are so far from schedule it's exhausting. She sleeps in late usually, and we go places so her naps get all messed up, so she may not just roll over and go to sleep like the angel she normally is. But hey, it's just more time I get to spend with her so I'm really not complaining!
Something funny she does when she's pretending to be not tired is she'll throw her binkie out of the crib into the middle of the room, then stand up and just sob 'binkie, binkie' in the most dramatic, pathetic, weak cry. She wants me to think it just fell out of her mouth and ended up there, but I've seen her fling it and then collapse against the rail sobbing because she knows I won't let her cry. Oh the drama.
Sometimes I go in, pick it up, put it in her mouth, say good-night and leave again. The moment I walk in, she starts saying 'hi, hi, hi, hi' with her arms in the air for me to pick her up, trying to get my attention.
Sometimes I stay and rock her, sometimes I don't. That's just what works for us.
After I get a diaper on her, the lotion-monster comes and gets her (a.k.a I lotion her up while tickling her and growling like a goofy monster) and then I chase her around the apartment a few times to put her pajamas on because she's a great escape artist and doesn't like clothes too much (and she's a bit slippery from all that lotioning), and then we brush our teeth. She would let me brush her teeth for an hour; it's just the coolest thing to brush your four teeth like a big girl, you know.
After the tantrum settles, caused by putting the toothbrush away, we read Goodnight Moon in the rocking chair in her room. Two or three times at least. I point at each thing as I read and now she's starting to point with me. So fun to watch her learn.
We put the book away, and after she shows me where my teeth, tongue, mouth, nose, eyes (ouch), hair, and ears are a few times (that's her favorite thing to do when she's up close to someone... poke their eyes out and honk-honk their nose), we grab a binkie and put her in her crib. I also turn on the aquarium because having some noise in there helps her block out the sounds from outside, and me peeking in the door to check on her every 5 minutes :o)
So I lay her down and blow her a kiss. She blows me a kiss (from behind the binkie) with a smile and a bye-bye. Then I kiss the bottom of each foot twice (don't ask, this is a new one and I have no idea why she likes it) and throw her another kiss. I tell her to close her eyes and she squeezes them shut but opens them real quick (squinting, like I won't notice they're open) to see if I've left.
As I'm going towards the door, I tell her good-night. She lets out a little whine, but once she sees I'm seriously leaving, she rolls over and curls up with her tush up in the air. She's out in less than two minutes.
This is a typical evening during the week because we are on a pretty good schedule. On the weekend however, things are so far from schedule it's exhausting. She sleeps in late usually, and we go places so her naps get all messed up, so she may not just roll over and go to sleep like the angel she normally is. But hey, it's just more time I get to spend with her so I'm really not complaining!
Something funny she does when she's pretending to be not tired is she'll throw her binkie out of the crib into the middle of the room, then stand up and just sob 'binkie, binkie' in the most dramatic, pathetic, weak cry. She wants me to think it just fell out of her mouth and ended up there, but I've seen her fling it and then collapse against the rail sobbing because she knows I won't let her cry. Oh the drama.
Sometimes I go in, pick it up, put it in her mouth, say good-night and leave again. The moment I walk in, she starts saying 'hi, hi, hi, hi' with her arms in the air for me to pick her up, trying to get my attention.
Sometimes I stay and rock her, sometimes I don't. That's just what works for us.
1 Comments:
That was so sweet.. like a completely captured moment in time. At least it was for me.
I love that she has DRAMA already!!
We love Goodnight Moon.. still. One of the first things Faith learned to say was "hush" when we came to that part.. such a sweet book. There's a little documentary (I think) about how much it's meant to so many parents and kids. I need to watch that.
Wonderful post!
Post a Comment
<< Home