Stories in Hand-My Family Now

Assignment: Family-Our Bedtime Routine Right Now

Evening is a very hectic time of day in our household. With 2 working parents and putting in 10 hour work days, it is difficult to keep up with daily life. Lately, the evening routine is becoming just that--routine. There is a lot to be said for a little "same 'ole".

Dinner, bathtime, and putting on PJs leads right into bedtime rituals. At 15 months, Tyler is just starting to take his bath in the full size tub as apposed to the big kitchen sink. He really loves the variety of toys and the freedom he has to crawl around the tub and lean down to kiss the bubbles. (I mean soap bubbles, not the other variety, although that does occur occasionally.) I don't know what he loves more...throwing toys out the tub or hearing "No! No throwing toys out of the tub."

One of my favorite moments of the night is getting Tyler out of the tub. As soon as he is wrapped in a towel, he puts his arms up to be held and he snuggles his head into the crook of my neck. He is so warm and sweet and it is a moment to savor with a boy who is normally so on the run. He totally gets in the zone once he is nestled in warm footy pajamas. At snack time his favorites include vanilla wafers or graham crackers and a tall bottle of milk. He uses a sippy cup during the day, but still likes the comfort of a bottle at night. He really loves to sit on our laps at this time of the night and when the bottle is gone, I carry him to his crib and lay him down for the night. I'm loving the fact that he is so peaceful at bedtime. He likes to lay down on his belly and arch his bottom toward the sky.

Ryan seems to really like this time of night too. Sometimes he shares a bath with Tyler, but mostly, he likes his bath to himself so he can practice his diving. With Tyler nestled in bed for the night the world seems to be in the palm of his hands. With no worries of Tyler getting in his way or taking away mom and dad's attention, Ryan takes advantage of prime game time! Game time is a nice blend of video games, (Crash Bandicoot tops the list with PacMan and Spiderman in close seconds.) exercise, board games (Sequence and Yahtzee), puzzles, and/or movies (Cars and Kung Fu Panda). Of course, Ryan would never get ready for bed without a snack. His favorites include popcorn, ice cream sandwiches, superman ice cream, fruit snacks, pretzels, and cheetos. Usually by this time of night, Ryan has helped to pick up toys and is ready to assume his position on the coach next to daddy with his blanket and his "thumb sandwich." (Mommy is usually in bed with a book or studying the back of her eyelids.) When it is finally time for night night, Jim brings Ryan up to bed with mommy which isn't really a problem for us since Jim is a 3rd shifter. On the weekends Ryan sleeps in his own bed with no argument. I so love the last few moments of the night snuggling with Ryan and hearing his last couple of silly giggles before all is quiet for the night.