Once or twice a year, I blink — and I notice that the girls’ bedtime routines have evolved into something new. So I thought I’d take a moment to record these sweet moments so I remember them when we’re all a few years older.
At the Boyd home, our evenings usually hold to a traditional pattern: supper, baths for girls, pajamas, tooth- and hair-brushing. Sometimes we “read a book together”:/news/2010/book-hour/, and sometimes not, but right around 7:00 it is time for Rosie to enjoy her nighttime customs.
h2. Rosie’s routine
Rosie says, “Good night, Lulu!” and I carry her off to bed on my back. If Papa is out for the evening, I need to make sure Lucy can entertain herself in the living room for a few minutes. This summer, that meant watching an episode of “Diego”:http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/Go-Diego-Go-Season-1/70136471?strackid=3da295758aad43db_0_srl&strkid=399513552_0_0&trkid=438381, but lately she’s been happier looking at books (much to our delight). In the girls’ room, Rosie and I read a couple books together, then proceed through her bedtime routine:
* Rosie turns off the light; Mama turns on the “white noise machine”:/news/2006/white-noise/.
* Snuggle with Rosie in the blue armchair and sing a medley of “_Mary Poppins_”:/news/2008/practically-perfect-in-every-way/ favorites: “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “The Perfect Nanny”:/news/2010/have-a-cherry/, and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” or sometimes “A Spoonful of Sugar.” (We just sing one verse from each.)
* We end our singing time with my version of Brahms’ “Lullaby”, with words made up just for Rosie. I especially enjoy it when she sings along:
bq. Lullaby and good night
It is time for a sleep
My Rosie, you are sleepy
It is time to have a rest.
Close your eyes, lie down,
Have a good long sleep.
Have sweet, peaceful dreams
I will see you when you wake.
* Then I walk Rosie over to her crib, where she insists on sitting upon the top rail and falling backwards into the crib. She does this several times while I go to the kitchen and get a sippy cup of water for her. Rosie drinks some water.
* Now it is time to lie down. Rosie “holds”:/news/2010/sweet-pea/ “Gwen”:/news/2010/baby-gwen/ and wedges her head into the corner of the crib. We lay her “green silk”:http://www.novanatural.com/silk-play-cloths on first, then her pink “hand-knitted blanket”:/news/2006/first-outing/.
* “Do you want me to come back and say, ‘good job sleeping’? “Yes.” “Okay. See you later alligator. I love you! Bye.”
* [Come back in five minutes.] Whisper: “Good job sleeping!” Usually, Rosie is completely conked out by then.
h2. Lucy’s routine
When I get back to the living room, she and Papa have been talking quietly or reading a couple books. If she’s on her own, she is often engaged in looking at a book or working on a toy, but after a few minutes, she cuddles up next to me and we read a book or two together. Then it is off to Mama and Papa’s bed, where I have prepared the space: Lucy’s pillow, blanket, “Piggy Lou”:/news/2008/have-you-met-my-pig/, George the Bulldog, nightlight, and white-noise machine on. (We put the girls down in separate rooms, then move Lucy into “her bed”:/news/2008/lucys-big-girl-bed/ in the girls’ room when Jon and I are ready to sleep. This way, I don’t have to worry that Lucy’s bedtime chatter will wake her sister.)
* Lucy climbs into bed, usually animated and full of ideas. “Why do we have ears?” “I wish I was a mermaid.” “Watch this, Mom!” “What does the inside of a dormant volcano look like?” “My body just feels like I want to play!”
* Lucy and I then talk about “getting the sleepies in.”
* Before lying down, Lucy requests a story. “Tell me about a time when you were stung by a jellyfish.” “A real story, or a made up one?” “A made up one.” So I invent a story about one of the times in my prolific world travels that I went swimming in jellyfish-infested waters, received a sting, and lived to tell the tale. “What color bathing suit did you wear? And what color were your goggles?” Lucy loves to hear all the details.
* After storytime, Lucy lies down, “takes off her glasses”:/news/2010/glassie/, and gets tucked in with George and Piggy Lou.
* Mama turns off the lamp. “You need to stay quiet, or else I will have to close the door.” “Okay, Mama.”
* We exchange “I love yous” and I leave the door literally wide-open while I head over to the kitchen for some clean-up and “journaling”:/news/2012/journaling-in-the-round/ time.
Some nights, Lucy stays very quiet and drops off within 15 minutes. Other nights, there are multiple requests for blanket rearranging, bathroom visits, water cups, stuffed animal retrieval, and help alleviating the fears of the night. On these nights, we need to close the door for a few minutes to help Lucy settle down, and then we can open it again. And usually she is quiet — but you never know! Just like her Mama, Lucy sometimes takes a little while to settle down.
What a precious telling of loving routines. The comfort surrounds each of the girls and that is a treasure that cannot be measured. Precious words. Loving deeds. Security in one’s own bed that is like an unending hug around the neck. These girls are so fortunate to be surrounded by the love – and they will have the thrill to read Mama’s quiet observations when they can appreciate how meaningful they are. What a treasure is in store for them then!