Bedtimes and Babies

Each night when I tuck in my two year old little girl, we have a routine. I turn off her bedroom light and turn on the little butterfly nightlight that's plugged into the wall socket. She has a little clock on her nightstand that glows for a few minutes when you push the top of it and I always push that as I go by too. I place her in her crib and make sure her favorite Pillow Pet is in there and that the stuffed puppy dog she wants right next to her is there. I walk to her dresser and wind up the snow globe my Mom got her that plays "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." She also insists on turning on her Ocean Wonders Seahorse - if you squeeze it's tummy it plays classical music. (Sounds like a cacophony of sounds to me but she likes it...so that's what we go with.) I kiss one hand and then the other and tell her "I love you, baby." I blow her a kiss as I go out the door and she usually sometimes goes to sleep.

I guess some people would say this is silly because if she gets so used to everything being a certain way it will be harder for her to sleep other places or for other people to put her to bed. They might also say it's silly to do all those little rituals night in and night out. To those people I say...PHHHBBTT. (That's me sticking out my tongue.)

My five, going-to-be-six-in-a-few-months little guy is becoming...well, no longer my little guy. He's getting involved in more things and becoming more & more independent. He was in a parade last weekend with his baseball team and once he got in the back of the truck they were riding in, I was forgotten about. When I tucked him in tonight, I said "I love you. I love you. HEY, I LOVE YOU!" And he said "Huh? Oh. Okay. 'Night." Now, granted he was engrossed in a book...but still. Sigh.

He will still come running to me if he gets hurt or when he wants to sit together on the couch and read a book...but as the saying goes - "the times, they are a-changin'" and I know the moments will get fewer and far between, or change altogether. I remember doing little nighttime rituals with him when he was just a witty bitty baby, like Ellie. And well, okay...she's not really a "witty bitty baby" anymore either. Time moves too fast. So I'm gonna grab onto it where I can. And if it involves adjusting a billion things "just so" before bed or giving a couple dozen more kisses...so be it.