Bedtime Routine

I was struck this evening with how much our lives must change as Alice grows. I thought I would record the bedtime routine these days for comparison later down the line.

7:30pm Pajamas
There is a very liberal interpretation of the term 'pajamas'. As long as she won't strangle herself in it, get her bed dirty with it, or light herself on fire with it, we call it good.

7:35pm Toothbrushing
A continually improving process. Alice rubs the brush on a couple front teeth and Bobby does the rest.

7:37pm Stories
Usually 2 books, unless we "run out of time" due to Alice's poor choices. She's into library books lately. She gets excited about them as if they were candy.

7:42pm Family prayer
Alice always says the same 4-liner: "Dear Heavenly Father, please bless the food, Jesus Christ, Amen" which is why we often let her bless the food before meals. After she prays for bedtime, Bobby or I will pray for the family and everything else besides the food in our lives :)

7:42pm Sing songs
We turn out the light. Alice lays her head on her "frog prince" stuffed toy and pulls her blanket up around her while we sing three quiet songs of her choice. She almost always chooses "I Am a Child of God", "I Love to See the Temple", and "Give Said the Little Stream" or "Love One Another". She used to sing along with us, but now she's mostly a spectator.

7:45pm Kisses and "good nights" all around
Traditionally, this is when we used to leave her. When she had the pacifier, it was no big deal. When she stopped using the pacifier, she would beg us to come back until she finally cried herself to sleep after 20 minutes or so. That was too much crying for my personal comfort. Through a bit of trial and error (and pure luck), we happened upon the following "Bonus Round" that has helped Alice return to a peaceful, self-soothing, self-initiated sleep in a matter of a few minutes. Much more comfy for all, and well worth the few extra hoops.

7:45pm "Sing one more song"
I sing one more song, but only if Alice asks for it. She usually asks for it even before Bobby and I have finished the usual three songs. Alice chooses between "Amazing Grace", "I Can Sing a Rainbow", and "You Are My Sunshine", or she requests one of her own. She caught on pretty quickly that "Grace" has several more verses than either of the other two songs. It's her choice most of the time.

7:47pm "Stay one minute"
If Alice asks, I will lie on the floor for one minute counted out in my brain. Heck, by the end of the day, that's all I want to do anyway!

7:48pm "Door open it"
Last kisses and then Alice usually requests that the door be left open. That means the light from the hall spills into her room and lights her bed for the last and final part of the routine...

7:48pm Bonus Reading
As soon as I leave the room, Alice hops out of her bed and grabs all the library books she can find. She reads them out loud with all the voices and inflections we use, then she just looks at the pictures. Eventually, her room goes quiet and you know she's sleeping...like this...