Bedtime

In the evenings things can get pretty wild at our house, as the kids are getting tired. That usually translates into wild misbehaving monkeys with them, running, fighting, screaming. We're always in a hurry to get Timmy to bed as early as we can, so that he's not tired and awful the next day. He gets to play for an hour or so after school, then it's homework, dinner, and upstairs for bath. Lexa and Timmy still get their bath together every night. They usually don't get bubbles so that Timmy's exzema doesn't flare up. As a special treat sometimes Timmy gets to take a shower, which he really likes. Will alternates days getting in with them with just a little water in the tub. Will loves bath time, and brother and sister are excited when he joins them. Otherwise, he stands at the over the side of the tub, splashing his hands in the water, and hopefully not toppling in. Then it's tooth brushing and pj's. After that Timmy reads to me and we write the book down in his book log for school. Then I read to him. Right now I'm still reading him the Harry Potter books. While we're reading, Will is usually crawling around Timmy's room pulling out toys. Lexa is sometimes messing around with Will, drawing, or looking at Timmy's books in his closet, but usually she goes down stairs and has her "own night" with Daddy. When we turn Timmy's dinosaur lamp out, he lays down and turns on his starry sky light projector turtle and light saber night light. He likes to put his giant white bear that he says is a dog and calls Snow Max on top of him as he falls asleep. He usually asks me to tell him a story and I make up something about lizards, dragons, aliens or robots. I sometimes sing him his favorite bedtime butterfly song. He used to want it every night, but now only sometimes. He makes a heart with his hands and I make one back. I sit in his bed next to him as he falls asleep. I'm usually nursing Will. Timmy sometimes holds my hand. After he's asleep, Lexa gets to pick three books for me to read to her, and I sit in her bed and read them. I sit in her bed until she's asleep too. Then I have some time to myself, but I'm too tired, and often can't put Will down without waking him, so I usually go to sleep. Lexa often comes and climbs into our bed next to me in the middle of then night or early in the morning just before the alarm goes off.

Butterfly
Close your eyes
Butterflly
Spread your wings
Beautiful things
Butterfly
Mariposa, mari, mariposa

It struck me last night how much our bedtime routine has changed in just the last few months. In our old house, the kids beds were both in our master bedroom with us. Timmy and Lexa would each pick one book and they would both listen as a read them. Then I'd sit in a chair between their beds, Timmy would give me a heart, I'd make up a story for each of them, sing butterfly for Timmy and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for Lexa. then wait in the chair until Timmy was asleep. I'd hold both of their hands if I could. Then I'd climb in Lexa's bed with her. She'd want to cuddle up with me. She'd move and talk and sit up and toss and all of a sudden be still and asleep. (She still does that.) Before that, when Timmy was four and Lexa was two, we'd cuddle up in my bed and fall asleep together one on each side of me. (Sometimes I'd sneak out after they were asleep to watch a show with Patrick before coming back to bed.)

Lexa has started taking off her shirt when she gets in bed.