I adore all my time with my girl, but there is something about that last half hour before bed that makes me cringe. By the time I'm getting her ready for bed I wonder how I'm going to get through it this time. Expecially if we are late getting ready!
"I want a drink"
"Your water is right there"
"I don't want water, I want juice"
"It will taste bad, you just brushed your teeth"
"I want juice" after three or for times I usually cave, which I thought I would regret, but after "EWWWWWW I want water" the first time I decided it's worth it. Then I get a glass of watered down juice to end my night, I know she won't drink it.
Next we get to tackle the pajama problem. I allow her to pick her own pajamas because it's just easier, and since it's bedtime and we aren't parading around town, I dont' really care what she puts on. However, there is always one piece missing. I swear when I fold them I fold them together, literally, pants folded with the shirt folded over top, you can't pick up one without the other, but when it's time for bed somehow the shirt is missing or the pants went for a walk. It's almost as annoying and the hiding socks! My solution was nightgowns, but apparently they get tangled at night so they are only good sometimes...I don't know how to tell which times, but this conversation confuses me so I've stopped having it. I figure if the pajamas are that hard to sort out, just sleep in a pull up, because we all know that for most of the summer months somehow pajamas come off and end up halfway to the door anyway. I always manage to find something, but this is why we start the process earler then we should need too. Pajamas alone can be a 15 minute process :(
Then we get to the bedroom. It starts as either it's too bright in the summer, then when I close the blinds or when it's later in the fall, it's too dark. I adjust of course, try to make it right, but five minutes later it is the other way. If it was too bright then when I turn off the hall light it is too dark, so I plug in a nightlight, which is too close to the bed I guess because it's too bright again, so I move it but then it's too dark... Just go to bed!
Now I know that everyone will either know exactly what is coming next, or will find it greatly amusing, but her it is. The next sentence, which should be "I love you, good night" is almost garaunted to be "I'm hungry". I used to feed her snack right before we started this process, but I've found it more efficient to get her all ready, then provide a snack. I know it's after the teeth brushing and everything, but by this point I figure they're baby teeth, they'll fall out anyway, and asked my dentist if there are any possible snack options for which we won't need to brush again, as then we'd start over and it'd take another hour... Apparently cheese is the best thing to eat if you aren't going to brush your teeth again. I've also used Cheerios as they are very low sugar and dissolve well. I figure it's the best I can do until she outgrows this phase.
Finally she is washed, brushed, polished, dressed, full, and has water (I know she'll pee, but I'd rather use pull ups then ever deny her water, just my opinion), the light is either right or close enough, and at least one hour after we started (not including bath!) she is finally in her bed with a stuffy. Well, unless she needs a different stuffy, then add another 5-10 minutes to find the one she wants. By this time I am so exhausted I'm considering going to bed myself. Then there is the blowing of bad dreams out the window, tucking in child and teddy bear just right, at least twice, hugs, kisses, saying goodnight... I almost feel like it should be morning by now. Then, and I promise I'm not exaggerating, about 15 minutes after she falls asleep I miss her so much you'd think I hadn't just spent all day with her.
"I want a drink"
"Your water is right there"
"I don't want water, I want juice"
"It will taste bad, you just brushed your teeth"
"I want juice" after three or for times I usually cave, which I thought I would regret, but after "EWWWWWW I want water" the first time I decided it's worth it. Then I get a glass of watered down juice to end my night, I know she won't drink it.
Next we get to tackle the pajama problem. I allow her to pick her own pajamas because it's just easier, and since it's bedtime and we aren't parading around town, I dont' really care what she puts on. However, there is always one piece missing. I swear when I fold them I fold them together, literally, pants folded with the shirt folded over top, you can't pick up one without the other, but when it's time for bed somehow the shirt is missing or the pants went for a walk. It's almost as annoying and the hiding socks! My solution was nightgowns, but apparently they get tangled at night so they are only good sometimes...I don't know how to tell which times, but this conversation confuses me so I've stopped having it. I figure if the pajamas are that hard to sort out, just sleep in a pull up, because we all know that for most of the summer months somehow pajamas come off and end up halfway to the door anyway. I always manage to find something, but this is why we start the process earler then we should need too. Pajamas alone can be a 15 minute process :(
Then we get to the bedroom. It starts as either it's too bright in the summer, then when I close the blinds or when it's later in the fall, it's too dark. I adjust of course, try to make it right, but five minutes later it is the other way. If it was too bright then when I turn off the hall light it is too dark, so I plug in a nightlight, which is too close to the bed I guess because it's too bright again, so I move it but then it's too dark... Just go to bed!
Now I know that everyone will either know exactly what is coming next, or will find it greatly amusing, but her it is. The next sentence, which should be "I love you, good night" is almost garaunted to be "I'm hungry". I used to feed her snack right before we started this process, but I've found it more efficient to get her all ready, then provide a snack. I know it's after the teeth brushing and everything, but by this point I figure they're baby teeth, they'll fall out anyway, and asked my dentist if there are any possible snack options for which we won't need to brush again, as then we'd start over and it'd take another hour... Apparently cheese is the best thing to eat if you aren't going to brush your teeth again. I've also used Cheerios as they are very low sugar and dissolve well. I figure it's the best I can do until she outgrows this phase.
Finally she is washed, brushed, polished, dressed, full, and has water (I know she'll pee, but I'd rather use pull ups then ever deny her water, just my opinion), the light is either right or close enough, and at least one hour after we started (not including bath!) she is finally in her bed with a stuffy. Well, unless she needs a different stuffy, then add another 5-10 minutes to find the one she wants. By this time I am so exhausted I'm considering going to bed myself. Then there is the blowing of bad dreams out the window, tucking in child and teddy bear just right, at least twice, hugs, kisses, saying goodnight... I almost feel like it should be morning by now. Then, and I promise I'm not exaggerating, about 15 minutes after she falls asleep I miss her so much you'd think I hadn't just spent all day with her.