At some point, I will have to twirl 3 times, jump on my head and then howl at the moon…
Declan’s bedtime routine is getting more and more complicated as he gets older. It’s used to be that I just sang Edelweiss and tucked him in and was done with it. Now it’s a huge production that even has a script. Here’s how it goes.
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1. Put pajamas on.
2. Take nighttime meds for allergies and asthma.
3. Go potty one last time.
4. Brush teeth.
5. Turn on fish aquarium.
6. Read 2-3 books.
7. Climb in bed.
Here is where the scripted part takes over:
Aimee: Do you want to count to ten in German or Spanish?
Declan: (Picks one).
Aimee & Declan together: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez
Aimee: (Sings Edelweiss)
Aimee: What do you want to dream about tonight?
Declan: Koalas, Kangaroos & Fish.
Aimee: And what are they going to do in your dreams?
Declan: (Makes up something fun for them to do, usually based on what he did that day).
Aimee: That sounds fun. OK, gute Nacht (good night), Schlaf gut (sleep well), Ich liebe dich (I love you), and nighty night. (Big kiss and hug).
Aimee: (Walk over to the fish aquarium). Good night fish!
Declan: Good night fish! I love you!
Aimee: (Pretend to be the fish talking). Good night Declan! (Turn off the aquarium).
Aimee: (Kiss hand and blow it to Declan). Good night Declan!
Declan: (Kiss hand and blow it to Mama). Good night Mama!
Aimee: (Pretend to catch kiss in the air). I love you!
Declan: I love you too!
Aimee: (Walk out and leave door cracked at exactly 6″ – no more, no less).
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Seriously. Every single flipping night. Somehow we have added bits and pieces on to the routine over time… eventually the ritual is going to be a full-length movie. I guess it’s comforting to him, because he usually conks out in 5 minutes flat. (Either that or the fact that he is finally losing his nap for good and is exhausted from a full day at school…).
I don’t really care though – I guess I find it comforting too.