Bedtime

Bedtime is a mixed bag in our house. We have a solid routine, but the three respond very differently. P is wired at night. He loves the individual conversation time and is very lovey-dovey, but giggles and kicks his feet around like a jitterbug during our tuck-in ritual. Each time I say something affirming like "I love you" or "I am SO glad God gave you to me" he responds with a precious, twinkly-eyes smile and "Yes!" It generally takes another 30 minutes or more after I leave his room for him to fall asleep.

R is generally quite exhausted and grumpy at bedtime. He is the most difficult to put to bed without some sort of emotional response. He vacillates between amazingly sweet and loving to angry and demanding with no notice. He wants to stick to the routine, is very specific about the way bedtime is done and wants to make sure he & P get exactly the same amount of time. He is also KING of stall tactics.

K revels in bedtime. She loves the one on one, hushed tones, close-face conversation. Her grin is wide as she breathlessly tells you a long drawn out story with lots of "and, and, and, and, ands" to fill time while she makes up something else to keep your rapt attention just a little longer. I am frequently struck by the depth of her thoughts at night, as she (like me) tends to be reflective before bed. You can almost see her putting the pieces together of what she learned about life that day.

Last night, I noticed lambie was getting a little smelly and went to trade him for a clean one. When I returned, she reached out for him and said, "I am a big girl now, so I don't need to suck on his blanket to sleep. I'll just wrap him up right next to my face."
I was a little surprised by this, as I have never tried to persuade her to break this habit. Nevertheless I was impressed with her initiative!
"That sounds like a great idea."
"And then on the night right before I go to heaven, I will find another little kid who doesn't have a lovey and give him to them."
"Sweetie, that is so nice of you to share something so special." (I was trying to let the whole death and dying thing go, but she had other plans.)
"What day will it be when I go to heaven?"
"Oh, we don't ever know, but I think it will likely be a very , very long time from now."
"How will we know when it is going to be?"
"We don't, babe. It is up to God to decide when we are finished with the special plan He has for us here."
"Then we go to be in heaven?"
"Yes, honey."
"What will it look like?"
"I don't know exactly, but you know how you want to hear God talk and see His face? You'll be able to do that then."
Her eyes grew excited and she grabbed my face with both hands, pulled me close and quickly kissed my nose.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, sweet girl..."
"I don't like the way your breath smells."