Bedtime Routine

I love our little bedtime routine with Daniel.  He is just so sweet during bedtime.  After getting ready for bed he usually sits on D.J.'s lap in the rocker and I sit on the ottoman and we read books.  Usually we read a book or two and then his Bible/prayer book.  The past week or two he has insisted we read his tractor book then his train book (in that order, I tried to change the order and he wasn't having it).  He usually sits back and listens well during his stories.  We've been doing this Bedtime Prayer book since he was born and it is really cute.  It has a Bible verse and then a little poem related to the verse and a one sentence prayer.  I think he's getting tired of it though because he usually won't sit still and listen to it... Then we say our prayers.  He folds his hands while we pray.  Sometimes, if he is holding an animal or something, he folds its hands and has it pray, too.  It's pretty cute.  Then he tells D.J. goodnight and I hold him (one of the only times during the day where he cuddles!) and sing Jesus Loves Me.  Then lay him down and he usually goes to sleep right away.  He's always so sweet and gives us kisses and says I Love You. Sometimes he grabs my head and forces lots of kisses on me, it's pretty funny.  Every so often he won't want to go to sleep and will keep saying "Mom" and jabbers something.  Or he'll try to get more books or something.  I guess that's classic stalling that kids sometimes do. :)  He usually sleeps from about 8-7, sometimes a little longer.  I am so thankful that he is a good sleeper and that he sleeps past 7 pretty often.  I like my sleep, too!  I work 3 days/week, and sometimes on those days I have to wake him up about 7:15, but he usually wakes up before then.  He sleeps with "Tig" which is Tigger that my mom gave him a few days after he was born (when he was in the NICU with jaundice).  He's not too particular with who he sleeps with, but he usually has Tig and another animal or two.  He has a munchichi (sp?) from D.J.'s aunts that he calls his "Baby" and he sleeps with that a lot too.

Last weekend was his first time escaping his crib!  He has escaped his pack n play, but that was the first time with the crib.  D.J. was home with him during his nap and said he came running out of his room.  D.J. put him back in his crib and kinda watched what he was doing.  He was climbing from his crib onto his changing table.  So that night at bedtime we layed him down, hoping he had forgotten about getting out.  About 10 minutes later, as I was straightening up around the house, he came up to me, just in a diaper, and said Hi Mom.  I was shocked!  He had taken his pajamas off and gotten out of his crib.  So we moved his changing table down some so he couldn't reach it.  So far that has worked.  I'm just not quite ready for having him in a big bed yet!  He sleeps great and so hopefully we can hold off! 

Another funny thing that happened two days later was that he kept taking off his clothes during naptime.  I peeked in after laying him down for nap and he was completey naked and was trying to throw his diaper in trash (could kinda reach it from bed).  I was so surprised!  So I got him dressed and told him to go to sleep.  A few minutes later, same thing.  And again.  So after 3 times of getting him dressed I gave up and he fell asleep naked.  After he fell asleep I covered him up and turned up the heat!  Thankfully he didn't pee or poop during nap!  It was a pretty funny experience!  He hasn't really done that again so far, just has taken his pajamas off another time or two, but thankfully not his diaper!

He usually takes about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour nap.  I am so thankful he's a good sleeper! :)