Bedtime Routine

Dear Vinny,

I put you to bed just about every night (the exceptions being when I'm on travel or so exhausted that I crash early). We have a bedtime routine, in which we brush teeth, pee-pee in the potty, put on a diaper and a sleeper for the night, and then go in your room, read three books of your choosing while sitting in the rocking chair together, and then sing two songs of your choosing while you're lying in bed with the lights out, before I finally kiss you goodnight and leave.

For some reason, you feel obligated to tell Daddy that you brushed your teeth, so there's always that interlude in the routine where you shout to Daddy about brushing your teeth.

Sometimes, we read the same book three times. You go through phases of liking some books above the others, but some of your favorites include Goodnight Moon, On the Day You Were Born, Ten Minutes to Bedtime, and The Little Engine that Could. We get books every month courtesy of Granny, and also one book a month from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. The Little Engine that Could was the first book we got from that program.

I used to sing you actual songs, but nowadays you request songs about various topics, such as sirens, the letter X, and Grandma Marvis. So unless I know a song that has that word in it (which is highly unlikely, since I know very few songs), I just make something up.

Finally, I give you a kiss and leave the room. Lately, we've started doing a funny little ritual where upon leaving, when I get to the foot of your bed, near the door, you say, "Another kiss!" and I go back and give you another kiss. It is the funniest thing ever, at least in the mind of a two-and-a-half-year-old.

You fall asleep pretty well, provided that I go downstairs immediately after putting you to bed, and wait for about an hour. Otherwise, you know I'm still there and I hear shouts of "Hey, Mama!"

Love,
Mama