I love bedtime. Not because it means a few hours of peace and quiet are ahead, but because of our bedtime routine. At 8pm, John and I each grab a kid - I take Jaina and John take Libby, and we head for the bedrooms. I rock Jaina and feed her, and sing to her until she is done eating and is sleepy. Sometimes she falls asleep while I sing and I get to snuggle her for a few minutes. Then I lay her in her bed, give her her baby doll and an extra binky, cover her with her blankie, and close the door.
While I'm in with Jaina, John is with Libby, brushing her teeth and reading books. Then he says prayers with Libby, turns out the light (well, he takes the lamp with him so she doesn't turn it back on), and shuts the door. Then it's my turn to go in. I open Libby's door and from the dark I hear her say "Hi!". I kneel down by her bed and ask her "What do you want me to sing first?" She'll pick a song, and I'll sing. While I sing she lays her hand on my face, or runs her fingers through my hair, or wraps her arms around my nack and lays my head on her chest. Sometimes she sings along. I sing 4 songs, then kiss her goodnight, hand her her bunny, and shut the door.
I love these quiet moments just before bed. Quiet moments are so rare with these rambunctious girls. My days are filled with squeals and shouts of laughter, and high-pitched screaming while they chase each other around the couch. There is jumping, and tickling, and throwing balls. Puzzles, books, movies, trains, peek-a-boo, and lunch. It's not very often that I get to just sit and snuggle and quietly enjoy my girls. I treasure these moments.
Here are the songs that Libby requests at bedtime:
Baby - "Hush Little Baby"
No No Night - "Silent Night" (this one is often the first request each night)
Temple - "I Love to See the Temple"
Child God - "I am a Child of God"
Ponies - "All the Pretty Little Ponies"
Mermaid - "Part of That World" (from The Little Mermaid - good thing it's been my favorite since I was 8!)
Twinkle Star - "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (usually how we end the night)
She also requests "Wheels on the Bus" and "Popcorn Popping", but I tell her those are playtime songs, not bedtime songs.
Jaina hasn't made any requests yet, but I usually sing "Be Still My Soul" and "You are the New Day" along with "Hush Little Baby" and "All the Pretty Little Ponies". I'm still trying to learn all the words to "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon" and "Candle on the Water" (from Pete's Dragon). I hope my girls let me sing to them for a long time to come, because it's my favorite time of day.
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4 comments:
Sounds really nice, I can understand your feelings.
That sounds really nice.
We used Wheels on the Bus for a bedtime song. It's sung a little slower and quieter and it ends when the "Mommy's on the bus go "Shh, shh, shh" and it gets very quiet until you almost can't hear the last "shh".
I've been singing I Don't Want to Live on the Moon to Kira. It's a nice song. I'm going to have to learn some of yours to add to my repertoire.
So Sweet.
I decided to finally leave a comment and let you know how much I enjoy reading your blog. I first came across it when I was looking for other 20something year old mothers when I first found out I was pregnant. Reading your posts really got me excited for my little one on the way.
My baby is here now (two months old) and I can totally related to this post. I just love the way you describe it, you really capture the essence.
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