Sharing Life: The Bedtime Routine

'Tis 7PM which means it is time to start the bedtime routine. There isn't really much to it, however, it seems to take a long time, especially if you are doing it solo with both kids. Benjamin is super simple, PJs, Eat, Sleep!

Aubrey's is fairly simple:

PJs
Brush Teeth and Hair
Stories (Bible and I'd Be Your Princess)
Potty
Kisses
Bed

Usually we divide and conquer. I take Benjamin, since by default I'm the one feeding him and Rudy takes Aubrey, which I believe is her preference anyhow. With Rudy gone this week, it leaves me flying solo....

The goal tonight was to get Aubrey ready first so that once I'm done feeding Benjamin it will be much easier to get her into bed by 730PM. I did okay tonight. She was all ready for bed when I fed Benjamin except I forgot she needed to take her medicine in her nebulizer since her cough is so bad. Back downstairs we head. The medicine takes 10 minutes!

Once back upstairs she goes to the bathroom and I took her into bed. Well, she began crying really hard...I didn't read her stories. So, into our bedroom we go to read the stories.

Tonight's Bible story was about the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14). She seemed to think it was pretty cool that God hid the Isrealites in a cloud. I think she thought the picture was funny. It was a cloud with a whole bunch of feet sticking out under it. Anyhow, next I read "I'd Be Your Princess". I LOVE THIS BOOK. However, it's a book for her and Rudy. I highly recommend this book for all dads and daughters. The mother son version is "I'd Be Your Hero", however, I haven't read that one.

Rudy reads this book every night with her. Well, they actually read it together-he starts the sentence and she finishes it. Rudy doesn't read it word-for-word. He reads it so that it's personal, it's "Aubrey" and "Daddy" not "the little girl" and "the dad". It talks about being a girl of noble character...sharing her toys, loving to learn, having good manners, being brave, being good company, etc. Most nights Aubrey allows me to sit in on the reading and usually every night it brings tears to my eyes listening to them read it together.

It's one of those special bonds they have as father and daughter. It's a situation that I want to freeze in time to remember how special seeing them read the book together is and knowing that many years from now her priority won't be to have this book read to her.

She did okay with me reading it to her tonight, but she definitely missed her dad!