Ch-ch-ch-Changes at Bedtime

Our bedtime routine has gotten a lot easier lately.

Once upon a time, I remember the routine taking well over an hour.  Bedtime bottles took for-ev-er…and then washing faces…changing diapers…and that wasn’t even on a bath night.

Of course things got easier when the girls quit taking bottles…and then easier, still, when they stopped wearing diapers.  But we’ve had a couple more transitions over the past few weeks, and – assuming we don’t have any meltdowns – things are almost downright easy!

When we head upstairs, Baby #1 (whoever decides to go first) puts her pajamas on.  Barring some complicated button-up, or several warm layers, the girls are pretty proficient in getting dressed and undressed.

In the meantime, I’m in the bathroom with Baby #2.  I floss teeth, brush teeth, wash the face, and apply moisturizer.  That baby hops on the potty while Baby #1 makes her way into the bathroom.

Somewhere in the mix, the discarded clothing gets put in the hamper, and a bedtime story is picked.  (The girls alternate picking the story each night.)

The next part of the routine has – blissfully – remained the same for the past four years.  We snuggle on Mommy and Daddy’s bed for our night-night story.  We exchange nose kisses, and then I put my babies to bed, one at a time.

Things have gotten much more streamlined there, too.  I mentioned this briefly a few weeks ago, but I haven’t quite been up to writing about it…it’s bittersweet, for sure.

After we transitioned the girls from their swaddle blankets, at about six months, they began using zipper blankets.  That worked very well until about a year ago, when – at three! – their legs were getting too long for the size XL.  My talented and resourceful friend Rachel came to the rescue, though, and sewed in an additional panel of fabric to make their sleep sacks super long.  (I could almost fit into them!)  And all was well.

A few weeks ago, Husband decided – on a whim – that the girls needed more freedom in bed, that they might get too hot having always to be covered.  I was NOT ready for that change…so perhaps it’s best he sold them on the idea before he mentioned it to me.

We started off with some large receiving blankets we had in the closet, and we bought normal-size, big-kid blankets over the weekend.

As bittersweet as the transition has been, it’s cut down significantly on our put-to-bed time.  And the girls do look so incredibly sweet snuggled in their fluffy blankets.

I’ll focus on that, and the extra time we have around bedtime…and suppress the realization that my BABIES are growing up.