Bedtime Routine

I wrote about our old bedtime routines, but now we have a new one to write about!

Lately I've been reading a poem from our Don't Mess with Moses book every night to the boys.  We say our prayers, give them hugs and kisses and then it's off to put Elinroe to bed. 



When she moved into her big girl bed, she abandond the rocking and signging in favor of books in bed. I miss the rocking, but glad we have a new routine to snuggle and read. We get our clean diaper and jammies on; she picks out her books and we lay down in her bed with her sippy of milk to read and pray.  We read two books.  The second book is ALWAYS Knock, Knock! Who's there at Christmas?  The first book rotates through a few, but the second one is always the same.  



Once stories are done we pray.  I've started asking her what she wants to pray about, and sometimes she'll have ideas and things and other times she won't.  But we always say a short prayer, call Daddy in to tell her goodnight too and Ruth too.  (She usually tells the boys goodnight while we're reading their poem.)  Then we kid, take the milk away, and we're off to dreamland.

Well sometimes dreamland takes awhile.  We still have the baby monitor in her room to hear her, and she babbles on for awhile sometimes.  Because we have a two way monitor and we can respond if we choose, sometimes she asks us questions for her "machine" to talk to us. 

Then it's off to get final chores done and Ruth down to bed too.  This whole process takes probably 45 mintues everynight.  Assuming we're at a reasonable amount of questions and excuses for getting out of bed after bedtime for the night!

Man Cereal

Last weekend, Elinore work up.  I went in to get her and she immediately asked for breakfast.  I asked what she wanted, she's usually fairly picky about what she wants to eat.  She wanted man cereal in her best deep growling voice. 

"WHAT?" I said.

"I want man ceral!" she said again.

I chucked and asked what man cereal was.  It helps you play or something crazy like that she said.  Still not knowing what man ceral is; I changed her diaper and carried her into Keith, who was still in bed and asked him what man cereal was.  I though as a man he might have an answer for me.  He laughs; has no idea and rolls back over.

So we headed to the kitchen.  I pulled out the ceral boxes and asked which one she wanted.  She picked Fruity Pebbles.  Why?  Becuase there's a man, Fred Flinstone, on the box.

Teeth

This guy did awesome Wednesday. He had 4 teeth pulled at the dentist office!  Now he had room for two adult teeth to come in and then the orthodontist can start moving his teeth to the right places!

The 5 Love Languages

I finished reading this book yesterday.  I've had this book for years.  I once had lunch with a leader at work who recceomnded it to me.  I bought the book shortly after that and tried reading it, but I never got into it.  It sat on a shelf for years, until I decided to pick it up again recently.  This time, I read right through it, nodding my head and thinking about the relationships in my life.  I thought about Keith of course, but also about how this relates to parenting our kids.  I was so interested in the kids aspect of it, I have bought the 5 Love Lanugages for Children and am awaiting it's arrival to read too. 

I learned how to be a better wife and how to show love to others.  I realized there were things I could easily be doing to show love that I wasn't.  It really was a good read.

Hair

Elinore was brushing daddy's hair tonight. Oh so funny.

My Birth Experiences

I thought about my two birth experiences with each of our girls often in the first weeks after Ruth was born.  They were both such completely different experiences and left me feeling completely differnt after, not towards our daughters of course, but about the experiences. 

Elinore's birth was so calm and laid back.  It was peaceful and went so smoothly.  Even though I'd hoped for a natural birth, I had an epidural, we'd taken naps, and even though I'd gotten sick, it was a peaceful experience.  Our nurses were awesome and when Elinore came into the world it was calm and we were talking and I was crying. 

Ruth's birth was anything but calm and peaceful!  I decided for the epidural at 4cm, but by the time they came for it I was 7, and by the time they were cleaning by back for it, my water broke and Ruth was ready to be there NOW.  There was no time, there was no doctor, and they weren't quite ready for birth.  It was hurried, I was angry they weren't ready and I wanted to have a baby NOW.  It was hectic, it was fast, and before I really could understand what just happened, I had a baby on my chest!

The birth's were both very different, but the weeks following were very different too.  With Elinore's birth the physical recovery was unpleasant to say the least.  It was uncomfortable and just all around not fun.  But mentally I was pleased with the birth experience and happy with it.  I was surprised by that too; I thought I'd be disappointed that I didn't have the natural birth I wanted.  My nurse was awesome about talking me into being okay with it and reassuring I could probably make it if I had another baby because of how quickly I progressed and other awesome comments.  (She was super great!) 

With Ruth's my physical recovery was easy peasy, but I struggled more with processing her birth because it was so fast (less than 2.5 hours).  I felt bad for some of the yelling I did.  And the whole epidural thing stuck with me too.  The anesthesiologist didn't want to do it when he arrived, but I was mentally prepared for it and the nurse pushed for me, but then we couldn't do it anyway.  It was just so different; I wasn't at peace with it for awhile.  Now, 3 months later, I am, but it weighed on my mind a lot that first month. 

I don't know that we'll have any more babies, but if I were faced with thinking about another delivery, I'm not sure what I would choose.  I do know I'd be ready to get to the hospital right away though if I wasn't induced again! 

Legos

Back in January, Caleb made this for Ruth with Legos!