Six months ago it was a huge challenge to get Jacob to fall asleep. I tried adjusting his nap schedule, changing his bedtime, and I was extra vigilant about his bedtime routine. I would even lie in bed with him for hours at a time. Nothing worked.
I don’t know what has changed since then, but now I guide him through his bedtime routine, tuck him in bed next to his brother, and he stays in bed quietly until he falls asleep. It’s the easiest thing ever. Actually, the only thing that really has changed is that now Drew and Jake share a bedtime routine and go to sleep together. Maybe that makes a difference for Jake.
Drew is the opposite. Six months ago, when he couldn’t open doors and was still confined to his room at night, he was a breeze to put to bed. Now, with the freedom of a big boy bed and an open door, he is a bedtime wild card. I just never know how easy or hard getting him to bed will be.
Drew has been using “stealth mode” a lot lately. He covers his eyes with his chubby hands and shuffles quietly along, obviously pretty certain that he can slip by me totally undetected. It cracks me up every time.
I used my phone to snap these “stealth mode Drew” pictures a few nights ago. Don’t mind the massive pile of laundry in the boys’ room. Allie and I have had the flu this week. She’s feeling better now, but we had two really awful days (I’ve never had such a young baby so sick with a stomach virus before) and I fell way behind on laundry again.
Anyway…
I love stealth mode Drew! 
Bedtime tonight was easy. We had a crazy, splashy, water-all-over-the-floor kind of bath. The boys kept jumping off the sides of the tub, even though I was right there reminding them not to. “That’s dangerous…” seems to be taken as a challenge…
We read lots of stories. I sat on the floor with a pile of books and two bouncy, energetic, noisy boys. We read and read, more stories than we usually read at bedtime. Sometimes I only have the energy for two, but tonight we read more.
We said prayers, I tucked them into bed, and kissed them goodnight. They were both asleep within ten minutes and Drew never even tried stealth mode.
Every single night at bedtime, I find myself reflecting on motherhood and my children. I can’t look at my littlest three and read them bedtime stories without remembering when my oldest three were so small. I think of Asher too… Last year he was home reading stories with me at 7pm and now he’s off at wrestling practice with Daddy and the big boys instead.
It’s strange how time passes so fast, how babies grow so quickly. It’s strange that my first baby will be eleven in a month. It’s strange that she could even have babies of her own by the time Allie is her age.
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The weather is warmer. The snow is almost entirely gone. I’ve been wearing flip flops for weeks so I’m glad the weather is catching up with me!
I’m glad Allie’s feeling better. It was so hard to see her feeling so sick. Hopefully no one else will get sick and I can finally catch up on a million things that need to be finished.
I’m feeling thankful tonight, thankful for happy, healthy kids, for Joshua’s continued improvement, for busy days and a busy weekend ahead, for sunshine and hopefully spring coming soon, for sweet babies at bedtime…
