Bedtime Routine

Both little’s go to bed at the same time these days. They’ve been doing that for awhile now and it sure is nice. For the longest time, when Dakota was really little, I’d bathe Dakota and put her to bed and Tony would take care of Harper. But, as Dakota got older, I thought it would be nice for Tony and I to switch off with the kids so we’d spend time with each one individually. That lasted for awhile but lately things have changed and I’ve been putting Harper to bed while Tony takes care of Dakota.

Some nights Harper would request that I put him to bed instead of Dada and sometimes we’d just do it that way to avoid a tantrum and other times Tony would just take him anyways and Harper would get over it. A week or so ago, Dakota was getting out of the bath and started to cry because she wanted Dada to get her out. So, we switched kids and it’s pretty much stuck like that since then. I think she gets enough Momma time in her life and enjoys the individual attention she gets from Dada at night. Harper is at the age where he wants me to read to him, and I know it won’t last forever and soon enough he’ll be wanting his dad’s attention.

Dakota isn’t as interested in books as Harper is. She’d much rather play “knock knock” with her dollhouse. All the people have to “knock knock” on the door and she lets them in. At least that’s how the game started awhile back, but it has since evolved. She likes to put the people in the house, everyone sitting in chairs usually. Sometimes someone is sleeping and more often than not one of the people is on the potty (which she makes noises to get her point across!). Once she’s done with that she goes on to play with Minnie Mouse, then gets a book or two read to her then it’s lights out…usually accompanied by some loud protesting…but it only lasts about a minute and then all is quiet.

Harper, on the other hand, loves to have books read to him. It is still one of his very favorite things. After reading a couple of his picture books last night I got the idea to try reading him an old Junie B. Jones book. I don’t think he’s getting most of what I’m reading him, and it’s probably a good thing! I guess when we read these books all those years ago to Zoe I didn’t realize how bad some of it was. Junie B. “hates” a lot of things, talks about how she could beat someone up, and can be quite bratty, all in the first couple chapters of the first book! I spend a lot of my day trying to teach my kids to be nice to each other (not say they “hate” each other or other people & never to hit) and to be respectful to others and adults and I kind of feel like Junie B. is saying it’s okay to be bratty. I wonder if he’s getting mixed signals when I’m reading this to him but then telling him otherwise on a daily (hourly!?) basis? I think I’ll try to find another series to read to him after we finish this book and wait for Junie B. when he’s a bit older.

*For the past three or four weeks Harper has been going to bed pull up free! He’s completely finished with those things, thank goodness! Since going underwear only, he’s only wet the bed once. Fingers crossed he keeps up the good work!