Bedtime Reading Ritual

CJ is very ritualistic. If things have usually been done a certain way, that's the way it has to be. This is especially true at bedtime. If things don't go exactly like they're supposed to, he can't sleep. Luckily, he understands that with a new baby, things sometimes don't go off as planned.

To start with, mama and dada rotate nights putting CJ to bed. Nana puts him to bed once or twice a week, usually if I'm nursing and Craig is finishing his paperwork. We each have our own ways of putting him to bed, but this is mine. 

First, we make sure Muka is plugged in. Muka is his night light, that you plug in and charge, then if you have to get up in the middle of the night you can take it with it. It's actually called the Ikea Spoka Night Light, but for some reason CJ decided her name was Muka. 

And he's out. 

Next CJ picks out a book. Usually it's a superhero or Disney story. I try to make him pick ones we haven't already read. I can only read the same X-men book so many times before I begin to have a personal issue with Wolverine. We read our story, CJ "helps" me with some of the words, and then we talk about it a little bit. 

Then CJ says his prayers. He says "God bless" and then lists everyone he's ever met ever in his life... then "Now I lay me down to sleep..." and "God bless the moon..." For both of those, he makes some mistakes in the wording, but I'll never correct him because I think it is the cutest thing ever. Then we sing Twinkle Twinkle together. I made up my own version of Twinkle Twinkle when he was a baby, so we sing that or the regular version. Finally, I ask CJ if he's my boy. He says yes, so I ask if he's an ordinary boy. He says no, so I ask if he's a wonderful boy. He says yes. Then we snuggle for a few minutes. Later when he's asleep, before I go to bed, I unplug Muka and put her next to him so he knows that I came in to check on him. 

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