Bedtime Routine

For so many months we tried to find a bedtime routine that worked well for our family. There were lots of things to consider:
What time should we start it?
Should we bathe her (and how, since we don't have a bathtub)?
Should I nurse her or lay her down and let her cry?
And ultimately what can we do to get her to sleep?!?

I know that as I type these words I am most likely jinxing the good thing we have going, because if I have learned one thing about babies it is that they are always changing. As soon as you think you have things figured out they start teething, or get a cold, or go through a growth spurt, and then it is like day 1 (okay... maybe more like day 14) all over again.

But for now I can say that our bedtime routine is truly a beautiful thing.

Around 7:45 we feed Lydia oatmeal or yogurt and chat a little bit with her. She starts to get hyper and loud toward the end of the day, so this part is always funny.

Right at 8 one of us gets in the shower with her and the other prepares her nursery for bedtime. David and I both love taking showers with Lydia because it is really quick and it is kind of our only option since we don't have a bathtub and she attempts to climb out of her infant tub. We put lotion and diaper cream on her, then sing to her as we dress her in pj's.

Sometimes I will breastfeed her quickly at this point, or if she nursed later than 7 I won't. Then she sits in my lap with her blanket and listens as David reads out of her storybook Bible. She leans back and rests her head on my chest, and then will quickly pop up to pat the pages. After a short story we pull out Goodnight Moon and Lydia practices her page turning. Her favorite page is the one where it says, "Goodnight room." She looks at the drawings and smiles with recognition and I sit amazed at how smart she is already.

When we finish reading I kiss Lydia goodnight as David turns off the light, then I hand her over to Daddy who soothes her to sleep in less than 10 minutes. Most nights lately she has slept for 11-12 hours straight and we all wake up happy and anxious to see one another for a new day.

These quiet times with my little family of 3 often bring tears to the surface. I am so thankful for David and Lydia. I am in total awe of how sweet, smart and full of personality our baby is. I love the calm moments that we share while quoting classic books. I feel humbled to be sharing God's word with my beautiful daughter.

I will admit that for many months I feared the hours of "late evening". With a baby these particular hours of the day can be stressful and overwhelming. But it seems we have finally found our sweet spot. And it really it so, so sweet.