3.20.16 - Bedtime routine

It's so surreal watching Clara get older. I'm both sad that the time is going quickly, that she will never be as tiny as she was before, as she is now, again, and also joyful watching her learn new things and develop new skills and habits.

For example, I used to use a little finger baby toothbrush to brush her teeth with fluoride-free toothpaste. But a week or so ago we switched to a little toothbrush she can hold on her own and the same toothpaste Jack and I use. (The pediatrician recommended getting her kid-friendly fluoride toothpaste in bubblegum flavor or some other more kid-friendly version, but as long as she keeps goign with what we already have I'll stick with that. She's so easy-going.) Anyway, each morning and night-time I get both my toothbrush and hers ready. Then I sit on the bathroom floor next to her and start brushing my teeth while holding out her toothbrush to her. She takes it herself and tries to brush her teeth too, all the while smiling at me. From time to time she will try to put her toothbrush in my mouth but I just move my head away and so she goes back to brushing. It's so sweet to see her try to mimic and to get excited when I show excitement too. Although tonight she got distracted a little early by the hanging belts behind the bathroom door, haha.

Another way her routine has changed is bedtime stories. She used to lay passively against me while I read her books. Now she's much more interactive. Tonight I picked 5-6 books and brought her in my bedroom for story time. For the first book or two, while I was reading she'd lean against me and just watch, although between each book she'd sit up and rub her feet excitedly against the bed sheets. Once I was on the 3rd book she wanted to sit up even while I was reading and touch different parts of the book. It was The Very Hungry Caterpillar and she likes to turn the "short" pages about what the caterpillar eats. She likes to try to stick her tiny little pointer finger into the holes in the food, and after awhile she also grabbed my much larger pointer finger and tried to get me to find the same holes.



Similarly, now when we get to the end of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom she grabs my finger so she can hold on while I point to each letter in the alphabet as I sing the ABCs. I love it when she grabs my finger to try to get me to do things for her, and I love that she loves story time so much.



Finally I took her to give Daddy a kiss goodnight, and then I took her in the nursery and kissed her myself and put her down. And, just like with most nights, she rubbed her face into the mattress (belly down) and kicked her legs as she got into a comfortable position--no fuss, just ready to go to bed.

She's such a darling kid.