Our Ideal Bedtime Routine:
7:00 pm
Mommy brings Z to his bedroom. Changes diaper. Rocks for 10-15 minutes. Z, goes into his crib (asleep or not). Z sometimes cries, but is asleep within 15 minutes.
Meanwhile...
Daddy brings Flik to his bedroom. Potty. Brush teeth. Jammies. Stories. Lights out. Daddy out of the room by 7:40.
This, of course, is the ideal. Lately, however, the little ants have not been playing along. Flik isn't falling asleep. Z does fall asleep, but then wakes up 20 minutes later. (What is with THAT?) Generally, we're drifting further from the ideal each night. And not for lack of effort. Which brings us to tonight:
Flik literally fell asleep sitting at the kitchen table for dinner. He had eaten his dinner. Was sitting there talking. I was feeding Z and I look over and his eyes are closed while he sat there. Once his head started bobbing like it was going to land on his plate, I woke him up. Kid acts like he's wide awake. But I told him that before he could go play with Daddy, he had to go lay on the couch for one minute. He protested, but eventually relented. He was out cold in under 30 seconds.
I thought I'd let him sleep for 45 minutes, because 5:00 as a bedtime is just too early. However, he would not wake up at 5:45 or at 6:00 or at 6:15. Nor would he let us carry him up to his bed. He'd wake up enough to kick and fight, but that was about it. *sigh*
At 6:45, I gave Z his bottle. Asleep at 7. Transfer from arms to crib successful at 7:10. (Yeah!) Then for no apparent reason, wakes up at 7:45. I let him cry for 15 minutes. I rock him for 15 minutes. No sleeping. Back in his crib for 15 more minutes of crying. Daddy rocks him for 15 minutes. Still not asleep, but now getting fussy. I give him half a bottle, even though there is no way he needs to eat again. He calms down. I rock him. He falls asleep. I put him back in his crib. Down for the night at 9:20. *sigh*
Head downstairs to try and bring Flik up to his bed. Lots of kicking, so I leave him on the couch.
At 11:15, Flik wakes up and notifies me that he fell asleep on the couch and that we forgot to "do bedtime". I bring him to his room, put on his jammies, and lay with him for ten minutes.
It is now midnight. I am now in my room. I can hear him in his. He is still not asleep. *sigh*
I'm thinking tomorrow is going to be a long day.
