Little Foodie

Bunny is eating poached salmon with dill sauce. If that wasn't impressive enough, she said, "The sauce is so good! It's the most delicious part."

Night Time Routine Evolution

I think I remember how our night time routine has evolved.

I am trying to remember what we did when we only had JD. I think we would read to him, then put him to bed. Perhaps Wife can comment about that.

Around The Block

When Bunny was born, things changed. She would scream every night until it became routine to go for a nightly walk in my arms around our block. So, from June through October, around 7:30 or 8:00pm, that's what we would do. I would sing to her or tell her about the things around us. We passed the same places most nights and met people who were outside at that time. It was a great and memorable time for me. Bunny would sometimes fall asleep, but often just lay in my arms and look around.

Story Time

We have almost always done story time in our bed. Now that the kids are reading, we have changed from simply reading a story to them. JD and Bunny each read a beginning reader book to us. I am planning on having them read the same story for a few days, or until they sound like they can each read all of the words fluently. Then, we read a chapter from a chapter book. Currently, we are reading, Charlotte's Web. After story time it is time for bed.

"Take that JD! Take that Bunny!"

After story time, JD would say, "Take that JD!" and wait for me to pick him up and throw him into bed. Then Bunny caught on. So I would carry both of them, sometimes one at a time, sometimes together, to their room. That rarely happens anymore, as it became a competition for them and would rile them up just when they had finished winding down.

Finish in Song

For a long time, I would sing, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," followed by, "Jingle Bells," and would finish with, Goodnight Moon. That sequence lasted for a good year, maybe two. I remember doing that when Bunny was still in her crib and JD was in his bed. They shared a room until two weeks ago.

After a while, I got tired of the routine and changed to, "Fools Rush In," followed by, Goodnight Moon.

It was sometime in the last six months or so that Bunny, during, "Fools Rush In," would reach her hand out to me when I would sing the words, Take my hand, take my whole life, too. It is very sweet.

Sometimes, the kids join me singing.

Now that the kids have their own rooms, I sing, "Fools Rush In," to Bunny and tell JD about the next day. Sometimes JD wants me to cuddle with him for a few minutes. Then, I turn on some music. For a long time, I had an iPod dock and would play Bedtime with the Beatles. The old iPod died recently, so I tuned the radio to the classical station. Until I pony up to buying the kids their own radios, I have the one from their shared room in the hallway so they can both hear.

Compare / Contrast:

When I am doing chores at home - cooking, doing laundry, or finances, Bunny wants to be around me and interfere with what I am doing. JD, on the other hand, will go do his own thing - play with army guys, pirates, or knights.

While JD makes things easier by staying out of my way, I it may be a better experience for a child to be around an adult, learning from that? While she's a gigantic pain in my ass when I'm trying to get things done, she's also interested in what I am doing. She is listening and watching everything I say and do. JD is simply not getting as many hours learning directly from me, even when he was Bunny's age.

On the other hand, we all develop in different ways. One way is to go explore on your own without having anyone to guide you but your imagination. Another way is to seek out a mentor or role model to emulate.

To be the best parent possible, I ought to spend more time getting into JD's adventures while consciously having a role to delegate in the event that Bunny (or JD) wants to help.

Tooth Fairy's new service

I think JD has really come up with something.

While we were cuddling in his bed at bedtime, he said, "Dad, I don't want you to go bald. If you start losing your hair, I will ask the Tooth Fairy to wave her magic wand and put your hair back on."

I know many men who would stuff a fistful of 100s under their pillow.