Bedtime and more...

As a lot of people know, bedtime has been an issue for Meghan and me. Even though she had her own room and her own bed, she slept with me while we lived at Grandpa's. When I bought the new house, she got to pick out some stuff for her room because she definitely was going to sleep in her own bed. She did pretty good and it wasn't too much of a transition, but the thing was I had to lie down in her bed for a half-hour to an hour. Not fun and a waste of the little time I had in the evenings to do stuff when she was sleeping. Laundry? Picking up toys? Get my drift? For a while now, she's been going to sleep all on her own, but with a definite routine. Here it is:

1. Get jammies on.

2. Brush teeth/use potty (sometimes she refuses this just to use it as a stall tactic later!) HA!

3. Read books. She tells me that she wants me to pick them, but then I never pick the right ones. Lately, she flips through the pages, and I swear she looking for the longer ones! Hallway light must be turned on as we head to her room and left on until she's asleep.

4. Tuck into bed with "critters." These in order on her bed: Cinderella (Build-a-Bear from Claire's bday party), Baxter (Bear brought back from a fire trip of Greg's), Tulip (Webkinz #1), Horse (another Greg gift), mini-horse (from horse bday party), Doggie (from the school carnival) and finally the most important of all....Kitty (who is looked pretty yucky b/c she goes pretty much everywhere!) Lately, Quack Quack (Webkinz #3) and a bunny get put up on a pillow next to her too. She also has her princess pillow and her High School Musical Troy pillow. Oh...lastly, Brown Blankie gets laid on top of her and she snuggles up.

5. I give her hug and kiss #1 and we say our special little good night sayings. I love that part. It's special between just me and her. I say a part and she fills in the blank. :)

6. I leave.

7. She calls me back for a drink. (even though I may have asked her earlier if she wanted one)

8. I give her a drink and leave again.

9. Called back for just one more hug and kiss.

10. Give hug and kiss and leave.

11. Called back to remind me to tuck Becca (baby doll) to bed.

12. I tuck Becca in and she's yelling out just a few more times "Love you mommy. See you in the morning!"

13. I repeated it back until finally all is quiet...ahhhh.

I know someday I miss these times when she just doesn't want to leave me to go to bed, so I try to cherish every moment.

Now for the more part.....
A few thoughts on how lucky I really am. I have an amazingly beautiful daughter, who's hilarious and bright. I've got a great home, with the most amazing "neighbor" ever! :) He treats me with the utmost respect and makes me feel special. Meg adores him and he is amazingly patient with her, answering all of her questions about what he's doing and why. He's taught her and given her many experiences that I'm grateful for. I've got the most supportive family ever that I can count on for just about anything. We spend lots of time together and have lots of fun. I have a job that I enjoy (much more in just 4 weeks) and a super building and faculty to work with. When I think about some of the painful, sad things that I have friends going through right now it makes me sad for them, but at the same time, I realize I need to count my blessings more and more each day. I'm doing just that right now.