October 21, 2009: Bedtime Reading
We've been reading books before bedtime with Nikola for a little while but he's really getting into it now. When he's all ready for bed, we go in his room and tell him to pick out a book. At the moment, his hands-down favorite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He smiles and laughs at the parts he recognizes and likes pointing at and counting the fruits that the caterpillar eats each day of the week. After it's over, he says "Bye!", we go to turn the lights out ("Push!") and then it's time for his cherished warm bottle of milk.
As for going to sleep, Nikola continues to be a champ. He abandoned his nightly crying-to-sleep routine months ago and now goes to sleep willingly, even voluntarily, once he's gotten through his routine. When I'm holding and burping him after his bottle, he loves to play with the stubble on my neck—not a great feeling but he's mesmerized by it. He also loves to have his back and hair stroked before sleeping. When he was little, that was my only weapon against him—when he would throw a fit in my arms, I would gently tickle his back, which would first make him squirm and then eventually calm him down. These days, he just snuggles up and enjoys it. One time he even recognized what was about to happen and turned his head away from me, a subtle request. It's all worth it though because at the end of the routine, he reaches for his bed, curls up with a blanket and lets me leave without a peep. Good sleepers are a blessing.
Posted by papa at 09:18 PM