It’s really funny how Hazel really likes routines. She used to ask for Daddy to help her get to bed, but as of the last few months, she’s asked for Mommy and the patterns are pretty clear.

Here bedtime routine is this: One story for Daddy to read, one for Mommy to read. After we read our respective stories, she asks for one last book. Then we ask her who she’d like to stay with her in bed (‘Mommy bum or Daddy bum?’ …a remnant from when we’d pat her bum for her to go to bed). She waivers a little in her decision but these days ultimately decides Mommy bum. Then we get into bed, and she likes to shout every night, “Daddy, don’t forget my water.” She drinks water, lies down, drinks water, lies down. Repeats a few times, sometimes muttering things to herself that include variations on things we’ve told her throughout the day. One night she said, “I’m going to take away your bunkbed and put it in ‘the box’….but I have another bunk bed.” It’s pretty entertaining. Every night, for the past week, she’s been saying about 5 minutes after we get into bed, ‘I want Daddy bum.’ Kim responds, “Okay, if you close your eyes for 20 minutes, I’ll ask Daddy to come in here.’ That seems to satisfy her really well. Even more so than swapping (we’ve swapped, and Hazel has usually wanted to swap back). What’s really endearing is she likes to smush her face right up to mine during bedtime, hold me really tight (but she doesn’t like to be snuggled back in return), hold my hair, and generally scramble all over my head before she settles down. It’s endearing now because she’s 2.5, so I’ll allow it. When she’s as big as me and 12 years old and trying to do squats on my head, I’m sure it won’t be so endearing. So those are my thoughts on my sweet little baby today.

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