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Putting Amanda to sleep

I've gotten to put Amanda to sleep quite a lot lately while Michael gets Luke into his crib. Here's what we do:
  • We have a written "check list" of things to do to put Amanda to sleep. She's starting to be able to read, and it is great to ask her what comes next on the list instead of having me continually nag her about it. The list also helps when Michael is putting Amanda to bed. It involves things like putting on heavy duty lotion (Theraplex emollient, for those who are interested), brushing teeth and hair, finding clothes for the next day, and so on.
  • We go through the check list while Luke is having stories read to him "In Mana's oom!" I guess stories are more fun in your sister's room, I don't know. This means that I usually don't read stories separately to Amanda anymore.
  • After Luke goes off to bed and we have finished our list, we get into bed to "play fairies." This is something special for Mama, since Daddy flatly refuses. Amanda has a number of special friends---two sheep, an eagle ray, a few fairies, maybe a car or two, and the ever present "butterflies" (Amanda's hands). Amanda has a script, and I get chewed out when I make a mistake.
  • At 7:50 or so (it depends on when we start---I really can't play more than about 10 minutes of fairies at a time) I tell her to put away the fairies. I pray, then I sing "Jesus Loves Me."
  • Then Amanda gives me kisses. It started out as one or two, which I had to reciprocate. Then we needed "one for good luck." Then it grew to be up to 20 kisses. Then she needed to give me "one for being her favorite Mama." This was a very effective way of stalling going to bed, because who would cut their daughter off in the middle of kisses? Thankfully, it is back down to one, with one hug and "one for gooooood luck!"
If I'm lucky I get to leave the room at this point. If she's lucky, she stalls for another minute or two. And then I leave and she goes to sleep, after getting up a few more times for water, finding more fairy friends, and seeing what her sister is up to. And then she goes to sleep and wakes up in the morning!
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