So I realized the other day that I hadn’t been reading to Ian much since he started walking (and climbing) and decided to remedy that. The previous nightly routine would go something like this:

  • Bath
  • Brush teeth
  • pajamas
  • say goodnight to me
  • lights off and put him in his crib
  • close the door
  • one cry, then lay down and go to sleep

This has been the pattern since we moved into the house and it’s mostly worked well. I keep outta jackie’s way for most of it and he goes to bed peacefully. The last two nights it went like this:

  • Bath
  • Brush teeth
  • pajamas
  • say goodnight to jackie
  • put him in his crib
  • read one story
  • lights off and close the door
  • lay down and go to sleep

The first night he threw a tantrum when I stopped reading and turned off the lights- cried for maybe five minute before laying down and going to sleep (normally it’s just one ‘waaaaaahh!’).

Tonight he was bouncing around on the bed and yelling and such and I’d have to stop every other page and tell him to lay down and be quiet (which he did for a few minutes). The book I’m reading is a bargain book from B&N full of fairytales- the two I’ve read so far were about 8 pages each. When I finished tonight’s story, I said goodnight, turned off the lights and closed his door. Not a peep or complaint out of him.

That’s almost as cool as him gobbling down the peas.