Putting the kids to bed at night can frequently be a hassle. I may post a message at some point describing some of the challenges of trying to get Zack and Penny to put on their jammies, brush their teeth, get into bed and fall asleep in a reasonable amount of time. Right now, however, I want to talk about one thing I really enjoy about the nighttime routine...
Part of the nighttime routine with Penny is when she asks "Daddy, when are you going to come upstairs and check on us?" This part of the routine evolved over a period of time from me saying things like "I'm going to come and check on you guys in a few minutes and if you are not asleep I'm going to close your doors." The thought of sleeping with their doors closed is usually threatening enough to have the kids stay somewhat quiet as they wind down to fall asleep.
Lately Zack has been going to sleep pretty easily. Penny, on the other hand will frequently not go to sleep until I come up to check on her. Thus, on a nightly basis she has been calling out to us with her "Daddy, when are you going to come upstairs to check on us?" question. I usually reply "I'm coming up right now to check." When I then walk into her room she usually has her blanket pulled up to her chin, her eyes tightly shut and a slight smile on her face. I then get close to her ear and whisper "are you asleep?" Penny keeps her eyes tightly shut and whispers back "yes". I'll then say "good, see you tomorrow" and I'll leave the room. She keeps her eyes shut the whole time and then usually falls asleep without issue shortly after the visit. I truly enjoy this part of the nighttime routine.
Another thing I enjoy is walking in and sometimes seeing the kids asleep in random positions. Here is one recent photo we took where Penny was sound asleep, on the ground, kind of kneeling/leaning against her bed...
