Good night, sleep tight

Lately Kennedy's bedtime ritual includes selecting and then carefully laying out her pajamas before putting them on, taking her medicine, brushing her teeth, using the potty, filling up her water bottle, reading several books, singing a song, listening to her "Poppy and Sam" stories on cd, and reading on her own from one of her big storybooks in bed after the lights have been turned out. Sometimes we can hear her through the closed door either talking to Macy or reading to herself. Then a few hours later, we might hear a big thump when the book finally falls off her bed.

It's much easier to get Macy to bed. She starts waving her arm and shouting, "muh, muh, muh!" to demand milk. She might listen to the story we are reading, flip through the pages of her own book, or play with some toys. Then I change her diaper, get her in some jammies, give her a hug and kiss, cover her up and that's it - not a peep from her until morning.

Kennedy, on the other hand, is very likely to come into our room some time during the night and whisper to me, "Can I snuggle, mama?" She already has her blanket, baby or animal friend and water bottle in hand, knowing that I'm unlikely to say no. And, she's very particular about where she wants to sleep, and by whom, which means that I have to be in the middle. There were a few nights when I woke up to the sound of Kennedy grinding her teeth, which drove me crazy enough to flip around in bed and sleep upside down. But she's pretty good about not stealing the covers or moving around too much, although I did get hit in the eye once...

I have such mixed feelings about this. It's a habit I don't really want to encourage because it is a little crowded with three plus the cats, but the truth is most nights I'm just too tired to get up and take her back to her own room. I do admit that it is so sweet to listen to her breathing, smell that clean kid smell, and then wake up in the morning to see her sleeping peacefully on my pillow. I know this won't last forever, so I'm willing to give in, for now at least. If both girls turn out to be snugglers, we might need a bigger bed!