Bedtime Rituals

We recently traveled to northern California to visit my parents and celebrate Izzy’s first birthday.  The traveling itself was fine – he’s great in the car. He sings to himself, looks out the window, entertains himself with various baby discoveries, and SLEEPS.  I don’t know if it will always be this easy (I suspect it won’t) but, for now, road trips are a lot of fun with the kiddlet.

What’s not fun, however, is the disturbance of our normal going-to-bed routines.  The last few times we’ve gone out of town, my little guy has had a terrible time trying to get some sleep.  Consequently, so have I.

I’ve put a lot of effort, and done a lot of thinking, into the baby’s bedtime ritual. But what I’ve also come to realize is the IMPORTANCE of my OWN routine (especially now that I can almost have one again).

For Izzy, going to bed in a strange room, with strange noises outside, was cause for quite a fit. I don’t blame him. Most people prefer to sleep in their own beds with their book and nightlight and their own familiar squishy elephant pillow (er…or is that just me?).

 

He missed his established bedtime ritual: his bubble bath with nighttime bath wash (lavender and chamomile), his toweling off and moisturizing time (also with lavender and chamomile – the stuff really works!), his story time with mama, and that final snack of milk to send him off to the land of nod.

 

I have my routines too- favorite soft pajamas, a cup of tea and maybe a sugar-free cookie, and my current literary indulgence. I wash my face, brush my teeth, rub dollops of good smelling lotion (I love the Aveda lotions my sister always gives me!) into my elbows, hands, and feet. Eye cream applied under the eyes (yes, I’m of that age), satin eye mask ready on the nightstand in case Hubby comes to bed with the (annoyingly glowy) laptop, I settle in for a good night’s rest and hopefully wake refreshed in the (early) morning.

 

 

Yes, traveling does have a way of upsetting our established patterns. But, I suppose that’s the point of going somewhere different, isn’t it?  Be somewhere new, stray from the routine, stimulate and invigorate  those synapses and create some memories.

Izzy’s birthday party was a huge success, and I loved spending time with my family and friends. But, I must confess, today this gal is super grateful to be back at home, waking up in my own room, in my own purple sheets to the sound of my son happily playing in his own crib. Hooray for a good night’s sleep!

 

Sweet Dreams,

Today’s Gratitude List:

·         A peacefully quiet neighborhood

·         Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

·         Perfect summer weather