Bedtime, In Detail

Ahhhhhh, bedtime. When Kris is working, it is potentially the most stressful part of the day. Before the twins were born, Brody's bedtime routine began at 7:30 and ended a little after 8:00. Now we usually begin at 7:00, and the babies are put down between 8:30-9:00. Brody gets a bath every night, and the babies get a bath every other night.

So...here's a look at a typical, 3-bath night when Kris is at work. Please note that I have done this many different ways over the past 5 months and what follows is what's working for us right now!

7:00 - I bring the babies back to our bed with a toy or two. (Obviously this will not be safe forever, but it works for now.) The bathroom that everyone gets their bath in is literally inches away from our bedroom. I clear off the counter to make room for the baby tub and start Brody's bath water. I go get Brody, he gets mostly undressed by himself, and he takes one more turn on the potty.

Emersyn & Jaxson on our bed:

On our bed, I have everything ready for after the babies' baths. 2 fresh diapers, 2 onesies, 2 jammies, and inside the basket includes lotion, vitamins, booger-sucker, butt cream, brush, and q-tips.

Brody getting undressed. I encourage him to do this himself, but truthfully, sometimes I end up doing at least his shirt and undershirt for him to save time.

Potty before bathtime...

While Brody sits on the potty, I undress Jaxson. Back to the bathroom to put Brody in the tub. Get Jax from our bed, take him to the bathroom for his bath. On a good night, it's probably about 7:15 right now.

When I am washing Jax or Emmy, I can look in the mirror and see Brody behind me and look to my left and see whoever is laying on our bed. Sometimes having a small house comes in handy :)

Then I bring Jax back to our bed to get his jammies on, give him a toy to play with, empty/clean the tub for Emmy, and undress Emmy. When I am out of the bathroom I am constantly talking to Brody, asking him questions, and making him answer me so that I know he is okay. When I start Emmy's bath it is maybe around 7:30ish.

Emmy's turn in the tub!

So, after I wash and dry Em, she gets jammies on, and then I bring the babies back out to the living room to either play on the floor or in their swings. Then I head back to the bathroom to finish Brody's bath. Here he is modeling a new monkey towel. The tail on the back is the best part!

Brody gets a diaper, lotion, and jammies. Then we brush his teeth and head to his room to read a book or two. Most nights Kris is able to stop home for a few minutes to help somewhere during this whole process. It is great when he is able to do the bedtime stories because then I can start feeding the babies.

By 8:00 or 8:15, Brody is in bed--though not asleep--and I feed Jax, burp him, and put him to bed. Some nights he'll go right to sleep, others he will fuss for awhile. Then I feed, burp, and put Emmy down. Anywhere between 8:30 and 9:00, ALL are in bed, and I always feel a sense of accomplishment. YES! I did it again, LOL!

I clean up the bathroom, pick up toys, and clean the kitchen after the kids are in bed. Here's a picture of the dirty clothes and diaper piles after bathtime. Sometimes it's 2 diapers and a pull-up...just depends on what kind of potty day we had that day. If he's really interested in going a lot, he wears a "big boy" pull-up.

After all my "chores" are done, I usually relax on the couch and catch a couple shows on TV. I am always exhausted, and I always think about the fact that next year I won't be able to sit and do nothing...I will actually have to get back to work grading papers, planning lessons, etc. etc. I'm hoping Jaxson will finally get it together by then and be sleeping through the night consistently, ha ha!