N is for Nights

I wrote earlier about my routine for getting up in the middle of the night (repeatedly) to stumble into the bathroom, but that is not the only hallmark of a typical night around here.

Most evenings start to wind down with Toddler J's bath time. The husband is grand master in charge of this, except a few times a week when he has other obligations (these nights do NOT go well, so we try to minimize them as much as possible). J likes baths; his current favorite toys are a small Winnie the Pooh figurine, a plastic tiger, and various pouring vehicles. He plays for a while, gets soaped up and rinsed off, and then takes his medications (at least two and sometimes three meds, most of which are for allergy symptoms. We will be getting him tested at the allergist's very soon to find out what the root of his problems are.). Lately, getting out of the bath is followed by a mad dash around the house, naked, hooded towel flying behind him, as he tries to find me to come help with the the next part of the routine. He absolutely LOVES this new bit of running and giggling, even if it leaves him fairly cold by the time we catch him.

Next comes pajamas, teeth brushing, prayers, and hugs. Then I leave for the husband to finish off with stories and songs. While they are completing the routine, I am usually finishing off a blog post, checking my email, taking my medications (4 for me--can you tell we are the family of a pharmacist?), and getting ready to pass out, particularly now that my stomach can't handle sitting for very long at all. Then the long night of grunting and getting up and not sleeping that I've covered before. You want to be a part of this fun, don't you now? Try and deny it!