Sleep, Routines, and Stuff

Sometimes, after I am positive my children are deeply asleep... I creep into their bedrooms and make sure they are covered up and just listen to them breathe.  They are so quiet and peaceful and I sincerely think it makes me melt with love in a way that I physically cannot when they are awake and moving (and disobedient and crying...) and stuff.  Don't get me wrong... those moments during the day aren't filled with any less love.  It's just a messier more exhausting version.  No less beautiful.

Tonight we started a new sleep routine.  It was time.  Our bedtime and nap routine was awesome pre-Piper, but got trickier once she popped into the picture.  We've tried lots of different things, but this week it all kind of came to a crazy out of control breaking point with a non-napping, over-tired, sleep-needing two year old.  I'm not positive that Emberly noticed much of a difference in the routine tonight... but I sure did.  It was peaceful.  I didn't feel like I needed a big glass of wine when I was finished.  Emberly didn't call me back into her room eight-thousand times after I left.  And she actually fell asleep in a timely manner.  I know better than to hope this will be true of every night, but I can hope that it would be true of many nights.  Oh how children thrive on routine.  I forget this.  This was a great reminder.

We've also been reevaluating the rest of our days and trying to create routines in the midst of a non-routine-work schedule.  And for me this means making our life easier by not having to reinvent the wheel each week and planning ahead.  Like eating meatloaf that is in our oven on time bake every Sunday after church.  So meatloaf is made and the diaper bag is packed and the children's clothes are picked out and my alarm is set for a terribly early time... and we will make it to 9:00am church tomorrow all still smiling and married and in love and all that jazz.  (Lord willing.)

You just wait and see.

Now I better sleep... quick.