shadows and routines

We have had a lot of bedtime routines.

They seem to change as much as our little ones do.

When Eva was small...

we fed, read, sang and rocked.

We rocked and rocked and rocked.

She started asking for one more song and her back to be scratched.

And then one more song and one more song...

I wondered if I would be doing this into her teenage years.

As Eva grew...

the rocking stopped.

Not sure quite how it happened.

Maybe it was the big girl bed.

New routine was born without us realizing.

When Theodore came...

I fell out of the bedtime routine some nights.

Stories were still read and songs sang.

Unless Theo was asleep, Daddy and Eva did bedtime most nights.

Theo and I would make visits to their routine...

reading books while I nursed or singing some songs.

As Theo grew...

he made a more routine appearance at bedtime.

Sometimes he could handle it...

getting a few pages of a book with his sister.

But most of the time, I would sneak off to rock and sing by ourselves.

Slipping him into his bed after his sister was tucked in.

This time I knew it was a season and relished to rocking.

Lately...

we have all been getting ready together.

Teeth brushed and pj's on.

Then climbing into mommy and daddy's big bed.

Reading books and tickle fights.

Playing shadows with the reading light.

Eva is a giant and Theodore is "so huge!"

At most bedtimes, there are no rocks needed.

Just a song and a night night at the door.

Middle of the night rocking sessions have been a popular.

Theo is a big fan and Eva occasional has a rough night.

But earlier this week I had to move stuff out of the rocking chair.

A sewing project, some laundry and a few stray toys.

You see, there were a few nights in a row that the rocker did not rock.