Step 1: Dinner. (6:30ish). He gets pretty messy when he's eating, so we usually strip and wipe him down right after that.
Step 2: Bath. (7:00ish). We don't have an actual bath, so John bathes in our laundry tub. This is nice and deep, which is great because he likes to spend half of his bath time standing up. Rather than use soap on him, we just put some liquid soap in the tub and let him have a bubble bath. We wash him down right away and then let him play. He loves to have the water running while he's in there and will splash as much as possible. Once he's done, we bundle him up in a towel and head up to his bedroom.
Step 3: PJs and Playtime. (7:30ish). As quickly as possible, we get a diaper on him. He usually tries to run out of his room giggling while I chase him down calling out "Come here you little nudist!" Once we get a diaper on him, we let him play with his dogs, blanket, or toys for a while. We usually sneak his PJs on him sometime during this playtime. Eric usually roughhouses with him until he laughs gut-wrenchingly. This is the best part about bedtime. We know he's tired enough for bed when he starts to cry at little things.
Step 4: Bottle and Bed. (8:00ish). Once he is tired enough, we hold him while we get his bottle ready. We put about 5 ounces of milk in a bottle, heat it up for 30 seconds, and give it to John. He holds it in his arms while I hold him in my arms. We wave "night night" to Sam, Pearl, and Daddy and go to his room. After turning the fan on, the lights off, closing the door, and getting his blanket and pipe, we sit down on the mattress on the floor. I sit cross-legged, and he sits in my lap, letting his head rest on my belly while he drinks his bottle and looking up at me occasionally with his beautiful blue eyes. This is the other best part about bedtime. When he is about 3/4 done with his bottle, I clip his pipe onto his PJs. Then he rotates between sucking his pipe and finishing off his bottle, eyes drooping slowly as he switches back and forth. When he's done his bottle, he either hands it to me or sets it down and pulls his blanket onto his lap.
Step 5: Prayer. Sometimes, he will stay resting just like that in my lap. Other times, he will wiggle around and I will stand up, holding him with his head resting on my shoulder. Then we pray together "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray The Lord my soul to Keep. Guard me Jesus through the night and wake me with the morning light." I continue by praying for all the important things going on in our lives, thanking, praising, confessing, and asking. After this, we just rock or rest for a few more minutes until I think he's ready to lay down. When I lay John into his crib, I rest my hand on his back or chest and pray "John Boss Roosma, may The Lord bless you and keep you. May The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May The Lord put his countenance upon you and give you his peace. Amen." This is is the other best part about bedtime. After that I either rub his back until he falls asleep or kiss him goodnight and leave the room. He sometimes cries and needs a little reassurance that we still love him. Other times he figures out how to put himself to sleep. I don't let him cry for more than 15 minutes without comforting him, but most of the time, he'll fall asleep in that time. Every once in a while, especially if we are driving, he needs a little extra reassurance so I sing a song to him while I rock him or rub his back.
Here is my favorite song to sing to him:
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
and the rain fall soft upon your fields.
Until we meet again my friend
Until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hands (2x)
Needless to say, I love this little guy. If that isn't obvious from the incredible attention he gets every day, I'm guessing it will be from the 2 hour bedtime routine every night. Ok, so it doesn't actually take 2 full focused hours, but we really do love him a lot (and he probably is pretty spoiled).
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