It’s probably our fault, but perhaps it’s just a part of their personalities. Well, Jaedon’s at least. He THRIVES on routine. But, as I said, we could be the cause of that.
As a baby, as little as 3 days old, we had him on a routine. He slept at certain times, had appointed slots in his schedule for feeding. The only thing he didn’t do to plan was poop. That was free for all. 🙂 But it worked great, for all of us. Alicia-Rae fell into almost exactly the same routine, by herself. We didn’t have to enforce anything on her. And both of them were sleeping through the night by 8 weeks of age. I’m not preaching routine here, by the way, just using it to get to the end of my story.
Now we have at least one very particular child on our hands. Especially when it comes to bed-time. Everything has to be done to routine. His pyjamas go on. The trains are tidied up, and Sodor Island packed away for the night. The alpahabet song is played on his toy piano (which is placed in it’s exact positioning on top of his box of trains). The shadows of Jaedon and daddy, dancing on the loungeroom wall, are said goodnight to. Teeth are brushed. Stories are read. Drinks are had. Prayers are said. Kisses are shared. And it’s the same thing. Every night. But we love it, and are very grateful for it. As soon as the pyjamas are out, he knows where things are headed. He might not like it, but the pull of routine is too much for him. Hence we rarely have trouble getting him, or his sister, to bed. At 7:30pm.
It’s my favourite time of the day. Not (just) because they’re going to bed, but because I love watching them and their quirky little ways, knowing what comes next. It makes me feel all bubbly inside with happiness. And the joy of being a mother. And I do need that sometimes.
Last night I finally got around to capturing their rendition of the Alphabet Song on the piano (with a bit of help from daddy). I’ve watched it a dozen times already and it still makes me smile. So I thought I’d share it here. If it brings a smile to a single face, or reminds just one woman why it’s great to be a mum, I’ll be happy.
*And just as a side-note… Jaedon definately gets his singing ability from me.
Have a great weekend all.
Narrelle x
{ Children’s Photographer, Melbourne }