Bedtime

I usually complain about having to put Jessica to bed. Not because I don't like it...but because by that time of day I am completely exhausted. 5:20AM comes way to early (I think I've said that on here a few times before). Well, Joe went to Atlanta yesterday afternoon for an overnight trip. Jessica was not in a great mood when I picked her up from school. Grumpy, whiney, etc. Her nap was cut short because another rugrat in her class woke up screaming which woke everyone else up - Honestly, how could any kid wake up screaming/talking and wake up all the others!! My daughter didn't do that one day a few weeks ago...never! So, we had a bit of a rough night through a quick ShopRite stop, dinner, bath, dressing (I somehow got pajamas on her while she was laying on her tummy), Elmo, etc. Once I got her upstairs after her protest about going to bed, she quieted down and drank her sippy cup of milk with no problem. She stopped several times and looked up at me with a huge smile and complete love in her eyes. I melted again. I put her in the crib and stood in her room for a little while and she kept checking for me. She whined for 2 minutes and was out for the count (until 12:00 when I think it was her teeth started to bother her). She, no, we tossed and turned from 12 to 1AM.

Fast forward to today. She was cooperative from the minute we walked in the door. She even let me cook dinner without bugging me. Except if you count the time she came running into the kitchen with a book in her hand saying, "book, read" and a SOAKING wet shirt and undershirt. I thought she got the lid off of her sippy cup. [Turns out she learned how to spit. I figured this out when I gave her some water and shortly after her pajamas were soaked and I had to change them.] So, I got a sweatshirt that was hanging around down here for the last few days (not completely dirty...but not straight out of the washer either). Anyway, I took off her shirts, put on the sweatshirt and told her to put the wet ones in the laundry room with the dirty clothes. She took off running. I didn't hear a long enough pitter-patter of little feet to get to the laundry room so I went to investigate (REMEMBER - cooking on the stove - but no food was harmed in the process). I found her on the stairs one step from the landing. When I finally got to her she was on the landing. I told her that when we are downstairs, dirty clothes go in the laundry room with the noisy washing machine...and proceeded to make the sounds that are emitted by the laundry room. She ran to it and put the shirts in it. Next of course she decided the socks were wet too. Off they came and off she ran to the laundry room.

She melted me again today though. While watching the obligatory nightly Elmo, she grabbed Ba (her blanket) and crawled up on my lap and snuggled. This is one of the first times that she completely snuggled with me of her own will for a longer period of time. While putting her to bed, she just stared up at me with those huge brown eyes. While telling her how much I love her I also explained that daddy will be home in the morning. Wouldn't you know, she said to me, "dadda work." She is amazing. After more hugs and kisses from Momma while she was snuggling on my shoulder I put her in her crib. She looked up at me, rolled over and didn't make one noise tonight.

Point of this long rambling post, putting her to bed isn't so bad and has given me some wonderful moments with her the last two nights.