Bedtime Stories

For several days, Kate has been sleeping on the floor, using a mat from Aunt Robin. You can't see the mat that well in the above photo, but it is really cute and has an attached pillow (covered up by Kate's big pillow). It has been cracking us up, but Kate has been preferring the floor to her bed. Tanna says she is sleeping like a true Korean!


I think this is the day it started. She actually wanted to take a nap in her little pink chair by laying sideways with her legs and feet over an armrest. LOL! I told her no, but gave her the option of sleeping on the nap mat from Aunt Robin. Sold! This was a ways into her nap, and she obviously had scooted off of the mat by this point. ha!


In other bedtime news, Kate has been wearing her first nightgown--and it has chocolate-chip cookies on it. YAY! This photo is from April; it was the first night she wore the nightgown. After I put it on, she asked for some pants to wear with it ... so I put on these purple leggings. She was pleased.


Here is a pic from the other day, when she wore the nightie again. I had already bought the two-piece PJs in this print--but in a size 4, for later. In an ah-ha moment, I realized the bottoms would work with the nightgown as well. The size 4s aren't too terribly big, even, as the Gymmies run kind of small IMO. I can't believe our little girl is growing up so fast!

As for additional bedtime stories ...

• Bedtime includes getting PJs on, brushing teeth, story, prayer, hugs and kisses, making sure the nightlight is on and that Kate has her sleeping necessities (see below).
  
• Kate usually sleeps with two pacis (at least), a sippy cup of water, and her two special blankets--a pink/multi-colored blanket that my friend Kristi made for her before she was born, and a white chenille blanket that Sandra, a special friend from my church in Tennessee, gave us at a baby shower.
  
• Kate was sleeping with her Yo Gabba Gabba figures (including an extra Foofa), but in the last week or so hasn't been requesting them if they weren't in her room already.
• When Kate isn't listening well or not obeying her parents, she starts to lose her bedtime privileges, including storytime, pacis, water, etc.
  
• After bathtime but before getting her PJs on, Kate has been asking us to wrap her up like a baby. I'll swaddle her up in a towel and then hold her like a little baby. She thinks this is hilarious.
  
• When we moved to our new place, we never hooked up the iPod player in Kate's room. She used to listen to lullibies and other music before falling asleep. We just never got around to getting it set up. She doesn't seem to miss it, really.
• She has started sleeping with a nightlight--it's a ladybug nightlight that she knows how to turn on and off.
  
• She likes to have the doors closed before going to sleep. She likes the doors closed in general, actually.
• Her nighttime requests include "blanket on" if she has gotten uncovered.
• Before bed, she likes to "give Ah-Pah a big hug and a kiss." (Or Mommy, if Ah-Pah happens to be doing bedtime.) It is the sweetest thing, though she will make multiple requests even after giving us hugs and kisses. Nice stalling tactic. She knows how to work it. LOL!
• Speaking of hugs and kisses, Kate likes to run at full speed into our arms and fall over and get a kiss. She calls this a "big bounce" or a "big bump." It is so funny and sweet, too. She will go over and stand with her back against a wall and just look at you, and you know what is coming. LOL! She especially requests this at bedtime. It started with just her and Tanna, but I have been participating as well. (Though it probably is more fun with Ah-Pah because I am just not as strong as he is. hahaha!)
  
• She loves stories and will request to have more and more stories at bedtime (and sometimes at naptime, too, though we don't normally have a story before nap).
  
• Kate loves to look at books right before falling asleep. Sometimes during naptime, she won't fall asleep, but she is pretty good about looking at books quietly in her room for an hour or two.