Hashkivenu

By far bedtime is becoming the sweetest hour of the day. Our current routine starts with a late afternoon nap, sometimes lasting as late as 6:15. Occassionally I have to wake Micah up at this time for a "dream feed," but he usually wakes himself up and I give him his last bottle. For a while, I was making an enriched bottle (an extra half-scoop of formula) but he no longer seems to need that to get through the night. After the bottle, he has a little playtime (sometimes while mommy and daddy eat dinner) and then it is off to the spa! We're still enjoying our Spa Baby tub, which allows him to submurge up to his neck in a nice, womblike atmosphere. He certainly seems to enjoy it, and doesn't even mind getting his hair washed.

The Spa Baby tub. Micah loves it, though Mommy often puts just a bit too much water in it.

One, two, three, up! and Micah is wrapped up in a big fluffy towel on the sink counter. Tonight for the first time I introduced tooth-brushing .... or should I say, gum-brushing. He gagged a little, but I think the strawberry-flavored toothpaste was a hit. The shivering baby then gets hugged to mamma's chest for the trip to the bedroom, where the space heater has warmed things up.

Cousins Olivia and Ben help with Micah's bath, December 2009

He gets a little massage coupled with a lesson in body parts before being diapered and tucked into the fleece baby bag. I was under the impression that little boys took every opportunity to squirt their parents when naked, but we haven't had any instances of this in several months. I'm trying to prepare myself not to react when he does it next time, since I think he might start thinking it is funny or clever to do if he gets a reaction.

More massage, please!

Now the nice, sweet-smelling baby is ready for winding down. We read a book -- my favorite is The Giant Jam Sandwich -- or recently a poem -- tonight it was Wadsworth's Daffodil poem. He seems to really like poetry, paying more attention than if I show him a picture book or read a prose story. And then I sing Micah his "bedtime song" which are two prayers I've strung together: Hashkivenu (Lay over me a canopy of peace) and the Debbie Friedman version of the Shema in Hebrew and then with my made- up English interpretation: "God please protect me while I am sleeping, keep me safe and warm. Send all of your angels to watch over me, while I'm in your arms." It doesn't quite rhyme, but it works with the tune.

Aunt Andrea helps read a bedtime story.

Micah's started to look at me with a really happy look of recognition when I start singing these tunes; I think he likes knowing that sleepytime is coming. Speaking of sleepytime, he definitely recognizes the baby sign for "go to sleep" too. His loving gaze during these bedtime rituals keeps them from getting old, and it is becoming our special time together, as Daddy is often starting to doze by 7 pm too! And then the moment of pure bliss, when he gets swaddled in his favorite blanket with his soothies pacifier, and the knowledge that we won't hear a peep out of him until sometime between 5:30 and 7 am!