The more things change

I have a short story to tell. We moved from our last apartment because we felt the room for Miss J was too small. There was no place to put the rocking chair (let alone any other chair) for reading stories and singing lullabies. So we ended up sitting on pillows on the floor to do these essential nighttime activities. I used to develop cramps in my rear from sitting on the hardwood floor waiting for Miss J to fall asleep so that I could sneak out. So I was overjoyed when we moved to the present house with a nice large bedroom for Miss J that had room for her crib, dresser, toy chest, cedar chest, and the rocking chair. Things were great! We could read stories, sing lullabies, and say prayers all while rocking. I had a comfy chair to fall asleep in while I waited for Miss J to drift off (and the heat to click on to make covering noise for my escape).

But after a few months, this whole independence thing started kicking in. Now she wants to choose the pjs, the books, the songs, etc. Which was fine, I can handle choices. But the kicker was when she started to refuse to sit in my lap for bedtime. She wanted to stand next to me while I read the stories, sang the songs, and said the prayer. Or she wanted to sit on the floor while I was up in the rocking chair. Or I would sit on the floor while she was in the rocking chair. Or she insisted that there was enough room for both of us in the rocking chair, sitting side by side. The last configuration was very flattering, but a tad uncomfortable.

So I decided to build a "nest" with lots of pillows and books on the floor of Miss J's room in the corner instead. Since then, we've taken the side off of the crib (our frugal Scotch-Irish version of a toddler bed) and moved the pillows to the floor next to the crib. So we are back where we started a year ago....reading stories, singing songs, saying prayers all on pillows next to her bed.

Two upsides to this full circle: now I get to give her big hugs and kisses while she lays in bed, and I don't have to stay in the room anymore waiting for her to fall asleep (instead I get to sit on the steps outside of her room, listening to her sing songs, talk to her dolls, etc...all while developing cramps in my rear from the narrow staircase).