Putting my kids down to bed is one of my favorite parts of the day.  Not because they’re asleep and I can have a moment to think in peace (although some days it’s part of the reason) but mostly, it’s because I love to get them fed, clean, cuddled and happy, and tuck them in to a nice cozy bed.  To me, there’s nothing that feels more comforting and secure than snuggling up in a warm bed.

Dan & I alternate which child we put down every night.  For a while, when we were weaning Liam from the notion of nursing to fall asleep, Dan put Liam down every night and I put B down.  It was nice to have so much “bedtime” time with B, but I missed Liam.  For the past few months, Liam’s been ok with the idea of me putting him down without it including a snack, so we’re back to taking turns with each of them.

Tonight was my turn with Benjamin.  We read a few stories in his room, and then it was time for bed.  He climbed into his bed and I put the books away.  He had decided to try to sleep with Liam’s big stuffed giraffe chair as a pillow — I understood the idea, because’s it’s big and soft, but suggested that maybe he might be more comfortable just sleeping with his usual pillow, because the giraffe is kind of big and he had to sleep on the bottom half of his bed in order to accommodate it.  He wanted to try it anyway, so I arranged everything, tucked him in, turned on his Twilight Turtle, and kissed him goodnight.

Not surprisingly, I heard him asking for me a few minutes later, so I went in.  “Mommy, can you fix my blankets?”  “Sure,” I said, and proceeded to nearly trip over the giraffe chair which had been ejected from his bed and onto the floor.  He explained, “I decided not to sleep with the giraffe chair.  It wasn’t comfortable.”  “Ok,” I said, “I think you should do whatever makes you feel the most comfy and cozy.”

To which he replied, “Do you know what makes me feel comfy & cozy in my heart?  You.”

Man, I love that kid.  I think, if I wanted to retire on a high note, that might be it.  I think I’ll stick around, though — imagine what he may say tomorrow.