No story! Bedtime. NOW!

When we started putting Finn to bed before I came home from work, M. and I also decided it was time to establish a bedtime routine. After all, children are supposed to thrive on structure and routine, and it's important to have good cues for sleep. Up until that point we'd had a very basic routine that wasn't much more than put on PJs and read a quick story then nurse to sleep.

We decided on this: quiet time and lights down at six; PJs and night diaper on; brush teeth; rock and read up to three stories; nurse to sleep. Simple. Should be somewhat easily achievable.

HA. Ha ha ha ha.

Finn goes to bed regardless of routine. It's turned out that about halfway through the first story he'll decide BED. NOW!!!! We're lucky if we end up with 1.5 stories. Last night it went like this: 6:15 story...BED. NOW!!!! and he was asleep at 6:25. I know routine is important, but I don't know how much routine we really need with a baby who basically puts himself to bed.

Oh, and I have to admit that although I miss putting him to bed when I work, it's nice to come home to a less chaotic house and no rush to put a screaming baby to sleep. He is almost always waking up before I go to bed so I do get to nurse him, and I get treated to my baby boy holding himself up on the crib rail, hyperventilating and bouncing up and down because mommy is home.

He's too much.