A simple, quiet evening routine....

Every night Chase follows the same routine.  Dinner, bath, jammies, book, nurse, good night.  He thrives in his routine.  Sounds simple, right? 

I wish. We have a wild animal for a child.

After dodging cheerios and wiping sweet potatoes out of Chase's hair, ears and eye lashes, we head upstairs for bath time

He is 18 pounds of sheer strength and flexibility.  Bath time has quickly become terrifying to mommy as the wild child tries repeatedly to eat the bath plug... UNDERWATER!!  We gave up on making a bath with an inch or two of water long ago and instead just to let the water run in hopes of safety... and maybe scaring him away from the rushing water and drain.  right?  Nope.  The rush of water is a magnet for Mr. Chase.  This boy lunges forward, breaking though our protecting hands, diving for the drain while being pummeled by rushing water.  A recipe for drowning and he doesn't care.  So we ordered an inflatable baby tub... for inside the bath tub.  **Please please please be a good solution***

So after we survive water boarding bath time, it's time try to dry off the alligator as he barrel rolls away (don't worry, we gave up on using the changing table months ago when he used all 4 limbs to launch himself off the table like a high diver).  On a good night we are able to dry 75% of him before he speeds away, bee-lining for toys, books, the chair, the closet, ...anything but us.  I remember reading in the baby book:
          "... start a routine and use a soothing bath to help calm the baby to prepare him for bedtime..."

Fat chance.

A bath is like speed for this crazy baby.  It takes two of us to wrangle him down and simply put a diaper on him.  It involves multiple toys, singing, distraction, 4 hands and maybe a cell phone to get a diaper on him.  Then we take an intermission to dry the sweat from our brow as he continues to crawl in laps around his tiny room.  Then round two to get the PJs on.

Story time involves 2 books, one for mommy to read and one for Chase to eat.  When he get tired of eating that book we switch and I continue somewhere in the middle of the second slimy book.

We then turn the white noise machine on and the lights off.  And now the magic happens.  The white noise and dark lights triggers a pavlov's dog in Chase and he immediately sucks his thumb, every time.  We say our prayer and I attempt to nurse him to sleep while he climbs all over me like a jungle gym (while still nursing).  When I get time of being climbed, I pry him off, kiss him and lay him down.  He then talks himself to sleep.

Just a simple, quiet evening routine.