A bedtime story

Once upon a time there were two little boys, Little B and Baby P.  They had been playing all day and had become very dirty.  At seven o'clock, Baby P was still sticky from his breakfast game of blowing raspberries with a mouth full of peaches.  Little B had worked up a sweat by bouncing on the couch, over and over and over again all day long.  Plus he had purple fingers from his blueberry snack and a ring of brown around his mouth, leftover from his after-dinner Joe-Joe cookie.  It was time for bath.

Getting ready for bath was one of Baby P's favorite moments of the day.  The moment his mommy laid him down on the bathroom rug, he started kicking his legs, throwing his arms up, and making joyful baby noises in anticipation of the bath to come.  Finally his diaper was pulled off and his mommy swooped him into the tub.  He looked around for his wash cloth, and, locating it, he instantly stuffed into his mouth and began sucking.  Periodically he would drop it back down into the water, then stuff it back into his mouth.  Bath water was delicious!

After a short while, too short in Baby P's opinion, his mommy laid him on his back in the tub to gently scrub him clean, although it felt more like tickling than anything else, and he giggled gleefully in response.  His body was so full of giggles that it erupted out through his arms and legs, sending water splashing everywhere, which just prompted more splashes and giggles!

However, all good things must come to an end, and as soon as Baby P was lifted out of his warm bath and laid on his towel, he started howling.  And he didn't stop.  He didn't stop as he was dried off.  He didn't stop as he fought his mommy while she tried to apply his skin medicines.  He didn't stop as he struggled against putting his pajamas on.

 It wasn't until he was cuddled in his rocking chair, settling into his bedtime snack with his mommy, that Baby P finally relaxed.  He fell asleep in his mommy's arms, but roused a little bit when she lifted him up to read a bedtime story.  He protested when she put him into his crib (because on principle every child must protest when put to bed) but quieted down shortly after his light was turned off.  Sweet dreams Baby P!

Meanwhile, as soon as Baby P vacated the bathtub, Little B climbed in.  Little B had some big decisions to make.  Should he play with his pirate bath toys?  Should he play with the road and cars bath toys?  Should he play with the squeezy toys?  No, tonight he would paint.  Body paint that is.

Baby P settled in, sometimes talking to himself, sometimes talking to his daddy.  A somewhat shy, "Daddy, I have to go potty," led to a quick lift out of the bathtub and plop onto the little boy sized toilet seat, but he was back in the warm bath before too long.  He gave his daddy a hard time when daddy announced it was time to wash his hair, because he knew that meant his playtime was over.  But Daddy won in the end, as always.  Little B and his daddy jokingly went back and forth opening and closing the tub drain until eventually the water was all gone.  Little B was lifted out of the tub and wrapped in his towel.  He sat on his daddy's lap to have his teeth brushed then ran buck naked across the hall, declaring, "Mommy will read me stories tonight!" His daddy and mommy (who was finished with Baby P at this point) followed him into his room, admonishing him to climb down from his bed, where he was enthusiastically bouncing (again), and pick out his pajamas.  Little B quickly dressed, shivering in the cold winter air, gave his daddy a big bear hug good night and climbed in bed to read stories.

After stories were read, as many as he could cajole his mommy to read, he said his bedtime prayer, reciting clearly at first then jumbling the words together as he raced through the end..."Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, guard me Jesus-through-the-night-and-wake-me-with-the-morning-light-amen."  Then his mommy asked him what he was thankful for that day.  "Thank you God for Mommy and Daddy and Baby P."  "Yes," his mommy agreed, "thank you God for our family.  What else are you thankful for?"  "Thank you God for Daddy's work."  "Yes," his mommy replied, surprised!  (He hadn't said that before.)  "We are very grateful for Daddy's work."  Then they agreed that he was also thankful for the friends who had come over to play that day, for blueberries, Joe-Joe cookies and other good food to eat, and his magazine and other fun books to read.  Little B's mommy gave him one last squeeze, turned off his over head light and turned on the dim light on his night stand.  "Good night little boy.  I love you, sleep good," she lovingly crooned to him as she closed his door. When she came back in fifteen minutes later to turn his light off, he was curled up in a ball with his little behind stuck up in the air as if he was still a baby, fast asleep.  She pulled the covers over him, blew him one last kiss and left him in darkness.  Good night Little B!

So the two little boys drifted off to dreamland.  Their mommy and daddy sank into the couch downstairs, ready to enjoy their first bit of alone time in thirteen hours, and prayed that each boy would sleep soundly and peacefully, echoing Little B's prayer in their hearts, "Guard us Jesus through the night and wake us with the morning light, amen."  The end.