Toddler Kisses

I have decided there is nothing better than getting kisses from a toddler, well, your toddler, anyways!

Every night before bed, Bill and I have a routine with Little Dude, and in the end he has started adding "kisses" as part of it!

*We have dinner after Bill gets home, which is usually 6 or 6:30

*After Little Dude has finished decorating the wall, his hair, and his clothes with the food we thought he had be eating, we get a bath ready.

*Bath time is usually by 7:30 or 8 and even with the drought, there is really no way to NOT give Little Dude a bath. For some reason he has a love for saving food in his hair, so by bedtime you can tell what I have given him for meals and snacks. "Oh, you had cottage cheese today, eh?"

*After bath time, our Little Dude likes to run around his room with just his towel or bathrobe on while we gather his clothes and diaper supplies to an area on the floor. (Yes, I have an exhibitionist, and yes, he wiggles so much and is so strong now that I gave up on the changing pad this week-it is much safer to just change him on the floor)

*Once I have finally proven myself stronger than a toddler and gotten his diaper on, we get his PJ's on. At this point he usually starts shaking his head as he knows it is getting close to bedtime.

*So, we carry/drag our Little Dude over to his "Reading Corner" in his room and I start to brush his teeth.

*He has already decided he doesn't want to go to bed, so usually we have to hold him down to brush his teeth. However, once I am done, he insists on doing it himself, so I let him have the tooth brush while we read stories. I must say he does a decent job of actually brushing.

*After 4 or 5 stories, a bedtime prayer and some stalling, which he has gotten really good at, we put away the books and tell him to pick out friends for bed.

*This part of the routine he loves and I guess his will to fight bed time is dying as he realizes there is no stopping it. He will pick out little stuffed animal friends to throw into his crib, the regulars are his giraffe and his little red dog.

*Next, we let him turn out the hallway light and his bedroom light and then we turn on his music night light.

*At this point we say our good nights and give out hugs

*And now, Little Dude has started giving us TONS of really sloppy, open mouth kisses all over our faces. He even makes the "muaw" sound in his sweet baby voice. Then we leave and close the door; this is usually by 8:30, but sometimes 9.

*Side note, we know the kisses are probably just another stall tactic; however, it is one we don't mind holding up bedtime for because it is just so sweet, slobber and all.