Abby and Natalie are just so cute at bedtime that I just have to share.
We generally put them down around 8ish. We have a little routine. After we change diapers, take medicine, and change clothes, we turn off the lights and with each of us holding one, we sway and sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". At the end we say, "kisses for mommy" (and get kisses), "kisses for daddy" (and get kisses), and "kisses for sister" (and get kisses). Then they go in their beds.
Usually at this point we tell them we will be right back with their milk. We've been trying to stretch this out a bit lately and come back a while later. The girls aren't crazy about this new plan. They are very conditioned to having their milk right away so the interim is sometimes noisy.
When we go back to get them for their bottles, they always bring "their babies". Over the months, this has meant their special blanket and any number of stuffed animals or babies. Natalie has been far more consistent. She attached herself to her Elmo since we got it and has pretty much stuck with it. Sometimes another baby comes too, but always Elmo. Abby is more fickle. For a while, it was Elmo, and then Elmo and "dorge", her little Curious George monkey. Then it was just "dorge", although like Natalie, occasionally a visiting baby doll was chosen as well. For a while now though, she has been extremely attached to a black and white mickey mouse, or simply, "mouse". So, drinking a bottle must involve Elmo or mouse and "baby" - their name for their blankets. It took me a while to figure out how the blankets were so named. Finally, I realized that when I go in, I say, "get your babies" by which I meant Elmo, mouse, or whoever, and their blankets. I realized however, that they had associated the name "baby" with their blankets, and have now assigned them that name. So, "baby" and Elmo/Mouse it is.
Once we finish their bottles, they go back in their beds and the fun really begins. For example, for the past hour, we have listened to Abby (mainly) singing and talking and generally running her mouth. She loves to sing. She sings the ABC song about 100 times a day, not always completely though. Sometimes you just get phrases of letters. She also sings "Twinkle, Twinkle" but it's more the tune to which she puts the words, "dodo,dodo, dodo do," She can say some of the words but seems to like to ad lib it most often. Speaking of Abby's singing, I've actually been quite impressed with her sense of pitch. She is really quite spot on. I have high hopes for her:-) Natalie also talks in her bed, but she is much more quiet. She generally talks to her babies. She also doesn't sing as much as Abby although she has recently begun to sing parts of the ABC song. I'm afraid, though, I have not been as impressed with her sense of pitch...Natalie also tends to talk more in the morning and at nap time.
Listening to Natalie and Abby talk and sing is one of the sweetest sounds one could ever hear. It fills me with so much joy to hear them entertain and delight themselves. In our case, we also have the added blessing of hearing them interact and play with each other as they laugh, play and talk.
Watching Natalie and Abby play is actually one of my favorite activities. I love the way they are so deliberate about what they do whether it's putting a baby in the stroller for a ride or stirring some bears for some soup. It's such a gift to get to glimpse the mind of a child.
I have lots of video of the girls playing that I will try to get around to editing and posting. Of course, friends and family are always invited over to experience the real thing first hand:-)
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