"Ni-ni, sweep tight"

Bed time is becoming my favorite part of the day. Cecilia is doing great in her big girl bed! She has always been a good sleeper and usually didn’t give us any problem with going to bed, but now she literally runs for her bed when we say its bedtime. In fact, sometimes she even volunteers now. She’ll be playing and suddenly say, “ni-ni toys” and start heading to bed. Sometimes she whines while she’s going, like she doesn’t want to – but even then she never fights it. She will crawl up in her bed and start busily getting her blankie and moo-moo and then she’ll say, “tuck, mama” or “tuck, dada”. When we tell her it’s time to say her prayers, she gets so excited and clasps her hands together. She hasn’t figured out how to close her eyes on command yet, so when I tell her to close her eyes she covers them with her hands…but she still keeps them clasped. She waits for me to say Amen, and then she bounces up a little and shouts, “AMEN!” She gives us big hugs and emphatic kisses and says, “Ni-ni, fish. Ni-ni Mama. Ni-ni Dada. Love ew.” And sometimes, if we are really lucky… as we close the door we hear the sweetest little voice in my world say, “sweep tight!” A few nights, she has laid in bed for awhile and then decided she needs something; we will hear a soft, little, “Mama? Dada?”, then five little fingers slide underneath the door crack. If we lie down on the floor and peek under – she giggles and smiles and says, “Hi!”

With endings like this…Mama, Dada, our big girl, and fish will all “sweep tight.”