Bedtime Jukebox

Our girls sleep with a CD playing on repeat throughout the night. It seems to help them stay asleep and settle back in if they wake up in the night. Of course, it is probably creating terrible habits. A few weeks ago, when we lost power, none of us could sleep without the background noise. And heaven forbid we forget it when we travel!

But the CD player isn't the jukebox to which I am referring in the title of this post.

I am.

For a few months now, Little Sister has been making requests while I rock her and sing.

At first, she would just start singing a new song, right over whatever I was singing. Sometimes one song would remind her of another, and she just couldn't wait until the first song ended to move on to the next. What used to be a soothing bedtime routine started to sound something like this:

Me: (singing) Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bi-

LS: Oh how Jesus

Me: (singing) Oh how I love Jesus,
Oh how I love Jesus
Oh how I love Je-

LS: Jesus Childgen World

Me: (singing) Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the worl-

LS: Oh how Jesus

You get the idea. Depending on the night, Big Sister might be giggling in her bed, or growling with frustration.

As Little Sis has gotten more verbal, the routine has become even sillier. She does understand more, so sometimes I'll tell her I-want-to-finish-the-song-we-just-started-and-then-I'll-sing-the-next-one-will-you-give-me-a-break-please!? But mostly, she does even more talking when we're supposed to be singing. Here's what went down tonight:

Me: Are you ready to rock & sing?

LS: (singing) Dot Ho World...

Me: (singing) He's got the whole world, in His hands-

LS: No. I don' wandat. (singing) Doodnigh' [Little Sis]

Me: (after singing eleventy billion verses of the goodnight song, in which she told me exactly which names to sing) Okay, I want to sing something different. (singing) Jesus loves me, this I kn-

LS: (singing) Oh how I love!

Me: I'll sing that after I finish this song. (continues singing) For the Bible tells me so.

LS: no no. I don' wandat. I wan "Oh how I love."

Me: (singing) Little ones to him belong.

LS: (singing over me) Oh how I love.

Me: (still singing) They are weak but he is strong.
yes, Jesus-

LS: I wan "Oh how i love."

Me: (singing) Oh how I love Jesus...



And how I love my sweet, stubborn Little Sister and our snuggly times before bed. Even if I do feel like a jukebox.