original little hellraisers

we are at a really cool stage with owen now — as he gets older, he completely understands the concept of needing to go to bed at night.  we can finally put him to bed without too much drama… he can even be totally conscious that he is about to go to bed.

kara is out with the girls tonight so i get the chance to put the little man to sleep.  he’s watching his favorite elmo and when i ask:

‘owen, do you want to go to bed?’

he peels his eyes away from the screen to look at me, directly in the eyes, and says ‘na.’ (that’s his version of ‘yes.’)

so, we play the game where he takes off his shirt and changes into his pajamas, docile the entire time, eyes glued on cookie monster’s ‘inside the actor studio’-guy version of streetcar named grover.  i change him into his super-absorbent night-time diaper.

he looks up, as if knowing what is completely going on, and puckers his lips, waiting for a kiss.  i, of course, pucker my lips and kiss the little man.

i get him downstairs, where he is signing the word for bed.  no arguments, no tantrums, nothing.

i place him in his crib and surround him with his three favorites: whale, elmo and (my favorite of the bunch) kodama.  i stack them on him and he wraps his little arms around the pile, hugging them close, with a big, still conscious smile on his face.  he loosens his grip long enough to raise his knuckles to me to say good night.  i, of course, tap knuckles with the little man, turn off the light and shut the door.

and from the closed door, i can hear him giving his whale a good night kiss (’mmmmmmuh’) , elmo a good night kiss (’mmmmmmuh’), and then finally his kodama a good night kiss (’mmmmmmuh’).  the kodama’s tell tale bell jingles as it falls from the little man’s arms.

could be the cutest thing i’ve never seen.

photos updated.