Sharing a Room

A couple of weeks ago, Marcus and I moved all of the boys' stuff into the larger of their two rooms, which was formerly just Ethan's room. We put the crib and other nursery furniture in Caleb's old room. The boys LOVE sharing a room, and I really love having their clothes and all of their stuff in one room. It makes getting dressed in the morning and getting ready for bed much easier. Before, Marcus and I would usually each put one of them to bed, and their bedtime routines were separate (and often at different times). If Marcus wasn't home for bedtime, it was much more challenging to get them both down.

Now, I put them both down together, and Marcus joins in if he is home. The boys get their pajamas on, go potty, and brush their teeth. Then they each pick out two books, and we read all four books together. Caleb is into much longer books now (it usually takes about 15 minutes to read 1), so Ethan often loses interest in Caleb's books and looks at other books of his own. After books, each boy chooses a song, and we sing together. Caleb usually picks a different song each night, while Ethan alternates between The ABC Song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. I usually pick Jesus Loves Me because I love hearing their little voices sing that song. Next, we take turns praying. Neither of the boys like to make up their own prayers right now, preferring instead to repeat sentences I make up. I lead them through thanking God for the fun parts of their day, asking for forgiveness for bad choices, asking God to help them or someone we know with something specific, and thanking God for loving them all the time, no matter what. I hope that Caleb will be ready to pray on his own again soon.

After prayers, we go for one final potty break, and then I tuck them in and sing a little goodnight song, kiss them, start their falling-asleep music and turn the light off. They like the door to be left open until they fall asleep, and I always oblige. Having Caleb and Ethan in the same room and the same bed has really strengthened their bond and improved the way they interact during the day. They still have conflict, but they are noticably more affectionate and eager to please each other.