A Flower A Day...

Everyday Dylan somehow picks me a flower. Sometimes he does it in our courtyard. Other times it's at the gardens, the zoo, preschool, church, grandma's house, or even at Disneyland. I've come to love that daily moment when he reaches out to hand it to me, with that proud, warm smile, saying "here mama!"
Some things you have to enjoy for the moment, because it's only a phase and your child will stop doing it almost as suddenly as they first started. But this flower picking routine has been going steady for a while now.
Perhaps it began when he and I started our weekly routine of going to the local flower shop together on Saturdays to buy flowers. Perhaps it started with our walks at the gardens, where I pointed out all the flowers I know the names of and like. Perhaps it stems from his own love of nature.
But whatever the genesis of this routine, I'm glad to be an integral part of it.

Snuggle Bug

Dylan hasn't officially climbed out of the crib, but he came close a couple times and I don't want to find out the hard way that he's ready to make the transition from crib to toddler bed. Therefore, since this past Friday, Dylan has been sleeping on his "big boy bed" - which is actually just his crib mattress on the floor until the new bed comes.

And so in preparation for his new sleigh-toddler-bed that is coming in another week or two, we moved his mattress to the floor, rearranged his room a bit, and really talked up his move to big-boy status to get him ready for the transition.

He is VERY excited, mentioning the new bed at least once an hour now!

Oh, and did I mention the awesome bedding set that is also on its way?

Anyhow, Dylan still asks for me to stay with him as he falls asleep. Before I couldn't stand there for too long because my arm would fall asleep from hanging over the side as he hung onto it. But now that he's so close to the floor I can just lay down with some pillows myself and boy does he know it. He says goodnight to Daddy so easily, but clings to my arm, pulling me close, telling me to stay.

If I wasn't such a cuddle-bug myself, I might try to weasel my way out of this new bedtime routine, but I love it. I love laying there next to him as he drifts off to sleep, closing my eyes and enjoying our snuggles. It has become my new favorite part of the day. And while I'm excited for his new bed to arrive, I'll be sad for our special little on-the-floor routine to end.