March 25, 2020

Stellar Sleep

These days, all it takes to get my middle
child, my Madeline, to go to sleep is letting her
hold my hand for about ten minutes – that, and
one milligram of melatonin, which comes in the
form of a star-shaped gummy. Blessed morsel.

I administer the stellar stuff religiously, then
we put on pajamas and brush our teeth. Some
nights include a shower with one or both
siblings. Most nights include wrestling with
Daddy and a bedtime book too. After the stardust.

Before the stardust, it was harder.  Before we
tried the candy-coated gift from the Sandman,
she would lie awake for an hour or more, her
coffee-colored eyes wide, her legs twitching,
chatting away in her Mad-babble. That was before.

But now, I tuck in brother, then sister, and set
a quiet alarm to rouse me after they've all drifted
their way into milky dreams. Then, I crawl in bed
with my Madeline. One kiss, one hug, and one
adjustment of her long, coffee-colored braid, and she settles.

She yawns. The star-magic is working.
"Hold hands," she says.  Then she interlaces
the fingers of her right hand with the fingers
of my left. "I wuf you, Mommy," she says.
"I wuf you too, Baby Mad. Now go to sleep."
 
Ten minutes. All it takes, these days.