A Writing Journey

I love being a part of the bedtime routine at Halee’s house.

Halee is my grand-niece. My niece’s first born. My sister’s first grandchild. We are all together tonight — three generations, reading stories together on the carpet in Halee’s room.

Pyjamas on. Check. (She removes the pjs from the hangers and happily demonstrates to Mimi, my sister, that she is a “big girl” and she can dress herself.)

Teeth brushed. Check. (She proudly exhibits her electric toothbrush and shouts with glee, “It’s watermelon toothpaste!”)

Hair brushed. Check. Check. (Along with brushing her own soft locks, she offers to brush ours.)

Halee will be three in three weeks. When it comes to her bedtime routine, however, it’s like she’s been executing it for years. She performs each step like a well-choreographed dance. 

And that dance leads into her favourite part: reading stories. Three stories, to be exact. And with Mimi, me and her mom in a circle around her, Halee makes her choices without hesitation: Going on a Bear Hunt!; Yes Day!; and, Bea goes for a check-up (a social story about a visit to the doctor).

We each take our turn reading. Halee whispers “swishy, swashy,” repeating the refrain as the family travels through the grass on its bear hunt. Halee squeals with laughter when the mom says “Yes!” to the boy asking to have pizza for breakfast. Halee “reads” the words (which she has committed to memory after hearing the book for the umpteenth time) when her mother pauses on each page of Bea’s visit to her doctor. Halee points to the band-aid that covers a needle’s jab over Bea’s leg and says sympathetically, “And there’s the green band-aid for her boo boo!” 

When the final page is flipped, Halee knows all too well the ‘finale” to this evening’s dance. She flits from adult to adult like a butterfly from flower to flower, giving a kiss, a hug, and a “good night!”.

As she leans in for her kiss, she adds a line to the repertoire that is new to me.

“See you at the ice cream shop tonight!” 

I pause. She, however, doesn’t miss a beat.

“What flavour are you getting?” she asks. “I’m getting chocolate with sprinkles!”

“It’s strawberry for me!” I reply, wrapping my arms around her.

And with that, we say good night and I go to bed with more joy in my heart knowing that she will see me in her dreams.