Chapter 30 "Sweet Dreams, Little Gem Stone" A look at Ruby's bedtime routine.

Ruby had been playing on the floor with her dolls, when Kitty told her it was time for bed. Ruby stood up and gathered her dolls in her arms. Once Ruby had her dolls in her arms, Matt picked Ruby up in his arms and walked towards her bedroom. He deposited Ruby on her bed so she could put Annie and Lulu down.

After putting Annie and Lulu down, Ruby climbed down from her bed and walked over to her mama. Ruby turned around, and Kitty unbuttoned Ruby's dress and lifted it off the child. Her dress off, Ruby walked over to her daddy who was waiting with her little nightgown. Matt slipped the nightgown over Ruby's head and buttoned the little button in the back. The small pieces of clothing that his daughter wore always amazed Matt.

While Matt had been helping Ruby with her nightgown, Kitty was getting the water and washcloth ready for Ruby to wash her face. Kitty soaked the washcloth in the water and then wrung it out. She then opened the washcloth and waited for Ruby. Ruby liked to wash her own face. It made her feel like a big girl. Of course Kitty made sure that Ruby did a good job.

Brushing Ruby's hair was next on the bedtime routine list. Surprisingly this was Matt's job. The large man, who could deliver a powerful punch, could also gently brush the tangles out of his little girl's hair. Matt sat down on the rocking chair and lifted Ruby onto his lap. Next he grabbed the hairbrush off the table next to the rocking chair and began to brush Ruby's hair. Matt would start at the bottom of Ruby's curly hair and work his way upward. He made sure he hung onto Ruby's hair, just above where he was brushing it.

As Kitty watched Matt brush through Ruby's hair, her mind went back to just over a year ago. At that time Kitty was the one brushing Ruby's hair before bedtime, and Matt was the observer.

Flashback

After tucking Ruby into bed and giving her a kiss goodnight, Matt and Kitty left their daughter's bedroom. Kitty was going to finish packing for her trip with Bess Ronniger. Matt followed Kitty to their bedroom.

"Kitty," Matt said, getting his wife's attention. "I need for you to show me how to brush Ruby's hair."

Kitty looked up from her carpet bag. She wasn't expecting that request. "What brought that request on?" Kitty asked.

"Well, you're gonna be gone for several days, and you won't be here to do the task, so that means I'll have to do it," Matt replied.

"I never thought of that," said Kitty. "I certainly don't want our daughter's hair to become a rat's nest of tangles while I'm gone. Come here and I'll show you how to brush through her hair without causing any pain."

"Causing Ruby pain is the last thing that I want to do," said Matt as he sat next to Kitty on their bed.

"I always brush Ruby's hair in sections, and I start at the bottom. I firmly hold her hair above where I am brushing it. Doing that helps so it doesn't pull on her scalp. I keep doing that, working my way upward. I'll do that for each section," said Kitty. She demonstrated for Matt as she spoke.

"Your hair doesn't seem to have the tangles in it when I brush through it," said Matt.

"That's because before I put it up, I brush it out smoothly. Once it's up, it's almost impossible for it to get snarls and tangles in it. Since I don't put Ruby's hair completely up, it's more likely to have tangles."

"Speaking of putting Ruby's hair up, how do I put it up in a ponytail or pigtails?" asked Matt.

Kitty smiled at Matt. He was serious about this matter. "I'll show you how to do a ponytail. In the morning, you'll have to brush through her hair again. Since you did it the night before, the tangles shouldn't be bad. After her hair has been brushed through, use the brush and your hands to gather it. Once you have it gathered, wrap a hairband around Ruby's hair to keep it in place. If you want to do pigtails, it's the same process, but part Ruby's hair down the middle and use two hairbands to keep the separated hair in pigtails."

"Do you wrap the hairband around her hair like you wrap rubber bands around things?" Matt inquired.

"Yes," said Kitty. "You want it just tight enough so it won't fall off and so Ruby's hair doesn't come loose."

"There's a lot to learn when it comes to little girls," said Matt.

"Our next lesson will be braiding hair," said Kitty with a smile on her face.

Matt returned the smile. "I'm looking forward to it. Come to think of it, I should've had Chester teach me when he was learning to braid." Matt and Kitty shared a laugh at the memory.

Present Time

Matt's voice brought Kitty back to the present. She remembered seeing Ruby's hair after returning from her trip with Bess. Matt had put Ruby's hair in pigtails. Kitty had to admit Matt's attempt was pretty good, even if the part was the straightest.

"Alright, your hair is all brushed out," Matt told her daughter. "Let's go to the water closet so you can rinse your mouth with saltwater and use the commode."

Matt and Kitty followed Ruby to the water closet. Kitty got a cup of saltwater ready for Ruby. Ruby filled her mouth with the salty liquid and swished it around her mouth. She then spit it in the sink. While Ruby was swishing, Kitty rinsed out the cup and filled it with plain water. Ruby rinsed her mouth again to get rid of the saltiness. Mouth rinsed, Ruby went to the commode. When she finished, Matt lifted Ruby up, so she could pull the chain to flush. Ruby always got a kick out of pulling the chain and watching the swoosh of the water.

With the tasks in the water closet completed, the Dillons headed back to Ruby's bedroom. Matt had carried Ruby out of the water closet and waited for Kitty to turn down Ruby's covers. Once Kitty had finished that, Matt put Ruby down on her bed. Ruby made sure Annie and Lulu were on both sides of her. Seeing that Ruby and her dolls were all situated, Kitty pulled the covers up, covering her daughter and the dolls. Kitty leaned over to Ruby and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Matt did the same thing.

"Don't forget to give Annie and WuWu a kiss," Ruby reminded her parents.

"Of course not," said Matt as he kissed the two dolls on their foreheads. Kitty repeated Matt's actions.

"Goodnight, Ruby," said Kitty. "We love you."
"Sweet dreams, little gemstone," said Matt. He and Kitty walked out of Ruby's bedroom, softly closing the door behind them.

TBC