I want my cuddle time back!

We have certain things we do before bed. I'm sure everyone does. We do all the things that a normal family does (okay so I use the term normal loosely). We put on jammys, brush teeth, go potty, read a book, and have a sippy in bed. It's a routine and she knows what's coming. From the minute I start, she knows that bed is the end.

Lately we've gotten into the "terrible twos." It hasn't been that terrible for us. She just likes to scream no and throw fits. When I ask does she need to go potty, or would she like some lunch, the response is always no, sometimes she means it, sometimes she doesn't. Nothing too out of the ordinary for an almost two year old.

There was a period of about three months (15-18 months old) where we would go through her entire ten book library in one sitting. Reading story after story and cuddling. She'd point out the things she recognized in the pictures, and then sit back and listen to the story. It was fun. It was time that I really enjoyed.

The problem has become that she doesn't like reading with me anymore, because she associates that with getting in bed. She's grown up enough to understand the progression of a routine, but not to differentiate the slight variables. Like time of day, the amount of daylight left, jammys vs play clothes, etc. So reading books together has become a chore. Something that must be done before she can sleep, but not an enjoyable, close, experience.

Well she's only two . . . She'll grow out of this . . . Won't she?