Bath Time!

Just a few hours after I had Tillman, the midwives put me in the bath with him.  They showed me how to hold him under his armpits and let the rest of his body float.  I loved watching his face and his entire body relax as he laid there weightless.  I've repeated that experience almost every night since he was born (Troy has done it several times too, but I try to beat him to it).

For half an hour each night, it's our time to slow down, take a breather, have a chat, and catch up with one another.

During the hustle and bustle of the day, I don't always have a chance to slow down and just observe all of the new little things Tillman is doing.  This is a time when I discover all of his little idiosyncrasies.  How he kicks his legs as if he's in training.  How he has developed his neck strength so quickly.  His big toothless smile, his deep genuine laugh (yes, even at 9 weeks old), his desire to be able to stand up and sit up (he gets mad if you lay him back down (and he's rolling over from his tummy to his back...on land, not in the tub, ha ha)), his ticklishness behind his knees and under his chin.  He also thinks it's also hilarious when I touch his nose or his chin and when I say "tee-he-he-he-he".

Most nights I don't want to get out.  I wait until he decides he's done.  But it's such a special time for us.  It's something original to our relationship, something I never knew to do with Turner, and it's something I know I will always remember.  

At the end of his bath, he eats one last big "meal" and then I hand him off to Troy.  Then they get to have their bonding time as Troy gets his diaper and pajamas on, has a few more minutes of wiggle time, and then goes down to bed wrapped warmly in his swaddle.

Sweet baby.  I can't wait to get to know him even better and to learn who he is, though I already know he is someone very special!

Almost forgot the second most important part of the bath!  It WEARS him out.  If he's fussing and almost tired, the bath will hold him off and he stays in a good mood.  After we get him out, we let him kick around a bit, and then it's off to bed.  Once his head hits that crib mattress, he's out like a light and we almost never have to go back in to comfort him or reset his mobile.  Just like when we were little and went to the pool and it wiped us out, it's the same principal minus the sunburn.  ;)