Splish Splash- Sophie didn't get many baths!

Sophie loves to take baths. She even likes to wash her hair now. A couple months ago she would cry the whole time I washed her hair but now she reminds me "wash hair" whenever she's getting close to being done with her baths. She says she's Marlin, Nemo or Dory from Finding Nemo as she floats on her back to get her hair wet.

This got me thinking of how different bath time was for Conner (1st born) and Sophie (3rd born) when they were infants. The first bath we gave Conner was orchestrated by Jimmy, my mom & I. My mom taught us to heat the oven to warm & we'd set Conner's towel, jammies, onesie, & diaper all on on the open oven door to warm while Conner got his bath. Needless to say it didn't take Conner long to enjoy his bath time and snugly warm towel as he was getting out. I contrast that with Sophie's first bath. I know they bathe babies at the hospital to get them all clean but after that first bath- I don't think we bathed Sophie for a month. I would clean her off with wipes and do sponge baths with a washcloth to get all her baby fat rolls clean. She always smelled good so I didn't feel like I was neglecting her. I felt like baths were a two person job when the baby is so small, slippery and frantically crying. Since Jimmy was at work all day, and the kids had homework and reading, and there was always dinner and church meetings- our nights were full. Plus when we finally did give her a bath she hated it. So I think the for the first nine months Sophie got less than 9 baths. I know that must sound awful but in my defence, back in Pioneer days or in Medieval times baths just didn't happen very often. Once Sophie started enjoying baths, when she could sit up in the tub by herself, she loved them and takes them all the time. (daily usually) Kali liked (and still likes) getting in with her sometimes.

So although Sophie didn't get the bath time that Conner enjoyed when he was an infant, she does enjoy other things that Conner and Kali didn't get. She gets two twenty minute reading times a day with mom. (once at nap time & at bedtime) She gets to go on a stroll in the stroller daily and then usually a stop at the park. Beside not getting many baths and not having a scrapbook of her own, she is definitely not over looked in our family. Conner and Kali both adore her and she has her daddy wrapped around her finger. One example of that would be just the other morning, I was getting ready to take Sophie for our morning walk/jog and Jimmy was working from home. I asked him if he wanted to come and he said he needed to get some stuff done. While I was getting my water ready Sophie went in his office and in her small, high voice she said to Jimmy, "go walk with me, daddy." The next thing I knew Jimmy was dressed in his shorts & running shoes and ready to workout with me. He has the hardest time saying no to her and she loves spending time with him. I always tell Jimmy that she knows how bad her daddy wanted her here on Earth- he even signed a golf & basketball contract in desperation. (that's a another whole post though)