Rubber Ducky, You're the One

For the most part bath time has always been a fun time for Alex and me.  That's not to say that in the beginning she was a big fan but, then again, she wasn't really a big fan of anything in those first few weeks.  When we first brought Alex home she still had her umbilical cord stump which prevented us from immersing her in water and she was so skinny, tiny, and non-body-temperature-regulating that it was probably freezing for her as Marcus and I fumbled around trying to wash her as best we could, one of us holding the slippery, squirmy, and screaming baby while the other desperately tried to finish as quickly as possible.  Over time, and after the stump fell off, we graduated to a cloth bather in the bathtub and I would sing and coo and try my best to make her as happy as possible.  For a few days she resisted and bath time was no bueno but over time she grew to sitting there quietly, staring at me with her big, blue eyes with a tiny smirk on her face probably thinking to herself what a nut job the lady singing to her is.  (So, what, I like to act out "The Wheels on the Bus?")

Over time I began to realize my mistake in wanting to use a cloth bather.  After months agonizing over just the right bather (seriously, it was months which tells you one thing:  there are to many damn choices out there) I determined that cloth was the way to go because other, more experienced mothers said that the baby wouldn't be shocked by the cold, hard plastic when giving them a bath.  In retrospect that's one of the more idiotic statements I've heard.  Do they put their naked, screaming baby in the tub first and then fill it with water?  If so I think they're doing it wrong.  I digress.  After months of use the cloth bather eventually grew so saturated with water it started to mold and mildew and no matter what I did to try and clean it I felt dirty using it not to mention how Alex must have felt.  So, eventually the cloth bather was discarded for a plastic tub and I can't believe I didn't do it sooner.

While Alex is starting to sit-up better and better every day the cloth bather didn't give her much support so she'd be reclined most of the time.  Plus, it didn't retain water and she couldn't reach the water around her which I realized only after buying the plastic tub that it denied her one of the more pleasurable moments of a baby's life:  Splashing!  How could I be so thoughtless?!  She actually discovered splashing accidentally when I put a floating toy in her tub.  While trying to grasp her toy, which is like watching an adult bob for apples by the way, she discovered the act of splashing water.  Now she gets a little frustrated with me when I lie her down to wash her belly and strains those little baby abs and tries as hard as she can to sit back up.  I'm surprised she doesn't have a baby 6-pack.  Would that be a 3-pack?  Anyway.

She also discovered the ability to put her feet in her mouth while in the tub which was a little disconcerting mostly because she was practically face-down in the water.  I don't know why she chose that point in time to try out this amazing feat (of feet! ha!) but who am I to question the mind of a 6.5 month old?  I constantly have one hand on her at all times when she's sitting up but I did grow a little concerned when after a while she was still bent over her legs, face dangling inches from the water.  I peered down to see her toes inserted in her mouth while the water lapped around her face.  So, while I wanted to keep her there for a photo opp I decided I'd just be prepared for next time.  Hopefully, I'll be able to add a picture of the little toe eater (something tells me there's a sexual connotation lurking in there somewhere) to this post.

So, that's pretty much it.  Oh, there is one more thing.  What the heck are the words to "Rubber Ducky?"  All I've got are "Rubber ducky, you're the one, you make bath time lots of fun.  Rubber ducky you're the one for meeee!!!" and I'm 99% sure that is totally incorrect.