Tonight I looked back at pictures of Evan. My tiny little boy just home from the hospital. His birth was such a surprise to me in so many ways. The fact he came to us a month early really brought an even larger impact to his arrival. I am sure I would of had all of the same feelings if he came on time; but, that that he came so unexpectantly heightened my every emotion.
When we first brought Evan home we had to wait to give him his bath until after his bellybutton fell off. He was so small that placing him in a bathtub seemed inappropriate as did the sink. We gave him sponge baths for month or so until I finally bought him a small tub that could be placed into the bathtub. Evan was so trusting and let us bathe him in his new little tub. During the first bath, I couldn't help but notice his little frightened face. He looked so apprehensive and not relaxed as I had hoped. I had been reading how bath times for babies relax them to help them sleep. I needed to figure out a way to make this better for him.
When Evan was about 6 weeks old-I met with my friend Liz. Her baby girl Isabella was born the day before Evan. Liz inquired if I had taken a bath with Evan yet. She encouraged me to do it and told me it was the most bonding experience.
That night I went home and shared with Steven we were going to take a bath with Evan. We made bath time an experience for him. I crawled into the tub with the water just right. Steven handed me our baby and I placed him facing me on my bent knees. I used my hands to coat his tiny body with water and talked to him. Steven thought of lighting candles so the light was just right. He loved it.
That is how we now give Evan a bath. I think we will give him a bath this way until he is old enough to sit in the tub alone. Steven and I trade who gets to sit in with him. One of us bathes him and the other sets up the "scene" and gets the new diaper, p.j.'s and towel ready. The three of us stay use this as time to spend together as a family.
I gave Evan a bath tonight. He talked to me and smiled alot. It made me think what a good example this "finding a better alternative for him" turned out to be. I hope we keep this example in the front of our minds on other fronts when we see our son needs to have something different to make him feel safe and more comfortable. He loves his bath now and it relaxes him so much he can barely stay awake when it is over.
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