Day 43 - How to take a bath.

There are a lot of fun times with Ellie each day.  Play time is always really fun.  The way that she wraps her arms around Leon the lion, holding him close, and telling him secrets that only he will know.  At least that's what I think she's doing as she babbles incoherently.  She could be threatening both him and his entire family of stuffed lions for all I know.  It's also awesome to watch her attempt to roll from her stomach to her back during her tummy time each day.  The way she lets out the most determined grunts as the tiny veins in her head begin to bulge.  It's like she's a tiny weightlifter dressed in pastel colors trying to max out.  There is one thing that I really look forward to each evening though; bath time!

Ellie actually gets a bath each and every night.  I realize that might seem a bit excessive to some people though.  It's not like Ellie is outside putting in a hard day's labor or anything like that.  The thing is that she tends to have a lot of blowout diapers each day, not to mention her excessive (and I do mean excessive) drooling.  If you think about it that way, by the end of the day she is pretty much soaked from head to toe.  So why not just go ahead and give her a bath?  Take her to her room, strip her down, and then run through the house heading towards the bathroom yelling "Naked baby coming through" all the while.  That's normal, right?

Ellie initially took baths in a hammock/sling thing that hung over her tub to keep her out of the water and mostly dry.  She actually really detested it though.  I can't say I blame her since she was suspended in air, lacking all clothing, and getting wet the whole time.  Once she learned how to hold her head up, we were able to say sayonara to the sling and begin submerging her in bath water.  Don't worry, we keep her head above water.  You would think that bath time would be a relatively laid back affair for a baby but that is certainly not the case with Ellie.  With the way she splashes water everywhere and laughs hysterically, she must think she's at Schlitterbahn or something.  By the end of her bath, there's really not much water left in her little tub as most of it has been splashed out and has soaked Bethany or I depending upon who is bathing Ellie.

What you looking at?

Part of my enjoyment in seeing Ellie enjoy bath time so much probably comes from a selfish stance.  I've always loved being in water.  Learning how to swim at a young age really made me feel safe and gave me a confidence that some people lack (Yes, I may be talking to you, dear wife).  Not to mention if Ellie continues to get more comfortable around water, then she and I can gang up on Bethany and make all of those beach vacations a reality.  I need me some glorious ocean water right now.  Or I guess I can just go to Sonic and get one from there instead.  #DaddyWrite