Showering

I’m not sure what I expected but I’ve been very surprised how much more time consuming and often difficult even the most mundane tasks are when it is just mommy and baby in the house.

Before Bo arrived I took my morning showers for granted. It was usually the first thing I did after waking up and putting my contacts in. It was what woke me up in the morning. A necessary evil before getting the day started. Now, a shower is much more difficult and seems to take a lot longer too (and I’ve never been known for quick showers to begin with!).

Now, my morning starts out differently. Instead of an alarm I usually awake to sounds of Bo talking to the bears on the Cubs Mobile that hangs above his crib or hammering the art card I put in his crib each night down between the crack of the headboard and the mattress. I walk in and when he sees me I’m greeted by a big smile. That makes getting out of bed when I’d really like to sleep a little while longer much more tolerable!

I get him out of his sleepsack and mittens and change his diaper before we do anything else. Usually while he is on the changing table he realizes he’s ravenous and starts to announce that “it’s chow time” in typical Bo fashion. I get him changed and get myself organized in the glider for his morning “moose munch” (the lovely nickname I’ve started calling Bo’s meals).

We usually rock for a little while after he eats while I try to get myself motivated to really start the day. He smiles, talks, sticks out his tongue and blows bubbles! This is definitely the most enjoyable part of my morning.

When I finally get motivated I dress Bo and then we head to my bathroom. I wash his face and put moisturizer on it. Unfortunately, I think he has my skin — very, very dry! Once he is ready for the day I set him on the Boppy on the bathroom rug while I get ready and take my shower.

Most days this goes pretty well. He will entertain himself by looking at the wallpaper or just talking. It gives me some time to straighten things upstairs, take my shower and get ready for the day.

This morning though, he was having NONE OF IT. I had just stepped in the shower when he started wailing. Why? I have no idea. I jumped out of the shower, soaking wet, and tried to give him his paci. That did NOT work. I got back in the shower to at least get the shampoo out of my hair while he continued to scream bloody murder. I left the shower door open so I could see him and make sure there was not anything wrong — and there wasn’t — he just felt like screaming. He managed to wiggle himself down off the Boppy completely so he was just laying on the bathroom rug.
I quickly finished my shower but by the time I was dry he had tuckered himself out. And I had a tuckered out baby asleep on my bathroom rug. (I moved the Boppy when I ran to grab the camera. It seemed like a suffocation risk — yes, I’m anal.)

Needless to say, this was, of course, right in front of my sink. But I managed to work my way around him and his nap in my bathroom gave me plenty of time to get ready this morning. I even found time to trim my fingernails! (Which I’ve been meaning to do for 5 days now! Woohoo!)