Big boys take big boy baths

Scott is growing so fast. It's scary.

It seems that every day brings a new milestone - rolling over, sleeping through the night (sort of), sitting up without assistance for several seconds at a time without falling over...it's thrilling to watch our little Tank discover and delight in the world around him.

And yes, it makes me a little sad too. It's all happening so fast. But mostly, I am just enthralled by the little guy. He is happy and flourishing.

My son no longer needs to be rocked to sleep. He is starting to hold his bottle with his own two hands. He can entertain himself for 10-15 minutes at a time.

Being a big boy means constantly trying new things. And tonight was no exception. We moved Scott into the regular bathtub for the first time.

In truth, it was an overdue change and one borne out of necessity. Scott has simply outgrown his super adorable, but no longer functional Fisher Price whale bathtub. He discovered the art of splashing weeks ago, but in recent days has figured out that if he slams both legs down together, he can make a much bigger splash than if he moves them one at a time.

The result? The kid was literally flooding our kitchen. We had water on the glass windows, the ceiling, the countertop, our work clothes and the floor. Jim spent half the bath with his arms pinning Scott's legs down so he didn't create such a mess.

Scott in one of his first baths after he came home from the hospital. Plenty of room in the tub!

Scott last week. Room? Not so much for our Buddha Baby.

So mommy spent another $31 (every time I turn around I am plunking down $25 to $50 on something baby-related) on a bath chair for babies who aren't quite sitting up without assistance. We attached it to the tub and commenced with the nightly routine.

There was a learning curve on both sides - where do mommy and daddy sit? How do we appropriately wash the nooks and crannies with Scott sitting in this little chair? How do we keep him from sliding forward and squishing the ever important "boy parts" against the chair's support bar?

Scott was also a little confused at first. Where is my whale tub? How am I supposed to splash in this upright position? Where did all these bubbles come from? And why is mommy insisting on taking my picture - again?

But after a few minutes we all got the hang of it. With a little prompting from daddy, our little Buddha Baby realized he could still splash - albeit without the mess - and he seemed to really enjoy the toys on the bath chair.

I dig it. Big boys get lots more room to splash and play!

These things are new and fun!

Okay, I still love bathtime.

Another milestone off the checklist.