Showering with Baby...Quite the Time Saver

A very very normal day around here was had by all. Babyjama and I pretty much stuck to our normal routine. I had plans to take papajama to work today, but didn't want to get babyjama out in the cold when she was sleeping so peacefully (and to tell the truth I didn't want to get out in the cold myself). I did however get up to meditate, and then took a short catnap next to my little heater before getting up and starting work. I was able to get a good amount of things done before 9 o'clock rolled around and babyjama was ready to get up. Things proceeded normally from there too.

This is our routine when babyjama wakes up in the morning: Diaper change. Breakfast for Pup. Joint shower. Breakfast for Mama. Breakfast for baby. Playtime. Nap for baby while mama works. Lunch for Mama. Lunch for baby. Playtime while Mama cleans and listens to the radio (usually Dave Ramsey). Afternoon snack for baby immediately followed by nap in Mama's lap w/ Mama quietly watching her shows. Enter papajama.

The one thing that is probably unusual about our routine is that I have started something new with babyjama. I used to scurry around and try and fit my shower in wherever I could during the day, and try and fit her bath in there every other day too. However, it got to the point where I was missing my shower on most weekdays. This is not something I recommend to anyone! It makes you feel like crap. So sometime last week I was on my third day of not showering, babyjama was screaming every time I set her down, and I didn't think I could wait another second to get into the shower. So I tried something new out. I decided I was going to shower with my baby just that once. I stripped her down, and then stripped myself down and got into the shower. I was afraid that a few things might happen. Number 1) That the tub would be far too slippery. Number 2) That once the water was turned on, the baby would slide out of my arms like a bar of soap. Number 3) Combine one and two into as many combinations as you can think of.

But, something surprising happened. Instead of my fears coming true, I realized that the whole experience was rather pleasant. Babyjama has gotten to the age where she holds on kinda like a monkey, and she is especially good at it when we're both naked. Also, she really didn't get slippery when water was added. Plus she loves getting in the shower with me. And I love that I don't have to jump in and jump out in two seconds. Plus, I get my shower and her bath done at the same time so it saves me time.

There is one drawback. I haven't found a way that you can shower while holding a baby and wash your hair. For me that means that I'm going a day or two longer than I would normally like between washes, but if the alternative is BO, then I think I'll live.

I think we hit the New Year at a run

I can't believe half of January has already come and gone. I'm making some headway on the many small resolutions that I made this year. I've been working on a crocheted blanket for babyjama since last January (and by working on it, I mean it has sat in my craft basket for the majority of the year). My goal is to have it finished by the end of the month. It's quite the large project as baby blankets go. I just measured it, and it's 66 inches long, and 40 something inches long. I'm trying to make it square, and then put a border on it.

Papajama is more busy than ever with work. It seems like he is having to attend meetings after school several times a week. Plus he has to attend many meetings during his planning periods (all of this cuts down on the time that he is home). We did however go out to dinner without babyjama for the first time ever. It was really nice to sit at a table and not have to wolf down food so that the one who was holding her could eat their food :).

Speaking of having family time, my heart is hurting for a friend of mine. Her husband is in the armed forces has just received word that he is going to be serving a year long hardship tour away from family (they have a tiny baby). She is moving back home while he is gone. Though I'm glad that I will get to see her more often, my heart just broke when I read her stoic e-mail. She talked about the whole thing in very cheerful terms, but it is so sad that he is going to miss this first year of their son's life. Papajama and I were talking about their situation, and he brought up a scene from "The Sopranos" that we often quote. In the show, Carmela travels to Paris with a friend and mentions that it's as if the people that are there didn't even exist until she saw them. It's so true that our point of view is so limited to what we experience first hand and through those around us. Honestly I never really think about the true everyday circumstances of the families that are being effected by the war until it is truly put right in my face. It's as if they don't exist to me until that moment.

On a much lighter note, papajama and I have gotten to hang out with friends much more often in the past couple of weeks than in the 2-3 months before. This weekend we had dinner with some friends who also have children, and I got some much needed girl talk in. I didn't realize how much I had missed talking to a friend until we got to have that conversation.

Babyjama is getting so big. She is now sitting up, and babbling, and oh so close to crawling. She is getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth, and she scoots quite a bit. Anyway that's all I've got for now, but hopefully it won't be weeks before I post again!