Bath-time stories

Well, this is something I haven't written about so far. Tiny L.O.V.E.S his bath...and I am not exaggerating!

For until a week after he was born, we were asked to give him only a sponge bath and he used to howl his head off. I was sure he'll hate getting into the water just as much as I do. Then my mom mustered all the courage she had and took him for a bath...the traditional style...a nice long oil massage followed by the bath with baby lying face down on my mom's outstretched legs. A gentle oil massage followed by one bucket of lukewarm water..the first mug was poured slowly on a hyper Tiny....and to our surprise, he just relaxed and let his hands and legs loose. Then, mug after mug of water and he just fell asleep. He'd hate it if you stop pouring water to apply shampoo / soap. The key is to ensure that he's not hungry or sleepy, which we figured quickly.

Till about 10 days ago, I would just give him the oil massage and Amma or the maid would give him the bath cos i still couldn't sit down. I'd just stand watching, amazed at how much the little thing loved water. One more thing, Tiny isn't too kind to new people giving him a bath..he's used to my mom's gentle, confident hands. My aunt tried to give him a bath for 2 days..and he howled and screamed and went purple in the face till she returned him to my mom...and he was a happy baby again. 10 days ago, I decided to take over the bath as well. I'd observed my mom and the maid give him a bath, how they hold him while putting him face down on the legs, how the lift him back up, how they carefully wash his face without letting the soap get into the eyes / nose / mouth, how to wash his hair without him panicking, how to keep him in place without letting him slip and fall, how to quickly wrap him up in the towel and dress him up before he gets cold.

I felt I was ready to give my baby a bath. I just asked the maid to show me how much pressure she applied while scrubbing his back and then we were ready to go. I was just a little worried about how he'd react to the 'new' person giving him a bath. And I chose the day well too..when my mom was out..so that she wouldn't feel sorry if the baby started crying and then take over. My maid, who is also a professional 'maalishwali', assured me that even if the baby slips and falls, nothing will happen. I also kept everything within arms reach - the soap, shampoo, towel, and the mobile phone...just in case!!.With this confidence and reassurance, I took tiny in my arms, said a silent prayer and began. Put him face down, with one hand holding his head down, expecting him to start screaming any moment. No screaming. started pouring water sloooowwwllllyyy...still no screaming! Applied shampoo and soap as quickly as i could...just a whimper. and in a few minutes, we were done...no casulties and a normal looking tiny who hadn't changed colour! Thank GOD for that!

Day 2 was far simpler and now am very comfortable and confident...so much that my maid complimented me on having learnt it so quickly! :)

Yesterday was totally different though. His oil massage lasted longer than usual..almost 30 minutes and he was exhausted at the end of it. So much that while i was getting the water ready for his bath, he fell asleep!!!!! How does one wake up a little child, sleeping so peacefully, just to give him a a bath?! I thought i'll wait till he wakes up, but he was soaked in oil and lying nangu pangu...so decided to go ahead with the bath. He'd wake up when I pour the first mug of water and scream for a bit...which I was confident of handling. So I carried him carefully and put him face down. He didn't move a limb. I poured water, no sound. I put shampoo and soap...still no movement. Turned him face up and washed his face...just a grimace and a slight whimper..but didn't wake up. My grandma watched in amazement...with her jaw wide open. I was almost sure something had gone wrong and he was unconscious or something and had started panicking. When I was done with pouring the water and wrapped him up in the towel, he opened his eyes for a moment, frowned, then smiled and went back to sleep. He actually SLEPT THROUGH HIS BATH! This was a first even for my g'mom who has bathed several babies in 79 years.

After this 2 things are for sure...that he's a hopeless water baby and if he is in deep sleep, he won't wake up for anything - both just like his dad!!

A well oiled Tiny waiting for his bath

Tiny, fresh and happy after a relaxing bath!