Noah's First Bath!

This weekend, my sister and her fiance came all the way from New York to see Noah and take part in one of his first milestones: his first bath! Given that my family lives so far away, it was really important to me that we "save" one of Noah's firsts for a time when they could be here. It was well worth the wait. So far, as shown in the pictures posted last week, Noah has not enjoyed being wet. He absolutely hates sponge baths and sadly, he has needed many as he now regularly pees as soon as his diaper is unfastened. (We are going through about 4 outfits a day so hopefully my reflexes improve quickly and/or I find a way to stop him from soaking himself instantly). Now that my sister has visited, I know that it's not just me that Noah does this to, as he did this every time Christine changed him as well. So far, Noah has been very kind to his daddy and has not yet put his reflexes (or patience!) to the test as he has mine!

Aside from the fact that I wanted my family to share in one of Noah's milestones, I also had another motivation. My sister, Christine, is a pediatric nurse, and so, I just assumed that she would know more about how to bathe a baby than I would. Long story short: it took four of us (Michael, Christine, Anthony and me) to give Noah a bath and not one of us knew what exactly we were doing or supposed to be doing! Areas where we struggled: getting the water the right temperature, getting the excess water out of the tub, figuring out how much water belonged in the tub, holding him up in the tub, using the right amount of soap, keeping the soap from getting where it did not belong, rinsing him off... need I continue?

To begin with, the four of us crowded into Noah's bathroom and ran the hot water in the sinks and tub to steam up the room. Then we had to figure out where to change and undress him. A towel on the floor over Noah's rug seemed to be the only logical place. Noah, of course, did not appreciate being undressed. It's one of his least favorite things in life. Anthony had been saying up until that point that he had not yet seen Noah cry (or turn himself into a "killer tomato," as I call him when he gets truly hysterical). Within seconds of undressing him, Noah did not disappoint and showed Anthony and my sister the full extent of his lung capacity. Noah did not fully show how much like a tomato he can appear until Christine attempted to dry his ears after his bath... He was not a happy boy.

Fortunately, Noah didn't seem to notice that none of us really had a clue as to what we were doing... He slipped easily into the tub and seemed extremely relaxed. He even looked at himself in the mirror -- something Michael has been teaching him to do this past week and something that generally calms him down when he is fussy. He did not cry once during his bath and even briefly fell asleep in the warm water... If only the aftermath of bathtime (as illustrated above) had gone as smoothly, it would have been a better night for my precious little one.

Noah getting his first bath! (video)

After it was all over, we dressed Noah in one of the new outfits his Aunt Christine and Uncle Tony bought him (his puppy pants!) and I allowed Noah to nurse away his sorrows. He had a very good night sleep afterwards. It may be a while before we attempt to give him a full bath again but at least now we know he likes it -- and that we have a lot to learn! :) Next time, I will be ready!