Bathroom Mischief

For every day, week and month that your baby ages, the fun and joy you experience multiplies exponentially. However, with that growing joy comes the loss of something very important to you: your independence.

Sure, you might say, your independence is gone the minute your water breaks. I disagree. I feel that you can choose to be stuck at home with your baby all day and sitting at home on Friday nights and that's really okay; it is whatever you are comfortable with. However, I personally chose to take Avery out with me...shopping, dinners, nights out with friends (okay, "nights out" for us mean just going out to dinner or playing Euchre...nothing too wild and crazy!!). I figure that if it's expected that you take your 3 day old baby to the pediatrician's office and then to Babies R Us afterwards, it's okay for them to accompany you to dinner or the mall....barring, of course, that strangers keep their grubby hands off your child and it's not swine flu season, haha. When Avery was born, I chose to keep my independence...in a modified way.

Buuuutttt...fast forward to 8 months after Avery's birth and I have said bye-bye to that cherished independence! All of a sudden, errands go out the window because it's a big deal if Avery misses his afternoon nap at home in his crib. Also, fewer tasks get completed at home because naptime is shorter due to Avery's newfound mobility; he likes to spend his naps standing up in his crib and chewing on railings. And forget doing any cleaning or housework during the daylight hours (ha, like I tried real hard to do that when he was younger!)...my time is spent with 100% of my attention on Avery, as he likes to chase after dogs, climb stairs (gates only seem to attract his attention), play with dust bunnies (didn't you read my comment about doing housework???), or pull up on Willie's cage (an act that makes Willie flip out, whether he is currently occupying it or not).

All of the above items can be adapted with a little bit of babyproofing and some creativity. One conundrum that remains, however, is one of the most important tasks of the day....toot-too-da-loot (that's a trumpet blare in case you were wondering...too much Dr. Suess)...MY SHOWER. When Avery was younger, I used to put him in a glider in the bathroom while I bathed and prepared for the day. Between toys and music, his attention stayed occupied. These days, there is no toy fun enough to distract him nor seatbelt strong enough to contain my little monkey. As much as I try to shower during his morning nap, there are just certain situations when that doesn't work out. Bye-bye independence; hello evening showers!!