Letters to Jack & Audrey: Bubble Bath

Jack,

You took your first bubble bath over the weekend (in spite of the fact that Grandma and Poppa Dough think that bubble baths are the work of the devil, I couldn't resist! So it's my fault if you come down with a bladder infection!)

You LOVE bubbles, so the combination of sitting in a sea of them was a little mind boggling. You would scoop up bubbles in your hand and - initially become a little upset when you couldn't wipe them away. They stuck to your hand and you couldn't get rid of them. Then, I found the perfect combination of turning on just a trickle of water from the faucet so you could wash the bubbles away and then you had a game for the next 30 minutes (I SWEAR!) of sticking your hands and your toys in the bubbles and then washing them off.

You have some foam cutouts to stick on the walls and you found that if you pushed the foam creatures below the surface of the bubbles, they disappeared from sight.

Then, spring back to the top of the water with gusto when you release them because foam floats.

This discovery thrilled you.

And now, I'm going to toot my own horn a little. See those foam water creature cut-outs?

I MADE THOSE! I'm so ridiculously proud of this little fact that I feel I must bring them specifically to your attention seeing as how much you enjoy playing with them when you are in the tub.

AND I also went out and purchased two butterfly nets from the Dollar store so you could "go fishing" for these little sea creatures and bath toys and catch them in your net.

Aren't I brilliant? Aren't you impressed with my creativity?

I'm Martha Friggin Stewart here.

I've always been curious about one thing in our bathroom. There is this mirror at the end of the tub and I've always wondered "Why did someone put a mirror in the tub?"

Well, now I have my answer. They had kids!

Here you are checking out how it looks when you get angry.

You are also fascinated at your hands and feet in the tub.

The way they look under the water and when you pull them out, they are all wrinkled.

Check out those feet!

And those TOES!

Who is the cutest friggin kiddo in the entire world?

Raise your hand if it's you!

One thing I hadn't forseen was the fact that - when you play in the bath, you tend to get a little water on you. Any water that gets on your face, you rub your eyes for protection against.

This doesn't work so well when your hands are covered with bubbles.

That was the end of that.

And now, some obligatory photos of the shampoo mohawk on an adorable baby:

And, introducing Serious Mr. Bubble Beard:

In other news, you are pretty much moved into the two year old room by now. Yesterday marked your first day of attempting to sit on the potty like the older children do. According to the teachers, the first time you weren't interested, the second time you showed interest, but didn't go.

I tried to have you sit on the potty at home this past weekend. You seemed to want to and be interested in doing so, but when I took off your diaper, you hopped back off the toilet like the seat was on fire. I had to pull your little pants up because you were already off to play and I wasn't prepared with a new diaper thinking you might sit for a little more than a fraction of a second.

You didn't end up having an accident, but the first attempt at potty training showed me it's going to be a long road. :)

Yesterday we were playing with Calum and you wanted everyone to follow you and do what you wanted them to do. Calum - being a baby with no comprehension of your desires, wanted to go down the slide and this upset you to the point that you launched into your first full scale tantrum that I've witnessed. You brought your hands to your face, tears streaming as you cried to the ceiling and then, with your hands over your eyes, brought your face to the floor and stayed in a little bunched up position sobbing. When you are this upset, I have found that I can't talk to you. I have tried, but your crying increases in volume and I can't hear myself over the wailing, so I think it's best to let you have your cry and try to talk about it when you calm down.

You were exhausted last night. I think we headed for bed earlier than I can remember in a long time. 7:30! (Although this means that you didn't fall asleep until around 8:30, because once you get in bed, it becomes a TOTALLY different story).

It seems the minute that your head hits the pillow now, a new game starts based in denial that you are tired at all and you fight off sleep with every ounce of energy you have left until you finally fall asleep so deeply that you probably get twice the rest a normal person would get in half the time, which would explain how you could wake up with such tremendous energy in the morning and your father and I look at you like - REALLY? How do you DO that?

It's definitely not because your father and I are aging or anything like that, because we aren't.

Lately, the questions that you ask me in the dark of the room are cracking me up when I think back on them:

"Ayyypo Mommy Ayypo?"
"No, Jack - it's sleepy time. April's asleep."
"Moooooe Cooookeeee Mommeee!"
"No more cookies tonight, Jack, and we already read the cookie book" (I usually say both to have my bases covered)
"Twade, Mommy?" - this said with binky extended. We have a deal that until you fall asleep, you can trade me your binky for your milk, but you have to give me the milk back - aka: TRADE - before you can get your binky back. This helps to keep milk from spilling in the bed and makes it a little game you understand and are comfortable with.
"Trade, Jack. Here's your milk."
"TWADE! TWADE! TWAAAAAAAADE!!!!!!"(Screaming your excitement that the game continues to be what you expect)
"Shhhhhh, Jack. Night-night. You're Soooooooo Tired!" (I often tell you this to try to convince you it is so)
Quiet now while you drink....
"Twade, Mommy?" you hold out the milk and I hand you your pacifier.
"Katchow, Mommy?"
"One more time?"
"KATCHOW! KAAA-CHOW!"
(We read your Cars book for the 90 millionth time)
"Huuuuu, Mommy?"
"I'd love a hug Jack" (I bend in for a hug)
"Nuuuuh, nuuuuuh, nuuuuh, NUUUUUUUHHHHH!" (you change your mind and push me away anxiously as though I'm smothering you)
"I love you, Jack. Night-night"
"hoooooooo-hoooooo"
"That's right. It's night time with owls and it's time to go to bed"