Day 47

Secretly in the night, some evil being came into our serene nursery and stole my peaceful, easy going newborn and replaced her with a screaming hellion! Nothing would appease this cantankerous baby. We tried everything… rocking, walking, bouncing, eating. I just couldn't fathom what had come over my child. She was the perfect baby, always happy, loving and cuddly. There must have been some mistake; this inconsolable infant could not possibly belong to me!

Finally I had an idea. Maybe a nice warm bath would sooth her! Warm dry towels in position…check. Baby wash by the tub….check. Soft washcloth ready…check. Bathwater at ideal warm temperature…check. Recheck the water temperature to assure it is not too hot or too cold…check. The cranky infant is now naked ready to enter the calming waters. The magical water has finally brought relief to my aching ears! Although she is not actively crying anymore, I wouldn't exactly describe her mood as happy. But I will take whatever I can get at this point! She enjoys soaking in the warm water as I gently clean all of her little parts. We even play a short game of peek-a-boo with the wash cloth. Slowly my angel seems to be returning.

Apparently, I got my hopes up a bit too high. Suddenly she decides that she is DONE with bath time. Over, done, kaput….no more bath! No problem, she is probably just a bit chilly. I have nice big, warm, fluffy towels ready to swaddle her in. As I surround her in the heavenly bliss of the cotton blanket, she snuggles down against my chest. We tenderly rock back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Finally, she drifts off to sleep. She looks so sweet and innocent wrapped so snugly in the towel in my arms.

Suddenly that sickening feeling rushes upon me, all the way down to the pit of my stomach. How could I have been so stupid?!? I realize in my haste to calm the cranky baby, I forgot one of the most important pieces of caring for any infant…the diaper! How could I have done this?!? She is finally asleep in my arms, but only wrapped in a towel!

The wheels in my head start turning. I seriously contemplate the situation I have gotten myself into. As I continue to rock my sleeping child I weigh my options in my mind. Is I really worth waking her up simply to put on a diaper? She has been so upset all morning that I just can’t imagine disrupting her peaceful slumber. This towel is pretty thick and absorbent… how big of a mess could she possibly make? Well after a short twenty minute nap, I found out the answer to that exact question. Just in case you couldn't figure it out…the outcome basically reversed every bit of that bath she took. I think I have scientifically proven that the output of a infant exponentially expands based on how unprepared you are for it!

Although we had a major clean up on our hands, not to mention the major mommy cleanup needed as well, somehow her mood had been transformed. We now had a happy baby, and a mom who learned a very valuable lesson: Whatever you do, put the diaper on first!