moving on up ...

 ... to the big{ger} tub!

Up until just an hour ago, 

my 11-month old was being bathed in her infant tub.  

This is Charlotte in August - the last time I took bathtub photos.

And this is Charlotte earlier tonight.  In the inflatable bathtub.

She was so excited with her new splash pool!  I am just glad to have all that splashing contained in the tub rather than all over the vanity and mirror.  Isn't she just about the tiniest, cutest little naked baby ... ever?!

Divide & Conquer

Most evenings - after dinner - Chad and I go our separate ways.  I take care of Charlotte, while he takes on the bigger challenge of getting Natalie ready for bed.  Some evenings I really miss that time with Natalie, but mostly I cherish this one-on-one time with Charlotte.  Tonight happened to be bath night (we do this every other night for the sake of sensitive skin), which prolongs the process but also gives me even more reasons to love my share of the Divide & Conquer  ...

1. It's calm and quiet - no screaming or whining or questioning.
2. My second born gets my full attention, which is hard to come by during the hustle and bustle of our day.
3. My little baby - all 11.5 pounds of her - is so adorable in all her naked glory!
4. Infant splashing is fun and cute - even when water gets all over the mirror! 



5. Did I mention it's calm and quiet?
6. Putting lotion, a diaper, and then pajamas on a toddler involves a chase scene. That's definitely not the case with CJV - at least not yet!
7. I don't have to answer any questions.
8. That fresh from the tub smell!  Well, I get that from Natalie, too ... but it's just different on a baby ... mainly because she puts up with my sniffing. 
9. Which book we read and which song I sing ... yep, those are both MY choice :)
10. I am finished and typing this blog post while Chad is still upstairs reading a second book and answering a bunch of questions!  The trade-off of which is that Charlotte and I will get even more "alone" time in the middle of the night and in the early morning.  Now we're even!

Rubber Yucky

Happened to catch part of this segment on the Today Show this week ...

Warning: It is disgusting and may induce a bathroom cleaning spree!


Rubber ‘yuckies’ harbor secret filth

Lunch Date

I had the privilege of watching our buddy Owen yesterday ... while his daddy went to work and his mommy laid poolside in Florida. If you detect a smidgen of bitterness, you'd be right.

Since O arrived right at lunchtime, I whipped up some grilled Havarti sandwiches and tomato soup (the extent of my mid-day culinary skills) for all three of us. And the ensuing meal led to lots of laughs ... and a bath.

Owen is such a cutie pie, and it was so cute to see Natalie and O eating lunch together - having their very own toddler lunch date. Natalie strapped in her highchair and Owen sitting "like a big boy" at the table. I just had to grab my camera. While I was snapping these super cute photos of Owen gobbling down the delicious entree I had prepared ...

I happened to notice a little mischief going on in the background. It got really quiet; that was my first tip-off. Look closely. That fuzzy object, that's Natalie pouring her tomato soup over her head. As I peered up over my camera, she oh-so-appropriately commented, "Meeeeshy." So true baby girl, so true.

I should've stopped her right there, but I just couldn't help myself. And I happily captured the moment like the mamarazzi that I am!

Well, guess where we ended up? Yep, it was bathtime ... at 12:30 in the afternoon. I was only going to bathe Natalie because she was the one with tomato soup in her hair, up her nose, and basically all over. But Owen did not want to just hang out with some toys and books while I tended to the "meeeshy girl." He insisted that a bath would be tons of fun. This little lunch date ended with two naked co-eds ... an indiscretion I will encourage Natalie to wait until at least the third date to do in the future :)