Rubber Ducky

Ok. So, here's the deal.  Contrary to popular belief, I have not given up on the blog, and I want to apologize for the delay since the last post.  My initial plan had been to update the blog on a weekly basis, but that now seems to be a somewhat ambitious goal.  It has been difficult to find the time to sit down and write with my work schedule picking up and the weekends being consumed by road trips and/or errand-running. 

However, the main reason behind this particular delay is that Grayson is currently in somewhat of a transition stage.  Despite the fact that he is growing, becoming much more alert, and starting to figure things out, it's difficult to articulate the specific things he does in a way that doesn't cause them to lose significance. I guess it's just not easy to put into words the little things he does that make Jenny and I laugh or get us overly excited. I do think we are on the verge of him doing so many noteworthy things that I will have trouble writing them all down, but for now his achievements and accomplishments are a bit more subtle. That being said, there have been a couple of things of late that I have wanted to write about, and this is one that I thought I should share.

I have mentioned in an earlier post that my child really does not enjoy having his diaper changed. Well, the other thing he severely dislikes is taking a bath . . . hold on. Scratch that.  It WAS the other thing he disliked.  Now, it's not quite so bad, and its all because of a major change we have made.

That first night home from the hospital, we gave Grayson a bath. We had the bathroom heater on full blast to make sure the little guy didn't get cold. We had everything ready, including a little rubber duck for the bath. Now, you are probably saying the same thing I said. Why on Earth does a newborn need bath toys?   Well, my wife quickly pointed out that this was not just any rubber duck.  No. No. No.  This duck serves a purpose.  The bottom side of the duck, the part that sits in the water, indicates in big white letters the word 'HOT' if the bathwater is too warm for a baby. Absolute genius. I loved it.  

We couldn't wait to put the duck to use.  So we ran the water in his tiny tub and we used the duck to check the temperature.  Too HOT!  

Seriously? I mean I had stuck my hand in the water and it seemed nice and comfortably warm to me. Jenny was quick to inform me that a baby's skin is much more sensitive than an adult's, and the fact that I thought the water was a nice temperature, didn't mean it was suitable for the G Man. That made perfect sense to me. Not to mention Jenny is a great mom, and she knows her stuff.  What she says, goes.

So, we tried cooler water.  Time for the duck. . .  Too HOT! 

No way.  The water at this point was luke warm at best.  Jenny and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and decided to keep trying cooler water until the duck approved. We finally got it to a duck-worthy temperature, which I don't think could be considered "warm" by any stretch of the imagination, and Grayson got placed in the tub.  He threw a colossal fit.  I'm talking the sad lip, loud crying, squirming, the works.  It continued throughout the entirety of his bath.  It was not fun. We kept telling ourselves that he would eventually get used to it, but every night was the same. Everyone dreaded bath time.

Then, one day on a whim, Jenny bought a new bathwater thermometer for the boy.  This one was a turtle, AND it was digital.  Well, we have since had a much better and less stressful experience with bath time.  Turns out, Grayson was freezing in his chilly bath water.  

Stupid duck.