This Little Girl Went From Hating Water To Loving It

When Princess was born, a nurse offered to fill the tub for me at the hospital.  They had the longest, deepest tub I had ever seen.  I could stretch my legs all the way out without bending my knees.  I could get in and the water and it could cover me up to my neck.  I took a bath a few hours after birth, but I had to get out fast since Princess woke and started crying.

Several times, my nurse offered to fill the tub for me so I could relax with my wee baby and give her, her first bath.  At the time, I was very dizzy and tired from high blood pressure.  Plus, I had visitors coming and going, so rest was not an easy option.  By the time the sun went down, the nurse shift changed.  I had a tiny bit more energy and I thought it would be the perfect time for a bath.  I asked my new nurse to pour the water for me.

As I climbed in, my legs burned.  I could handle it, but it was uncomfortable.  I was debating on getting out when the nurse entered with my naked baby girl.  I mentioned that the water was too hot.  She handed Princess to me and added a few seconds of cold water to the tub.  Not feeling it was much cooler I didn’t lie back in the water.  The nurse took princess from me and set her on my lap in the water, where Princess immediately began to wail.
“It’s too hot!”  I exclaimed anxiously.
I don’t remember what or if she said anything in response, but I do remember being frozen in horror as she roughly and vigorously scrubbed my poor baby girl down with a large amount of soap.  Princess screamed and shrieked and I was rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to determine what to do.  Before I could make a decision, she dumped water all over princess to wash off the soap.
“It’s too hot!”  I said again, unable to think of anything else to say.  Later I would obsess over all of the things I could have said and done to protect my baby.  Before I could do anything else, the nurse wrapped her in a towel and brought Princess wailing into the room to diaper and dress her.  I stood up and got a towel, unable to bear the heat any longer.

Since that traumatic incident, Princess hated water.  She refused baths completely, and would wail for sponge baths.  The only way to wash her was to hold her to my chest in the shower and lightly let the water over her back for a few seconds at a time.

Princess was always tiny, especially compared to my other three.  I could easily carry her in a sling for her entire first year.  She was my little shadow and joined me in every activity.  I can remember a day where I stood at the sink, washing dishes, when a little hand reached out towards what I was holding.  I was so startled I nearly dropped the dish!  Princess was normally silent when she was with me, watching everything with her big blue eyes and taking it all in.  Sometimes I would forget that she was there, such as this instance.

I did a little experiment and let Princess play with the sink water.  She LOVED it.  After that, I encouraged her to play in the sink with me, as I washed dishes.  One day, when she was fifteen months old, I discovered her playing with the water in the bathroom sink.  After that, she let me put her in the bottom of the shower to play with toys.

Today, my little Princess LOVES water.  I have to fight to keep her away from it some days!  She hops in every puddle she can find.  So when I saw a pair of pink galoshes on sale at Walmart, I knew I had to get them.

The next rainy day, she was thrilled to be able to put her new rain boots to good use.  She jumped and splashed till she was a muddy mess.  When she was done, she had a nice warm shower and a cuddle with Mom before having a nap.

Moments like these are why I’m so thankful I’m a Mother.  My children make everything new again.  Every puddle is a fun, new adventure.

Splashing in the mud is fun!  Do you let your kids play in the mud?