Sink Bath

How has my baby got to the grand old age of 11months and 3 weeks old without ever getting a bath in the kitchen sink!?

I feel like the baby-in-the-sink image is one that features in every baby album.  When Joel came home from hospital we used a baby bath that we borrowed from my generous sister-in-law.  But it wasn't long until Joel was bursting out of the baby bath and progressed to the big bath.

We used a cloth bath support like this one. Joel lay happily and kicked his legs but soon he learned to wriggle and he would squirm his way too the bottom of the bath support quicker than you could reach for the baby shampoo!

So then Joel progressed to his big boy bath seat.  He loves to sit up in the bath a look around him and reach for his bath toys.  He learned to use his arms to splash and flood the bathroom!  

On xmas eve our boiler gave up.  Our water ran cold and our heating went off.  We called out a boiler repair man fully expecting to pay through the nose for the xmas eve privilege.  The company we rang said we would have an repair man by 1pm and sure enough at 1pm he was at our door.  He assessed our boiler and told us it needed a new printed circuit board.  Unfortunately he did not have the circuit board that we needed and prepared us that it would be optimistic to expect to be able to locate one before new years as all the suppliers were closed for the holidays.  He then told us that as he couldn't fix our boiler there would be no call out fee charged!  Well who would have guessed?  Anyways my hero husband was able to perform a quick temporary fix which enabled us to use the boiler for a bit of background heat but no hope for hot water. 

We have an electric shower so this has been our saving glory!  We attempted to put Joel in the shower.  We placed his bath seat in the shower but he was not happy about it.  In fact he was VERY angry about it.  He cried and cried!!  So it was a very short shower, more of a sprinkle..

With it being the christmas season we have been out and about visiting family and abusing their bah facilities for Joel but tonight we were in out own house, with a very stinky baby.  Nothing else for it, time for sink bath!! 

LOVED IT!

However, I am certain that there is a very limited time span on this adventure, before Joel realises he can just stand up and climb out.  

Joel then had a post-bath nosey around the kitchen, rounded up with a wee on the floor.  Look at his face, he totally knows what he's playing at.... 

Monkey

On the subject of baths have you heard of the Tummy Tub?!  I am gutted that I didn't know about this product until recently, I would have loved to have tried it with Joel.  I have seen photos of friend's children using it and they look so relaxed and content!

 

(image from the web)

Have you ever given your baby a sink bath??

Do you have a Tummy Tub??

I'd love to hear your experiences... 

Merry Christmas

Have you met me?... Well then you'll know I love Christmas! I'm often told off for mentioning the 'C' word far too soon, but the scoldings never deter me!

I have always worked in the childcare sector, the excitement of the children only serves to further my enthusiasm for the holiday season.  I love the build up to the big day, the santa letters and decorating the tree.  This year I am working in a soul sucking paper pushing job.  The benefits are great, and I am very, very grateful for my job but there is not an ounce of christmas cheer to be found.  It was ruining my christmas buzz, so I decided to inject a bit of christmas sparkle into my life...

Thats right, I worked a couple of shifts with the big man himself.  I signed up as a volunteer elf at a local Santa's Grotto at Hillside Garden Centre.  The grotto was run by CLIC Sargent, a very worthy cause doing fantastic work.  In fact only this month they opened a new home from home centre next to The Royal Victoria Hospital.  This provides a place to stay for families who have to travel miles and miles for their child to receive treatment.  As Santa's helper I got to see children's reactions to seeing meeting Father Christmas.  It restored my christmas cheer to see this magic at work and even more so to know that every smile that came through the door meant that a donation had been made to a great cause doing great local work.  I only worked 2 shifts at the grotto but I will be back again next year!!

Topped up with festive cheer I was ready throw myself full pelt into traditional christmas preparations!!  Mum and I got together for our christmas baking day.  We whipped up a festive frenzy in a domestic goddess way and made yummy gifts for family, friends and neighbours.  We made cranberry sauce, apple and onion chutney, cranberry and pistachio biscotti as well as spiced chick peas (a wee idea I found from Mrs Thrifty.)

We bought jars from Ikea to put the cranberry sauce in.  A little fancy curly ribbon and they looked lovely as a gift!

The apple and onion chutney made the kitchen smell like window cleaner.  I expect it was something to do with the entire bottle of red wine vinegar in the recipe.  I am yet to get any feed back from anyone who received this as a gift from me, perhaps it has just ended up in the bin!!

I also managed to whip up a few knitted christmas tree dish cloths as gifts too, here's the pattern.  Dead easy, if I can do it anyone can! 

I continued my domestic goddess streak with wrapping all my presents that night.  Yes I am one of those people who love wrapping presents, twirling ribbon and making gift tags.  It makes me giddy, get over it.   

This year I was extra excited about Christmas as I was looking forward to soaking up every magical moment of baby Joel's first Christmas.  Over the next few days we created some lovely moments with Joel...

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Dancing with daddy at the santa band in Hillside Garden Centre. 

Sussing out this santa bloke...

Look  at him, we packed in so much christmas cheer he's all drunk on festive-ness!!

Mesmerised by the dancing snowmen in Auntie Chloe's christmas garden. 

This time last year I was spread out on the sofa like a beached whale lapping up my last days of relaxation.  Joel was due on the 26th December but kept us waiting until Jan 5th before he made an appearance.

Last year I was served my christmas dinner with my feet up.  I savoured my dinner, had a selection of deserts followed by a wee snooze and then more treats, mince pies and tea.  It was a day of relaxation and over indulgence. This year however I was running after a very energetic 11 month old, stuffing my dinner into me before he got fed up in his high chair and juggling nap times and family commitments. I wouldn't change it for the world.  I am a very lucky girl who's mum and dad cook the christmas dinner and all I have to do is turn up, but boy christmas day has never been so tiring!!
It was wonderful to create new traditions as a family.

Dressing silly for christmas dinner.

Taking the new wheels for a spin, in his new threads!

Adding the new 'Baby's First Christmas' decoration to the tree.

And what was my favourite present I got on christmas day?  A tin of beautiful handmade mince pies. Baked by two of the main men in my life, my husband and my son.  These photos were stuck to the tin..

P.S I know I haven't blogged in a while.  But I'm back!  2014 will be a year of continuing to document all our new discoveries...