Let me tell you about my VERY favorite part of the day each day....... BATH TIME!
Harper LOVES her bath. It totally relaxes her (I threaten to give her about 5 baths a day sometimes). She acts like she is sitting in a hot tub. She will sleep through her bath a lot of nights and never flinch.
This is the one thing we do as a family of 3 EVERY day. We have a total routine. I gather everything up (pajamas (HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE SWEET BABY FOOTED PJ'S????), hooded towel, wash cloth, bath tub, lotions, soap, diaper) and Scott runs the water. We each have duties during the bath - I soap her up and Scott gives her a shower with the sprayer. We have it down to an art. ha!
We give her a bath each night around 7:30 or 8 and then I feed her and she ALWAYS goes right to sleep. It's a perfect bedtime routine we started soon after we got home and it works like a charm. Of course Harper likes to chew on her fingers during her bath. It soothes her even more.
My favorite thing is when we wrap her in the hooded towel and I just snuggle her. She is always SO happy and warm and clean. There is nothing better in the world than a sweet clean baby in their pj's - all warm and cozy!What is your bedtime routine? I told Scott eventually I want to add in story time and prayer time. I want to do a family devotion each night. Not sure when we would start that - probably not until she is older? ( I read to her during the day every day but since she falls asleep while I feed her - we just put her right to bed).
I wanted to share a couple of prayer requests:
- Pray for a little girl Landry Kate Robinson. She is 6 and was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor 4 weeks ago. All but 1% was removed and now she is starting treatments - she will be in Houston for these. She is in the NICU in Ft Worth right now. Please pray for this sweet girl. She has a care page but I couldn't figure out how to post it.
- Also a little boy Evan was born 14 weeks early - on Harper's birthday! His mom had a lot of complications and is not able to have any more children. He just had 2/3 of his intestine removed and will be having another surgery to reattach what is left. He also had laser eye surgery last week. Please keep them in your prayers.
130 comments:
I still wrap Raegen in a hooded towel and snuggle him close. haha...I even say, "aww, you're my baby" and sometimes take him to Billy and say, "look at my little baby". Is that ridiculous or precious?? :) After he gives night hugs and kisses, Billy takes him to bed and they say their prayers together. It is so sweet. I don't think it's ever too early to start.
ya'll are just so cute! :-)
i love these times at night after bath time. It gives me a chance to do one on one time with both of my girls. I started devotions when they are interested in books. I bought hard back books and now we read a devotion book I bought a few weeks ago that also has prayers. My youngest is not 2 yet but she sits and listens. Love it.
Harper is beautiful!
Love the pictures, and you're right those little pjs are the cutest! Happy Wednesday!
Love the pictures!!
Thanks for sharing the prayer requests! Will be praying!
I love bath time too! It is so much fun! It calms my kids before bedtime.
Also...Go check out my blog, when you get a free chance from precious little Harper! I gave your an award that I thought you really deserved! :)
My sister is five and I think the thing I miss the most about her being a baby, and toddler even, are those feetie pjs. She just looked so cute in them, with her big ol' round belly. :)
I don't think it's every too early to start including her in a devotion. Perhaps after her bath when you are feeding her, you and Scott could do one together. That way, as soon as she can start soaking it in, she will!
that is so precious. I hope someday I get to have a sweet bathtime routine with a little one! And I'll try and remember to dress chic in a leopard print top while doing so! Right now, since we are childless, our bedtime routine consists of animal care for our kitties & rabbit. Our one cat cries when we tell her goodbye at the end of the night, it really is sweet! :)
Let me just say that your Harper is unbelievably cute....but you already knew that right? With Ethan, we started that at the same time. Bathtime, bottle, bed. He's 17mths and we still do that....and I still put him in footy pjs =) I haven't done prayer time or devotions yet, he's still too squirmy, but he is starting to understand prayer at dinner!!
I'm a night time shower person. I swear there is nothing that feels as good as a nice hot bath or shower and then climbing into bed. Harper may never grow out of this routine! :) Maybe while she is younger, you could just read her a bible story. It's never too soon to start that habit, so that when she is older and things get crazy, it's already routine.
Start books now. Get some board books with bright colors and simple pictures. We read to our kids every night too and we started around 3 months old. Now, they expect it and they LOVE to sit down and read. Even though she can't understand much reading to your baby helps with early literacy, you are still creating pathways in her brain when you read to her and you will be amazed at how much she will like it!
My son is 3, but we've always had the same bed time routine. Our bathtime was a family event too when he was a baby, but now my husband does it while I clean up dinner. Then my son brushes his teeth and we put on jammies, pick out a book to read, hop in bed, say prayers, turn on music, and that's it. I think you're doing the right thing in establishing a routine early on. We've had ours from day one. As a former early childhood educator I can tell you how important it is for young children to be able to predict what comes next. There's a sense of familiarity and comfort in it which makes them feel a little control in their sometimes topsy turvy world. Great job!
-Hayley
Hi Kelly,
I thought since there weren't too many comments yet I would leave a comment. I stumbled across your blog when Harper was probably 2 days old. I remember one night shortly after that I awoke at 4 in the morning with the thought that Harper needed prayers right then. This doesn't happen to me very often so I listened and I prayed. Ever since I have been hooked on your blog. I find your posts fun and refreshing and even though I am out of the baby stage myself I love hearing about your sweet baby girl. Mine daughter is 17 and my youngest son is 13 but it seems like last week I was enjoying that fresh baby bath smell! You seem to treasuring every moment... You will never regret it!
Susie from Indiana
Seriously, could your family get any cuter? I have to agree, I'm not a parent, but the best thing is a happy and clean smelling baby :)
We have the same routine. I give Olivia a bath around 9, feed her and then put her to bed. We do this every night. Now she is getting to where she will actually sit in the bath tub. She loves to play with her toys and splash the water.
Harper is beautiful!!
So sweet! Bathtimes are so relaxing for babies - the washing is almost like massaging.... something you may think about when Harper is fussy... baby massage.
Sweet! I have had the same bath, bedtime routine since my little sweetie (who is now 3) was born!When she was tiny we called it the 3B's for Bath, Bottle, Bed. Worked like a charm each night.
We have always read her a book each night too, and now she loves this even more. though we are up to about 2-3 books. Then we say our prayers. She now says them herself and it is to sweet to hear her thanking God for the little things she loves, like M&Ms and her park. :)
Enjoy it! They grow so fast!
Oh, yes a clean baby is quite Heavenly! I just love it. When all three of mine get out of bath, they get dried off, then I lube them up w/ lotion and clean jammies come on. I love it lots!
Yes, we have the same routine. Kids seem to sleep better after a bath. We started a bible story and teaching them to pray at 18 months. We have read to them since they were born- but we get into a bible lesson with the reading. We have a devotional at supper time. When we finish eating- I am always first to finish. I read a family devotional we started it when T was 2. The One Year Book of Family Devotions. It is great. I sometimes change it around so he can understand it better. Now that he is 3 we do flash cards of shapes & letters too.
Just wait unitl Harper is old enough to run throught the house naked with at hooded towel on- those are the laugh your head off moments!!! I am so glad you are Enjoying Every Moment with her and who cares about the HAIR??? hahaha
Our girls are way past the baby stage now, but I still remember loving to wrap them in a hooded towel after bath and give them a big hug! We used those towels 'til they were probably three or four! We're in the teens and tweens now, but hugs are still very important;-) We say prayers morning and night as a family. We started this when they were very young...not sure exactly how old.
We read bedtime stories every night. Each of our boys gets to pick out a book to have read. Sometimes they want the same book so we read it 2x but that's okay. It's part of our routine.
Harper is getting SO BIG and is such a cutie!
I have four kids and did that same routine with all of them (complete with a story & a prayer!)...it's fool proof! It lets them know the day is over and it's time to go to sleep.
She is precious!
I will be praying for these sweet little children. My heart aches for each of the ones out there suffering.
BTW, I love that hooded towel!!! Did someone make it for you, can you get it somewhere? LOVE it!!
Start reading to her NOW, or she will never learn to sit still. Also, your voice and the act of reading are usually very soothing for babies, and will help her understand speech patterns and how to create words much sooner than if you wait to start reading to her. As a teacher, I can ALWAYS tell whose kids' parents read to them regularly, and whose did not do so.
I would love to get Landry's link. I am 5 minutes from her and I know a few of the doctors at Cook Childrens here in Fort Worth. I will ask them to check in on her and let us know...sweet girl. Enjoy the bath time...my 2 girls are old enough to shower by themselves...but at least my son still needs his mama! :) My girls still need me to do their hair :)...they grow too fast! Harper is so cute...thanks for sharing...Have a great week!
Many Blessings,
Amanda
I love to read your blog daily and I love your little girl so much.
We have a little boy who was a premie as well who has grown to be an AWESOME 2 year old!
Our bath routine is Mommy bathes, Daddy gets the PJs, he plays with his choo choo NAKED, gets clothed, read like 5 books, read our prayer book and then watch Einsteins!!
I love being a Mom! Thank you so much for sharing your life!
My daughter Chloe was born on Dec 30, 2009 and when I read your blog it is as if I am reading about Chloe. We do the bath time around 8:30 -9 and she will go to sleep right after that and sleep till about 7am -7:30 sometime with interuption. My husband and I take turns bathing her because we have a 7 yr old daughter named Madelyn and we take turns every night bathing her. If one is bathing Madelyn the other is cleaning up the kitchen.
Chloe calms down when she is in the bath and is so much calmer afterwards. I could bath her every time when she is really fussy.
I just have to comment about how CUTE you look while having bathtime! Harper looks happy in the water... so sweet!
Bedtime/bathtime was always a special time for my girls. They are grown now! I was always a firm believer in a calm environment around bedtime, so the child/children can wind down from their day. We loved bath time, reading stories, talking, cuddling and prayers before bedtime. It is so important to establish a routine with children. And I have always believed in an early bedtime. The children need it and the parents need some time to themselves. Love & blessings from NC!
Bedtime routines are the best - and as far as reading/doing family devotions - I read to my firstborn (it's harder when there's more than one) EVERY night from day one and you know what? She's almost four and she LOVES to read...won't go to bed without a book read to her, and several books laying with her for her to look at. Start now and you'll have a bookworm on your hands. :-)
She looks so cute!
Bath time is part of our routine too. And our 19 month old daughter loves to be sung to every night. When she was younger, I started to read to her just before singing. I chose a couple of books that sounded sort of singsongy that we only read at bedtime to make them her bedtime books.
Our son is older & we read from a boys devotional book in addition to his bedtime stories.
I know you wanted to try the pacifier with Harper, but let me tell you as someone trying to get rid of the paci from a toddler who has no plans to give it up, be happy Harper sucks her hand!
Blessings!
It's never too early to start devotions with your little one...even if they don't understand what's going on, at least you're training them in the habit/routine of daily Bible reading. I have a dear friend with a baby, and she's been doing devotions with her son...reading a short Scripture in an animated voice, holding his hands and praying, and singing a hymn. When Harper's a little older, may I suggest 2 devotionals that I was raised on:
Little Visits with God by Allan Hart Jahsmann
Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland
Have fun:)
2 Timothy 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
They do make footed PJ's for adults you know :)
Our routine is out for wack now that I have two. I can't wait for my baby to get a little bit older so we can all lay in one bed and I can read a night time book to them both.
Then on the last page they both fall asleep. Yeah right!
Also your heart will melt the first time Harper starts saying amen after prayers, so sweet.
Bath time is a part of our bedtime routine every day too! Sophie LOVES her bath! I think she would soak in there for hours if I let here!
Harper is getting so big! I know you are enjoying every moment!!!
She is sooo adorable!!!
Hi Kelly! Loving little Harper she's such a doll! For bedtime we've always done bath, lotion up, pj's, sippy, brush teeth, quite play, story, prayer, and bed. My daughter is 16.5mths old and we've been doing this for a while now. It really helps her understand when bedtime is. It made it way easy to mover her into her toddler bed too.
Thanks for posting...I love your posts : )
Have a great Wednesday!
Amanda
Oh I love bedtime so much! We read books and say our prayers and sing the Goodnight Song. It is sweet to see the girls pray!
Bathtime is SO not as fun as it was when they were tiny... I usually end up soaked! Ha ha!
when Co was a baby we did bath night like that! as he has gotten older i get pj's, milk and book ready and daddy gives him a bath with the shower part- then gets out brush our teeth and get dressed, we skip nights i will read one night and daddy the next.. the snuggling part is the best and them smelling SO clean! it's perfection.
I too love bath time. There is nothing like the scent of a fresh clean baby! My oldest no longer wears the "footed" pj's (she is about to turn 9) but the younger 2 do! Madison too, seemed to be calmed by a bath early one. She had a bath within about an hour of being born b/c she had a ton of hair and it had alot of "gunk" it in! My nurse bathed her in the room and she didn't make a peep, in fact when she was washing her hair she closed her eyes and went right to sleep :) Hope she outgrows that...would hate for her to fall asleep at the salon one day :)
Bathtime is so sweet, and Harper seems to love it! Asher loves his bath too, but his Nani gives him a bath every day...I just feel bad giving him another one, even though I want to just because I love seeing how much he loves it.
After we get home from work I feed Asher, and then we cuddle until Hayden gets home and he gets "daddy time." We put him in his swing so he can watch us cook dinner and then we eat. Then we snuggle with him until he falls asleep and put him to bed. I love that boy so much!!! Thanks for your comments too, they are very encouraging!
How cute! I would suggest starting the family devotions and prayer time now. It will already be a habit by the time she's old enough to understand.
I was glancing at your previous post about Harper's extra toe. My oldest son (who is 8) was born with an extra finger on each hand. My doctor had never seen it before. He had them both removed and now just has a tiny scar that isn't even noticeable. My niece had extra toes, so we are thinking it must be hereditary.
Have a great day!
Um...excuse me...but how gorgeous is your kitchen!! :)
All three of my babies loved their baths. Still do! :) Such sweet times. I love the bedtime routines... the rocking, reading, praying. Just being together as a family for worship.
Nighttime routines when our children were babies was very simple. Baths always woke our kids up, so we learned quickly to do that in the mornings. Keep doing what works for you, and keep posting pictures. Harper is gorgeous!!!!
It's never too early to start having family altar! We did it on our wedding night and continued it indefinitely. We did it the first night that we had our baby with us. Sure, at only two months now, he doesn't understand, and he's asleep for it most of the time, but I remember one night when he fell asleep listening to his Daddy tell him about Jesus. It was such a blessing to know that our baby was going to hear about Jesus from even before he can understand who He is. No matter when you start, make sure you're consistent with it. Start with that early, too. Let her know that Mommy and Daddy are dependable. Even if you have a late night, make sure you at least pray together. Harper needs to know how much God means to you, and you never know when that will click with her.
Our bath/bed routine (for a 3 year old and 1 1/2 year old)is:
Bath with brother (they play--I've got foam letters in there with them and use bath as an opportunity to teach letter names when they're not playing with other stuff...)
Dry with big fluffy towels
Powder/Lotion
Diaper/Dress for bed
Blowdry (the boys LOVE this! We've done this since we brought them home and they miss it if we try to skip it...)
Books (2-5 usually)
Songs
Prayer
Potty (for the older one)
Lights out.
We were SO consistent with bedtime routine from the beginning and now they both go down by 7 every night without fussing at all. Now if we could just conquer mealtime challenges!!!! : )
Bathtime is a favorite at our house too!!
My daughter will be one next week and we have a similar bed time routine. Alternating who gives her a bath, but still both very involved. I agree with another poster (which I was a early childhood educator too) that routine is best. Even if you watch Nanny 911 they usually first establish a routine for parents to enforce.
Anyways, we would pray over our daughter when she went to sleep in those early days, but now that she stays up a bit longer after bath time (which was at about 6 months old), we read a story from her bible, pray, and put her to bed. The bible we have is very appropriate for little ones....it's called "My Pajama Bible" by Andy Holmes. It's shortened little poems so the sing-song rhythm keeps them interested and gives the bible addresses so parents can read for more in depth understanding. Anyways, we love it!!
Normally while I do the dishes and clean up from dinner my husband will give the younger two their bath and then my 8 year old will take his. We then have a snack and go in the livingroom for Bible, Prayer and Singing. We always open with either my husband or I in prayer, then we do the Devotional and then we each take a turn praying. Right now my 22 month old is a little young to pray but he sits through the whole Devotion and prayer time on either my husbands or my lap. It is wonderful to hear my 3 and 8 year old to pray for so many people that we talk about during the day. We then end in singing a few songs. Then we brush the kids teeth, and put them into bed and pray with each one individually when they are in bed. It is a great way to end the day with all of together spending time with God.
We have kept our bedtime routine so consistent that our daughter (16 months) tells in her own "words" what is next. It is a favorite part of the day. Our son (age 11) is a part of it along with Daddy and me. After bath time now is snack time, then teeth brushing, stories, praying (she even folds her hands!) songs, I rock her or sometimes Daddy and then to bed with a lullaby CD on in her room. We still have a routine with our 11 year old after his shower, where he reads on his own and then we pray with him before tucking him into bed. The family time and routine is wonderful for kids. Harper will treasure her family bathtime routine forever!
Yes, bath time is the best! My kids, even at 2,4,6 still LOVE the bathtub and would stay in for hours if I would allow it! Any time they are sick and not feeling good they will immediately ask to take a bath!
Owen still passes out after baths...and he is 2 =)!
Kelly, just wanted to say that I love your blog! You have uplifted me spiritually in so many ways. You mentioned that you wanted to start a family devotional once Harper is older and we have just started doing one every night with my two and four year old. My four year old decided the other night that he wanted to lead our devotional and I caught it on tape. I posted it on my blog if you would like to see it....so cute! calebandaceanderson.blogspot.com
Ok, seriously, I want me one of these in the "grand" variety. Your Dad says I need one! Can I have a DIL first, please?
Kelly,
Thank you so much for putting Landry on the prayer request list. My precious niece needs lots of prayer. If anyone wants to see her carepage just google -carepages. Her key word to find her is: Fablious. It's very easy to set up a membership so that you can look at her story. Thanks to all of you for praying for Landry. Stacey
Kelly -
I haven't posted before, but have followed you since Harper was in the hospital. I saw your post yesterday and wanted to pass along another co-blogger that had a daughter with an extra toe. She details the entire process on her blog (last June) and thought you might be interested in it, as I know you are probably anxious about Harper's surgery.
http://babykcountdown.blogspot.com/2008/06/two-for-one-special.html
Every night we put Mabry in her PJs and then she sits in her little rocking chair and we sit at her feet and we read to her a story or two. Then it is time for prayers and off to bed.
I love bath time too. Mabry's skin gets dry if we bathe her more than every other day. We only did it once or twice a week (dr.'s orders) when she was really tiny.
Enjoy your little rituals! I was looking at Mabry last night thinking, "Please don't grow up too quick."
She is just so cute!!! Bath time near bed time always worked with my children to calm them.
Love your kitchen!
My son is 19 months old...we get a bath and get his pjs on...read at least 3 books while he drinks the last of the milk in his sippy...brush teeth...say goodnight to daddy...and then we go to his room and turn out the lights, shut his blinds and say good night to the outsid that God made....turn on his humidifer and then we pray...I sing him his goodnight song..and I lay him down :) Whew! haha a lot to do but it is all so routine and he knows exactally what is coming next. he puts himself to sleep too! It has worked like a charm. I nursed him until he was 13months and he still followed the routine. If he got sleepy while I nursed I would go ahead and read afterwards...he kept him awake for the routine and he was okay with it...I didn't do that until around 7 months though. :) God Bless!
http://arewardfromhim.blogspot.com
Kelly,
You have a great blog! Have enjoyed following along -and praying- for Harper since her birth. Harper is beautiful! Just a thought as you posted about your (not so fun) day and then the post on the bath....we used to put our son in the tub when he was having a (not so fun) day...it really soothed him...and gave some time of peace in a rough day...just a thought!
Blessings to you!
<><
I know that I shouldn't be jealous, but I TOTALLY AM!!! You need to go to my blog and find my recent entry "Baths Still Suck...". My 5 month old son still HATES his baths with a passion! They are so completely stressful for him and me. He probably should get one every day, but I really only do it about 3 times a week because it's just so hard to bear lol. And THEN the footie pajamas!!! I LOVE baby footie pajamas. I think they are the epitomy of baby clothes cuteness!!! Guess what, my giant of a 5 month old is now wearing 12 months clothes, and except for the super warm winter pajamas, or the super tight fitting ones (which do NOT work on my chunky monkey) I cannot find the cute little baby footie pajamas anymore in his size. He is ONLY 5 MONTHS OLD. I want my baby pajama goodness!! HAHA, ok enough belly aching from me. I will live vicariously through you and Harper when it comes to bathtime and footie pj's! :)
It is never too early to start with the family devotional. If you start including her now, it will be something she has always known, and will just be a part of her life.
Perhaps you could look into a mommy and me swim time since she likes the water so much!
I think I told you that bathtime has always been our favorite! Our routine is bath, bottle, books/singing, then bed. We would also like to be more consistent with praying together as a family...some nights it happens and some it doesn't.
Cute pics...I think I recognize that hooded towel in the last picture. :)
Our bathtime routine we began around 2 months old - it's the 4 B's - Bath, Book, Boob and Bed.
I think a bedtime routine helps so much. Harper is precious in her bath tub..soo cute!
We always do bathtime first with our two year old, Lily, then we get her jammies, and settle in to bed. We read a story or two, sometimes three over and over for a little while, and she usually falls asleep in my arms. It's one of my favorite times, not because she is going to sleep but because of how special this time is..
We have done this same routine since she was born basically and now she tells us when it is bath time, then she asks for her pjs and then she says "books, mommy."
Your bathtime with Harper sounds exactly like my grand-daughter, Gracie's bathtime with her mama and daddy. Her daddy warms her towel for her too! It is so sweet.
Kelly, you are so smart to start now with the bedtime routine. I fondly remember reading my children stories and then I had to sing 3 specific songs. I admit, sometimes I was so tired that I sang fast, but I treasure those memories now. (They are now 13, 16 and 19!) Enjoy these moments.
Sheryl
I started reading a Bible story to my daughter before bed from the time she was tiny. We've been through two different children's Bibles about 5 times total. She's a year old now, and I've started weaning her. I've always fed her, then read to her, then put her to bed. I hope that will make weaning the night feeding a little easier.
I would like to echo the thought that it's never to early to start devotions- babies love the sound of Mama & Daddy's voice, and any reading helps build their attention span.
We try to centre everything we do at home around Jesus anyway, and as the children grow different opportunities will arise during the day to either share spontaneously or to build new routines. A Bible story at bedtime can grow into prayers and Bible times at the family meal table as soon as they are old enough to join you in the high chair.
We have baby twins, so I can't always read the Bible at the same time everyday- and yes, some days it doesn't work out at all, but with my last child, if she woke during my quiet time, it became an opportunity to read the Bible aloud to her, whether she understood or not.
We are homeschooling at the moment, and have devotions during our school day, and the babies join in cries and all! LOL!
God bless you. You are doing a great job!
Claire
I love baths at night but then I love them in the morning too because she smells so clean and delicious. On nights when our daughter (7 months) needs to unwind though, we do a bath. We also do a short story time, Emersyn loves it and we say our prayers, whicn for a little while included prayers for Harper! :)
Gotta love snuggling a sweet, clean, baby after her bath! I can't wait to do that again!
Isn't bath time the greatest?! Turns a fussy baby into a sweet smelling cuddle bug! My youngest is crawling so we put her in an inch or two of water in our jacuzzi tub and she loves crawling around in it and splashing and playing.
You look so great! You really do! David and I are doing Dr. Dobson's "Bringing up Boys" devotion together at night and Harbor listens. Maybe you and Scott could do a devotion and just let Harper sit your lap and hear your voices? It is what works for us right now. : )
We took Harbor to Old Main today for some pics.. the weather was so nice! The tullips are in bloom at Carnall Hall.
SO cute as always!!! I love the headrest in Harpers tub. Where did you get that?
Harper is so beautiful. I have visited your page alot over the past few months and enjoy your posts. especially the ones with harper, they always make me smile. my girls are grown and married. but small ones are always sooo cute and cuddly.
I love bath time with our little one, he is 13 months old and he LOVES to play in the tub. My husband gives him a bath, I am 8 1/2 months pregnant, so my duty is to dress him after bath time. My husband lets him play in the tub for about 30 minutes and he loves it! I'm the mean one right now because he hates getting out and getting dressed and thats my job :) thats our bath time routine :) and sing to Harper :) I would sing to Drew when he was itty bitty and now he will sing himself to sleep, he hums :)
My son Cade is 2 now but since he was 7 weeks old my husband and istarted around 7:30-8 giving him a bath, Bath time is still his Favorite TIME. Then i lotion him up, there's nothin like the smell of johnson and johnsons baby lotion on them, the jammies, and i still always put cade in socks to sleep cause his little toes get so cold..... and then he gives daddy kisses, and he actually can say a prayer now," THANK U JESUS.. FOR THIS DAY.. FOR MY FAMILY... FOR MY HEALING.. AND MY ANGELS...AMEN I think i get tears in my eyes every night. then i rock him and we read two books.. his favorites are goddnight moon, if u give a mouse a cookie, and i'll love u Forever. a routine is so good for them and i belive they find great comfort in it.
I love the footed pj's too & hooded towels. Our 18th month old still uses the hooded towels even though they are too short on her now.
Bath time is the most fun in our home too and a family affair. Especially with 2 little ones to bathe now.
I see what looks like an Arbonne bottle of baby soap in your picture. Do you use Arbonne? I am a new consultant.
Hey Kelly - I just love your upbeat perspective on life. We all need a dose of that sometimes!!! Glad all is feeling better!
We started bedtime routine with both of ours very soon after they were born! Now that we have two, a five week old and 2 year old, my husband and I take turns. Both get milk, bath, lotion, book, prayer, and off to bed! I love laying in bed with my two year old and reading him books and praying with him. And, because this routine has been done for as long as he can remember, there is never a fight for bedtime!
I absolutely love wrapping the baby in a hooded towel! Our youngest is almost 2. My middle child is 5 and decided it was time for a big boy towel, the hood was for babies :(
Enjoy your beautiful Harper!
I just love your blog! Harper is just so precious!!! Enjoy these days of infant hood because they grow up and become so independent!! Many blessings to you!
A sweet little clean baby all lotioned up and warm in their pj's...yep, it doesn't get any better than that!! They should bottle that smell! :)
Our son is 2 and we do bath and then bed. Daddy loves to put on our pjs and lotion and mommy gets everything else together. However I wanted to focus on prayer time.... I wanted something that he could remember that wasn't sing songy, so what did we go to... SCRIPTURE! Each night it melts my heart when we tuck in our toddler and I say, "may the LORD bless you and keep you" and he responds, "may He make His face shine on you!".... so sweet, and then in the morning we start our morning with Scripture... the moment his door opens he jumps up and says, "Good Morning to you. This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice!!! YAY!" Love traditions grounded in Scripture!
When my son was a baby, I even searched the internet looking for people who had told their routines! As a new mom, I wanted to make sure our routine was 'normal.' Never found anything, but here's what we do!
My son, Brendon, is 4 and is in developmental preschool. He sleeps (like clockwork) about 11 hours a night, so I try to get him asleep by 8:30 and he's up at 7:30 am.
We eat dinner around 5:45-6:15 ish. Then he runs around and gets out energy while I get his bath stuff together. He gets his bath (with all of his Diego toys and tub crayons!) from about 7-7:30. I used to carry him, but now he sprints down the hall naked to his room. I put lotion on him (Aveeno daily has always kept his eczema under control for me) and put on his jammies.
After jammies are on, he starts saying, "mommy booo" (my son has a speech delay) He loves books. He is telling me it's time to read. He gathers up 5 or 6 favorites (I cut him off after that! lol) and we sit down. I read to him with him on my lap. While I am reading, I do his albuterol breathing treatment (he has asthma) and his Flovent. Then he gets his nasal spray and I grab his chocolate milk for a couple swigs to wash away med taste before bed.
We wrap up reading his books and then I sing "the mommy song" I make it up as I go. silly, I know. He loves it.
This precious angel clasps his hands when I say, "Let's say our Prayers" So then we pray.
Then I tell him the story How do Dinosaurs say goodnight. He tries to act it out in his bed, but he's usually getting drooping eyed as my voice drops lower and lower and slower. Sometimes, my husband does this routine and sometimes I do.
I have Cystic Fibrosis and sometimes I need to get a head start on my breathing treatments for the night, so hubby steps in. He's a wonderful man.
Our routine has changed and tweaked over the past 4 years, but that's the current!
In the morning, I get him up (if he's not already up) and dress him for school, we brush our teeth and I give him his "spikies" in his hair and we get breakfast. I drive him (our driveway is 1000' feet long) and we wait at the end for his school bus. (he is in developmental preschool) He usually wants to sit on my lap while we wait. He likes to honk the horn and make the neighbors dogs bark. (we are out in the country) He TREMBLES with excitement when the bus arrives. I get him on and then I have 4 glorious ME HOURS to do my morning meds, shower, exercise if I have time, run errands, etc.
I get him off the bus around 12:30...we do lunch and then he goes down for a nap around 1:30 and sleeps for about 2 hours. He's up at 3:30 and we get rowdy plan until dinner. We have a swingset in the yard, a bouncer in our basement, a slide in the living room (yes, it's true), a trampoline in his playroom, etc. Our son has mild CP and we have always given him opportunities. It has paid off big time.
So that's our day. :-)
We are still doing the same routine we started 7 years ago with all 3 children. Bath, read, prayers, bed. They love it and expect to do it the same way each night!!
As a grandma, our routine when one of the grandchildren spend the night is to read 'Good Night Moon'. They love that book. None of them have it at home yet often ask their mamas to read it to them. Then we pray.
My one daughter has a Bible story book that her husband reads to the boys each night at bedtime. This past Sunday I was talking to one of them and at 3, I was amazed at what he knew about David, Noah, Moses, and what Easter was all about.
If I could give you any advice, it would be to make God a part of everything you do with Harper. When you walk, tell her about the things around you that God created. At home tell her how much you are thankful for all He has given you. These little people are like little sponges. So amazing.
Ahh, you have a water baby. Our baby of four daughters was a water baby. We could pour water over her head and she would stop crying and start smiling. She learned to swim before she was 2 years old and has no memory of life without knowing how to swim. Now she is 24, a visual artist, and many of her works have incorporated water in them. Water is a sign of the Holy Spirit! Harper already knows that. What a blessing!
What sweet pictures and sweet memories you are creating with Harper!
We LOVE bathtime too! Harper is adorable enjoying her hot tub!
Clara just screams when I lotion her up, but stops the minute I get the last snap snapped. Then I snuggle her b/c you're right. A fresh baby is so wonderful!
She is so adorable! I love seeing her smiling face every day. We have almost the same routine. We bath, have a snack or some milk and then we rock for a few minutes and in the crib she goes. We are getting to the point where she falls asleep on her own which is great but I miss the rocking and the cuddle time.
Sounds like you guys have a perfect little routine going on. Thanks once again for sharing the story of Harper and for letting us see all of the pictures.
Thank you so much for posting about Evan! We really appreciate it.
so happy things turned to the BRIGHT side for your family... blessings are amazing.
As for the "hair" comments...sorry that you even had to address it. Sounds like that person has WAY TOO MUCH TIME on her/his hands to worry about your hair... I'm mean REALLY???
I had my first baby pretty much exactly a month (he was born 2-16) after you had Harper and we are just now starting to get a little routine down. Its nice to have another persons blog to read to see what they are doing with their little one. It helps me to know that my son isn't the only one that cries for hours on end sometimes! :)
Love the bedtime routine---its so hard not to just eat them up when they are in their little towels!
bath, run around naked time, pj's, book(s), sing his favorite songs, prayers, bed.
That is so sweet!! I can't wait for bathtime with Ava, which will hopefully start anytime :) There really isn't any better smell than a clean baby with soft jammies....so fun! Harper is just adorable, I know you are loving every day with her, even amidst the screaming! I'm sure I'll be in your shoes soon...remembering how much we prayed and asked the Lord for a baby while she's crying! Perspective is always a good thing. Hope you have a great rest of the week...I'm hoping to be in the hospital on Friday morning to be induced! We can't wait :)
Hey girl...
My kids are 12,11, and 8 and there is STILL nothing sweeter than a warm, snuggly, clean kiddo at the end of the day!! :) When they were babies mine loved the bath too. Enjoy these sweet times.
Love you much!
Fran
We always gave our children a bath, books, and said prayers. They would go right to sleep. We always joked that we could start the whole routine at 4 in the afternoon and get them to go to sleep. I think children feel safe with a routine.
Awww, baby Harper looks so mellow! With little ones, singing hymns and praise songs with easy words help them to get excited about God's word and get familiarized with all that he has done and continues to do for His children.
xoxo Caroline
I love bathtime. My boys just took their first bath together. Cillian (10mo) loved taking a bath with big brother. It is wonderful to have a routine-stick with it. We added in reading a story with Cash when he was around a year!!
Just catching up with reading your blog which I love to read for different reasons... cute Harper pictures, inspirational endouraging messages from a sister in Christ, etc... From a previous post, you mentioned a screaming Harper. Are you nursing? I had to give up ALL DAIRY when nursing my babies. Maybe someone already suggested this but I just thought I would share. My little screamer (ok, she is 17 years old now) quit screaming when we figured out that she was sensitive to dairy passed through breast milk.
Bless You and your beautiful family!
I would totally start praying over her as a family every night, starting now! Make it a routine, and then once she's old enough, she can join in. For now, she'll probably be asleep when you do it, but can't you just imagine a sweet 2 year old saying "Amen" when you're done? I love it! I'd add the bedtime stories in in a few months when she's still awake for the bedtime routine. And then the devotions...probably around 4-5. There are some great family ones out there. Hope that helps!
I, too, just find little ones in footed jammies too cute to resist! Even at 19 months my daughter wears them all the time even during the day because I think they are too cute. We recently started reading "The Beginner's Bible" to her at bedtime. She loves books, but is particularly fascinated by the bright simple pictures on each page. And I am always pleased at how God continues to teach me through such simple stories on the pages. Sweet dreams!
She is so darn cute! I could just pinch those chubby little legs of hers! You know, we started doing devotions every night (just a verse or two to dwell on and discuss) when our oldest was about 3 months. We held him and did the devotions and prayed together. They may not understand it as a baby, but it prepared our children for routine. Now, they all get excited when it's time to do it and they participate now that they are older. A person is never too young to hear the scriptures. :)
LOVE the picture of that Skinny Minnie Momma washing her little Chub in the Tub!
(P.S. the above deleted comment was me...I accidently posted while signed on under a friend's blog - consequences of blogging past midnight). :-) Love ya sweet girl!
He died that we might live! Praying hard right now!
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Prayer BearsMy email address
I love bath time too! And you're right.. nothing better than snuggling with a warm, clean, happy baby! :)
I like your kitchen too! :)
Just wanted to pop in and say hi! My mom sent me a link to your blog. She got into it because Harper was born exactly 3 days after my daughter, Abby and we also live in Arkansas.
Bath time is a nightly ritual for us, too! It doesn't have quite the same relaxing effect that is has on Harper though, LOL. Abby is so alive in her bath. She kicks and splashes and smiles and laughs. I sing to her and squirt her with her duck and we read our "bath" books. Though once we get out and in our PJs and nurse, she's out like a light.
At our church, they do a "lesson" on Sunday morning, even in the infant room. It's not greatly detailed or anything, just the basics. I don't think it's ever too early to start!
Our nightly routine with our 2.5 year old includes a bath and snuggles in our bed with a book. About 3 months ago we started discussing the events of the day and at the end we each say something we are grateful for. This has become such a special routine that I cherish. My husband is a firefighter which means that he isn't home most evenings and tonight when we asked her what she was grateful for she said "that my daddy was home today with me."
beautiful blog
mona & the girls
hope you see some sun today...
Kelly,
nope, there is NOTHING cuter than babies in their pajamas!
I have a 9 month old and we have a night time routine. We take a bath, brush his teeth, lotion and pajama him all up, then we read a few books. Our finale each night is 'My Go-to-Bed Book', (it is awesome and short enough to keep his attention), we say our prayers, I give him a bottle while listening to soft music or I sing (out of tune, which he doesn't mind), then bedtime! I started doing this around 3 months. My hubs and I take turns, but try to keep it pretty consistent. It works!
Good Luck.
I love reading your blog!!
One more thing, Sweet Kelly,
I happen to LOVE your hair, tucked behind the ear and all!!!
Bath time is the best--there's nothing like the smell of a baby's head after a bath.
Don't hesitate to start your prayers and family devotion now even though she's too young to understand. I've said prayers with my kids since they were babies and as they got older they began to say them with me as they could until they are now old enough to say them themselves. I think it's a wonderful tradition for our kids to grow up with.
We started board books fairly young too. Look for "Time for Bed" by Mem Fox, "Guess How Much I Love You" by Sam Mcratney, and "I Love You Through and Through" Bernadette Rossetti Shustak and Caroline Jay Church. She'll love the colors and the pictures and the cadence of your voice.
Enjoy your sweet little blessing!
my nieces love bath time!!! and LOVE being wrapped in the towel...aka a "baby burrrrritooo!"
I would encourage you to pray with Harper even if she is asleep after you nurse her. We did that with our oldest daughter and now at 3 she loves to tell us who to pray for.
Bath time around our house is a "Family event" too! It's so fun! And we have the same routine (bath, eat, sleep) and Cyler still to this day has NO PROBELM going to sleep and staying asleep (for like 4 hours...but that's another story)
I totally believe the consistency of that routine is what helps him fall asleep!
PS. Wait til she starts splashing the water around (EVERYWHERE) you won't wear cute tops to do that bath! :) I do love your leopard top though! (F21???)
Who doesn't love a good bath :) I can remember my parents praying with me and over me from a super young age...it's never too early to start that!
I didn't see a link to e-mail you so hoping this reaches you. I wanted to share this link about calming a cranky baby: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7338087
I enjoy your blog and your precious bundle of joy.
Hey! I love your blog! :)
I noticed in the bath pictures that you were using Arbonne Baby Wash. I used that baby wash w/my little girl Sarah-Tate the first 3 mths of her life. She had baby acne and a rash on her belly/arms and legs. I talked w/the dr he said it was normal. One morning during bath time I grabbed California Sensitive Baby wash to give it a try. We used it for a few days and the infant acne/rash cleared up right away! Not sure if was the baby wash or not but to this day(Sarah-Tate is 18 mths old) we can't use the Arbonne Sunscreen or Lotion on her- she breaks out whereever it touches her? Some babies are just more sensitive.... Just wanted to pass that info along!
By the way I made your onion dip for a baby shower- it is fabulous! And- I see why you said you could just swim in the bowl! :)
Have a happy Thursday!
Alli
I love me some bathtime! We usually try to do a nighttime bath, but recently we have had to do a few during the day because Brody usually covers himself in carrots and sweet potatoes while he eats! It's so fun! You will love when Harper starts to eat solids!
I think it is so great that you and Scott established a routine with Harper! A lot of people don't realize that children thrive in a routine. I learned a lot about that while teaching. If they know what to expect they feel happy, safe and secure! From what little I know as a mom it seems to be true! You are such a great mom, Kelly!
my little girl just turned one. we do prayers every night before bed -and always say 'amen' at the end of them. Last week, she learned to say 'amen' too..it sounds more like 'men' but we know what it means. It is super cute and we are glad she is getting invloved in prayer time with us! Just wanted to share - its never to early to start! By the way, I love your blog. You are suoer cute, Harper is a doll. My little one was born 6weeks premature, so I know the struggles one can go through at first with a baby. I am so thankfun for a happy, healthy little girl and praise the lord for my miracle EVERYDAY!
Harper sounds a lot like my little one, Griffin. We bathe him (well, his daddy does - they both love it). After he is done, they call for me, and I scoop him up and dry him off in his hooded towel. Then, we TRY to read a book before his last feeding, where he falls fast asleep for the night.
I love this, but I also want to play some time for prayer as he gets older.
Love to your sweet baby girl!!
Bath time was always my FAVORITE with my babies. Nothing better than a clean baby fresh from a bath!
We don't do books either- we've tried and it gets him more awake. Our routine consists of a bath (only every other night because of his bad excema which is hard on the routine), lotion, pajamas, last cup of milk, brushing teeth- he loves this and this was added in later when he got teeth, hugs and kisses, then in the bed. When he was an infant I always tried to lay him in the bed when he was awake but not yet asleep. We might add a book in the routine later if it works out later.
Please tell me where you got so many clothes with Harpers name on them...I would love to get some for Marlee!
Have a great day! Your daughter is absolutely gorgeous!
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