Behind the scenes parenting

Look at me I'm cute and it takes a lot for me to be cute

While Grant is so flipping cute, it takes a lot to be cute and to maintain the cuteness of a baby. I didn't realize how much grooming is actually done to a baby. I thought the big thing was just giving a baby a bath, but there is so much more than that. Babies get a lot of personal pampering. Well pampering they don't want. The big thing is clipping Grant's nails. Which I HATE doing. I cringe every time I do it. Because his nails are so tiny and hard to clip. He moves around a lot and I get so nervous I'm going to hurt him or cut them too short. He seems to scratch his face way too much.

The other thing to maintenance Grant, which lately we have been doing more then usually because he has a cold, is suctioning the boogers out of his nose. His nose gets so gross! I never realize how snotty babies can get. Functioning his nose is a very cumbersome process. Usually Matt does it since I am terrible at it. But anymore it takes TWO people to hold him down while suctioning his nose, because Grant gets so feisty. He hates his nose getting picked on. He screams, he swishes his head back and forth, and puts up a big fight. I dislike having to "denasal" him as Matt and I call it. I didn't realize prior to having a baby how often you have to suck boogers out of a baby's nose.

Another thing is ears. Again how does a babies ears gets so waxy? It seems like we have to clean them everyday. Earwax just oozes out of them. Again this is a two person process. I have to hold Grant while Matt uses a q-tip. Then I flip Grant the other way. In general cleaning his ears freaks me out because I'm afraid I'll go to far down his ear.

Baths are annoying at times. I know babies need clean but preparing bathes the whole process in general is very time consuming. Though I am entertained at bath times, because Grant has so much fun in the water. But I had to retire his baby bath tub because he was flailing around so much in it, it was hard to hold on to him. He loves his bath seat. Sometimes it's easier just to take a shower and hold Grant while in the shower. Setting up a bath, is a big production.

Having fun in the water. I love baths

Other important things of maintaining a baby's cuteness, is their skin. Grant's skin is very dry. I have to put lotion on it all the time. One thing I've discovered from the doctor, is that Johnson and Johnson baby lotion doesn't actually moisturize the skin. It just makes the baby smell good but that's it. So I use the Aveno lotion, it works great moisturizing his skin. Another thing we use now is coconut oil. It smells so great when I put it on Grant. And what is nice about it, is it has so many uses. Like conditioning my straw over processed hair.

 

Even though Grant requires a lot of maintenance and pampering. He is so stinking cute, it's worth it. All the snot suctioning, nail clipping, and ear wax picking, seems like nothing when I see Grant's  cute little smile. :)