Scrub-a-Dub-Dub...

...Maya got her baby brother in the tub! Big sister, Maya, helped with Liam's bath today. He really loves the bath, so he was game to kick back and let her scrub him down and splash him with water. Maya got a kick out of cleaning him up, but mostly, she enjoyed playing in the water. When Liam was done with the bath and laying in his towel, waiting to be dressed, Maya stood up on the table and declared, "Bat! Yiya, too!", which translates to "Bath! Maya, too!" She was determined to strip down and hop into the little bathtub. I didn't let her, only because she actually had a dirty diaper on, and I didn't have anything to clean her up with at that moment. Next time, I'll let her into the tub, mainly because I'm dying to see what exactly she thinks she's going to do in there! I found that giving Liam a bath is a great activity for Maya because it takes up a good chunk of time, keeps her busy and happy, and gets Liam smelling squeaky clean. Yummy!

It's fun for me to watch them interact, too. Maya is such a good "little mommy". She's always giving Liam random kisses and hugs, and yesterday she displayed the ultimate nurturing gesture... she tried to nurse him! She wanted to hold him, so she climbed under the Boppy pillow (like I always have it for nursing) and held out her hands. I sat him inside the pillow, facing her, and she lifted up her shirt and said, "Eat, eat." as she pulled his little shoulder toward her body. It was so cute. I told her that she doesn't have any "baby milk". She just looked at him for a second, put her shirt down, looked at him a moment longer, then she said, "deee" (done) while she gently pushed him towards me. As humorous as the story is, it really was a special moment, to see that level of love pour out from such a little girl. You could say that she was just mimicking what she sees several times a day, but I really think deep down it was more than that. Not only does she witness breastfeeding several times per day, but I'm sure she notices that eating is comforting to him. It's a surefire way to calm him when he cries. Although he wasn't crying when she wanted to hold him, it melted my heart to see her attempt to give of herself in that way. It was a touching moment that may never happen again, so I am thankful that I was lucky enough to witness it. Maya is really turning out to be a great, loving big sister. I'm so proud of her.