A Perplexing Bathtime

Last night, as we attempted to give Daniel a bath, something strange happened. He wasn't at all hesitant to climb into the bathtub (which he has been a couple of times), but it pretty much all went downhill from there.

As he stood in 3 or 4 inches of water, testing it out before sitting down, Daniel peed. Now, this has happened before. He has peed while running naked down the hall towards the bathroom, as well as in the bathtub itself. I'm sure most moms would tell you this is very common. In fact, my Daniel might be one of the few 2-year-olds who has never pooped in the tub (though now I'm sure I've jinxed it).

For some reason, this time was different. He sat down in the tub, but he couldn't stop looking down at his penis. It was like he was scared by what had come out of there. I tried to wash him, but he kept whining and whimpering, saying, "Out, mommy, out!" He wouldn't play with his bath toys, or even take his hands off the edge of the tub. He just continued glancing down at his penis, distressed.

Washing his hair was interesting, since his head was pressed against my arm. When I rinsed the shampoo, most of the water poured over the side of the tub and onto my leg. All the while, I was trying to comfort him, telling him it was okay and that he was fine. But he wouldn't hear any of it. When I finally shut off the water and lifted him out of the tub, he seemed to calm down. Peter insisted on giving him some "naked time" before putting on his diaper, but Daniel just wrapped the towel more tightly around himself and dragged it into his room.

Once he was dressed and ready for bed, he was relaxed. There was no stress or unhappiness. I'm still not 100% sure that his peeing in the tub is what freaked him out. I'm just guessing because the whole situation was so strange. Tuesday night's bath should be interesting.