massageme

It’s really not that surprising, but for some reason I think it’s so cool. Cal likes massages. In my mind, massage is an activity that only some lucky adults indulge in, but it makes sense that babies like to be touched in the same way.

OK, so I was slow in starting the nightly massage because massaging requires Cal to lie relatively still, without being rocked or stimulated, following his least favorite activity of disrobing. I was skeptical, and of course, wrong. Cal has taken right to it.

We’re gradually establishing our massage time. Cal lies on the bed, clad in a diaper, while I lather him up with baby oil, and our Mozart CD hums in the background. Right now, we use the time as bridge to bedtime – it’s a part of my grand scheme to create the illusion of routine.

I start with his legs and feet. That’s his favorite. I wring each thigh like a towel. Then I move my hand over his knee to massage his calves. I pull his little piggy toes and stroke the bottoms of his “feetsies.” Sometimes we just stop there. Or sometimes he likes his arms done (but this can trigger his Moro reflex, and his arms pop right out like a karate chop, as Shaun says). If we’re up for more, I make circles on his belly and over his shoulder, or even drape him over my legs to tackle his back (tiny backs are so cute!), or his head. His hair continues to grow almost exclusively in the back, and I twist his long hairs around my fingers as I go along.

One of the great perks of massage is spying Cal’s curves. He’s got lots of little hills and valleys on his long, green bean body. But my favorite thing is his amazingly soft pot belly. His tummy has a sweet roundness. Last night, Shaun remarked on the growth of his girth (once, Cal had a tiny (er, tinier) frame; in his announcements, you can see the silhouette of his ribs). Now, he’s robust, relatively speaking. Anyway, Cal really calms down when we start. It seems like he’s focusing on the sensations, that’s what I like to think anyway. Perhaps we just both know how special this time is so we sit still and soak it in.