I believe I once said I loved snow, and that if it was going to be cold, I’d rather it be cold with snow. Well, I’ve changed my mind, or at least modified my opinion to exclude years when I’m pregnant.
Going anywhere this weekend was trying at best, thanks to all of the snow and ice. We received another 2-3″ of snow on Saturday, which provided some traction, but mostly served to obscure the ice underneath. By this point, many places of business had given up on trying to clear their parking lots and sidewalks, and simply hoped their customers wouldn’t fall and break a bone. I had no choice but to be out in it, as I had to work on Saturday, and had class on Sunday.
I’ve also changed my opinion on the advantages of being pregnant in the winter. When we discussed trying for baby #2, part of our timing involved the decision that it might be better for me to be pregnant during colder months, avoiding the heat of the summer like last time. (Cordy was born in September.) Having been through only one month of trying to keep my off-balanced self upright on the snow and ice, I’m starting to think my judgement was wrong. Sweating and swelling from the heat seem pretty insignificant right now. Then again, it’s always greener on the other side of the fence, right?
Aaron spent most of the weekend at a stage combat workshop he and a friend were hosting for local actors. With both of our schedules being busy, babysitting was needed for Cordy, which proved to be difficult. It seems everyone had something to do. Luckily, one of my aunts stepped in to watch Cordy for a little while both days.
On Saturday, we learned an important lesson: Cordy may like Mexican food, but it doesn’t like her. My aunt had taken her to a local Mexican restaurant, and she said Cordy loved munching on tortilla chips and ate most of a cheese quesadilla. When I came home from work, Cordy was already napping. But the nap didn’t last long before I heard her making whimpering noises. I went in to get her and, as is often the case with a baby poop story, the smell hit me first. I then noticed her pants were wet, and the sheet was stained. (Warning: the next paragraph is the graphic one. Sensitive stomachs may choose to skip it.)
Holding her out at arms length, I took her downstairs to clean her up. At first, I thought it was only a small diaper blowout. But as I laid her down on the changing pad, I heard a loud squish. This was not going to go well. Turns out, her thick sweatshirt was hiding the true nature of this pooptastrophe. This wasn’t a small blowout – we’re talking Category 5 blowout here. She had poop nearly up to her neck in the back, up her belly in the front, and oozing down her legs to her socks. While I was disgusted, it was hard not to be impressed, too: how did that much poop come out of someone so small?. Surely she lost a pound or two from that experience.
I did what damage control I could with wipes, then moved her to the bathtub. After a full scrub-down, I changed the bath water and let her play while throwing her clothing, the crib sheet, the one toy that didn’t survive the blast, and even the plastic changing pad into the washer. All is now sanitized again.
Or at least it was until this morning. After the Mexican incident, Cordy wasn’t interested in eating much. So she went on a self-imposed, mostly liquid diet, wanting only juice, milk, and the occasional PB&J sandwich. As you can guess, that caught up to her today. Thankfully, I wasn’t on duty for this pooptastrophe. Since it’s President’s Day, Aaron has the day off work, which means he gets to experience what I go through two days a week relax at home with Cordy.
Thx for the poo story warning. And for the lack of photos of the incident.
I thought pregnancy in the summer was really bad, please don’t crush my hopes for a pregnancy in the winter! That’s what I plan for my second, too…
Holy shitstorm, Batman! You’re a real trooper. Not pregnant, I can handle vomit, diarrhea, you name it. But pregnant? I would have been in tears.
Hope Cordy is feeling better 🙂
A friend of mine directed me to “A Mommy Story” because of a similar incident we had last month. I never would have imagined that I could laugh in the face of so much poop.
A single friend of mine recently said, after I had picked up a friend’s child who was throwing up at school, “If I see, hear or smell puke, I puke.”
I have found that, even if at one time I felt that way, I no longer do. If it’s my husband, I get a little twinge, but my kids? I’m all about TCB, scrubbin with bleach and prayin that I don’t get it too.
Way to take care of that…stuff.
oh, i had some bad momments being pregnant during the winter. we lived in an apartment at the time, and to get to the parking area, we would walk down stairs outside. well, the one day they were icy and i slipped and fell all the way down. Not good for baby.
[btw, i happened to come across your blog. Hope you dont mind me stopping by
Whoa!! Our baby Andrew had a similar blowout recently and poop was everywhere. I, ahem, was away on business when it happened so I didn’t get the pleasure of cleaning it up…(thank God – there is a positive to business travel!)
Next time you need babysitting call me up – Cordy and CJ would get along great! Seriously!
Working at an infant day care center during college taught me a few lessons about the power of poop. Imagine hearing that squish from another room, from two or three different toddlers who’ve passed a stomach virus around.
It’s amazing how we can look past the grossness of it all and just do what has to be done. I can’t wait to be a mom.
Oh dear. You are a braver woman than me. I have been known to throw clothes away when a nasty blowout occurs!
I was just ranting about how stupid it is of me to be pregnant in the winter. Ice+Snow does not a mobile pregnant woman make.
I’ve purposefully gotten pregnant in the winter TWICE. Why?