Since most of the parenting milestones with Abby have already been achieved, I felt like I was in the clear on some of them. But I guess it's not off the list until you cross it off, or she goes to college.
This past week, I had two happen! And they both involved poop!
We've been potty training. Its been going better, for me at least, since the formal initiation. Abby is being vocal about when she needs to go and doing great with being able to hold it for a while. School has been giving us great reports on her progress and have become very encouraging about the process.
We still have issues with going #2. She will poop on the potty if you can get her on the potty, but she won't tell you she needs to go until its done. Even pooping in her panties didn't cure this problem. She just didn't seem interested in not pooping in her pants.
Last week we were having bath time. She was enjoying her self chosen colored bath water. She was playing with cups and foam numbers. I heard a few bubbles rumble but didn't think anything of it. Then I heard a few more bubble rumble. Then I looked in the tub and saw the floaters.
Abby has pooped in the tub.
Awesome kid! Luckily Gene was home so he could take her out of the tub and get her dry and in pajamas. Then I got the lovely task of playing catch the poop in the cup. It was not a very fun game. There were several pieces and they seemed to float away just as I got the cup close. I drained some water out of the tub, but I didn't want it all to go out because I didn't want the poop to stick to the mat. I managed to get all the poop out and hose down the tub with Clorox.
Then I hear a little voice tell me, "I sorry mommy that I poopied in the tub".
You can't stay mad at that, so I told her again about tell us when she needs to go. She could have gone back in the tub if she wanted to after going to the potty.
Fast forward a few days.....
Its a crazy Sunday. Church in the morning, followed by a graduation lunch afterward. I thought we made great progress by Abby pooping in the potty before we went to the potty. I was sure we were in the clear for the day. We get home later then usual for nap, but I can tell she's tired so I put her in the crib.
She's hesitant to lay down, but she settles in and starts talking to herself. I go on about my business, doing chores and such like I always do. About 45 minutes into this "nap" I can still hear her in her room babbling to herself. So I go in to investigate.
As I push open the door to her room, I can smell it. Oh no... she's pooped, that's why she hasn't gone down. A typical thing for her to do, and one I didn't think about since she had already gone for the day. But then I layed eyes on her.
She's standing in her crib. Dress hiked up to her nipples. Her bare bottom showing. Pull up is ripped off and laying in the bed. Various toys and blankets are outside the bed. She's holding up her hands at me and whimpering.
Then I see the problem. She has pooped in the bed and decided to become and artist and paint her crib with it. Her hands are covered with poop. Her feet are covered with poop. Luckily the bed and crib aren't too bad. She managed to keep the pile contained.
This time I am home alone. So I hoist her out of the crib and get her in the tub. I don't let her sit because its all over her bum. She thinks its bath time and wants to play. I just want to get rid of all the poop and get her back to a nap!
Once she's clean, I tackle the crib. Thankfully, its just contained to the front rail. I get out the Clorox bathroom cleaner and go to town on the crib. I don't care if it strips the finish off, I want this poop gone! I get the rail clean so I can finally reach into the crib and get the steaming pile. Its so gross and mushy. It smears as I wipe it up. I gag a little. Abby is running around the living room like a maniac, screaming "I not tired, I no nap!"
I get the sheets off the bed. I gather up all the blankets and loveys that were in the bed and shove them into the washer. I remake the bed and promptly drop the "not tired" toddler back in the bed.
I give her a stern talking to about going to sleep and she just bats her eyelashes at me.
15 minutes later, she is screaming she needs to go potty, so I'm not taking my chances again and I get her out of the crib. At this point its late in the afternoon anyway, I give in to "No nap".
Gene gets home shortly after that and is surprised to see her awake. I tell him he must not have seen his text messages. He pulls is phone out of his pocket and takes a look. He gets big eyed and then asks if everything is ok. At this point its all cleaned up and over with.
I thought we were well past the phases of pooping in the tub and painting with your poop. I can only hope now that this was a once and done experience for all of us and its not something I will have to endure again. I certainly don't want two poop tragedies in the same week ever again!
