Like riding a bike, there are some things you never forget how to do...

Thursday, October 14, 2010

I was planning a run, but found that I was going to be babysitting instead. I’d agreed to the plan, but thought it was going to happen a little later in the evening and I’d be able to get in my workout. Once Ash left and I was alone with Ollie, I quickly remembered how many calories can be burned trying to stay with a three-year. Ollie’s language skills aren’t completely developed, but he says one thing pretty clearly.

“Paw…let’ play.” I mean I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t heard it, but I knew playing meant going in his room and building stuff with blocks, playing with action figures and pretending his Buzz Lightyear actually had a life-threatening lazar shooting out of his arm, which could drop me cold. I pulled ‘Bambi’ from the video shelf, inserted it in the VCR, hit play and tried to get him interested…with no success. I finally caved and we headed for his room. I played for the next hour and when it was time for bed, I got him into his pajamas and took him into the bathroom for the things that needed to be done there. I didn’t know what his peeing procedure was, but I quickly discovered what it wasn’t. He pulled a stool up to the toilet, took off his pajama bottoms, a tried to direct a stream into the toilet. At least I think that was his plan…it was hard to tell since NONE of it arrived there.

“Ollie…whoa…your missing the toilet,” I said while reaching out to stop the stream with my hand. It did little to keep pee from going all over the floor…or my hand. I cleaned up the mess, got him to brush his teeth and got him into bed.

I went down to my office to start getting camping gear. I was taking a trip to State College, Pa. to watch Kim run in an extremely competitive cross country invitational at Penn State. I figured it would be a good chance to get in one final camping trip for the season and planned to hike a portion of the Allegheny Front Trail in Moshannon State Forest while there. I was pretty focused on what I needed to bring, but I thought I’d heard Ollie calling. I had and when I got to his room, he was speaking in tongues, but I thought he’d said something about poop.

“I poo paw,” he said.

“You pooped?” I asked and he said he had. By then I was smelling it, if there was any doubt. I hoped for gas, but prepared for something a little more solid as we headed for the bathroom. Now…I once went 14 consecutive years changing diapers every day. I knew how to do this thing…when I had the equipment. I’d always worked from a changing table with wipes at the ready and a backup diaper at hand. None of these things were present and I didn’t know where to find them…and they are not overrated in this situation. I improvise well, though, and with a warm washcloth, had him cleaned up in no time and back in bed.

I went back to organizing the camping overnight. I was thinking I’d need to hike a long way and maybe get in a run, too, if I was to make up for what I’d missed today. What I hadn’t missed though, was poopy diapers. Thanks, Ollie.