Paying my dues

From the very beginning, I have always felt as though this mom thing was like a big sorority... you are either in or out of the club. You either get it or you don't and, until you are actually a mom yourself you don't "get it." I often felt like those moms that were already a part of the sorority made it out to be a bigger deal than it actually was, that it couldn't possibly be THAT difficult. I figure you pay your initial dues (the nausea, the vomitting, the enormous ankles and then delivery) and then you are a member for life. Boy was I wrong. Very, very wrong.

It turns out that there are several dues to be paid. Every day there is some new twist or turn to this mom thing and it gets more fun (and yet all the more complicated) each time. I have a feeling that I have a lifetime of dues yet to pay and each day I am just making a small, seemingly insignificant, contribution to the overall payment.

Today was one of those days where I cashed in some pretty HUGE dues. It was one of THOSE days. I will begin by saying that the last few weeks have been a little rough for us. Will was sick with a cold, then I got what I self-diagnosed as the stomach flu and all the while I worried that Charlie (who has remained relatively unscathed in this season of sickness) would get everything we got. She did finally seem to get a touch of my illness (the week after Valentine's day) and had several poopy diapers in one day (which is a stark contrast to her usual bowel movement every 3 or 4 days). By the next day, she seemed back to normal. Fast forward then to yesterday where we were going on day 11 of still NO poop. (from one extreme to another!)
I called the pediatrician and they recommended prune juice. I was leary just because she had never had juice before and had been only on breast milk (and 2 days worth of rice cereal!) up until this point. I checked out the La Leche websites and they said that it was completely normal for a breastfed baby to poop once every 7-10 days even. I figured I would give it one more day and see what happened.
This morning, IT happened. She had the largest, most awful poop, just as we were getting ready to head out the door. It was so bad that she was COVERED in it from head to toe (well, at least ears to ankles!) It was so bad that my warped little mind actually thought... man, I wish Will were here to take pictures of this... it has to be some sort of record for the most poop to come out of such a small being.) I too did not escape. I swear I had it up to my elbows. Then, as I was using half the case of baby wipes to clean her up and removing her brand new (and now unsalvageable) outfit, she tipped to the side and hit her head on the wall... of course, that was met with extreme displeasure on her part but, obviously, I had no way of cuddling and consoling her as she was still caked with poop. Half an hour (and a box of baby wipes, plus a hose down and a bath) later, she was fresh and a daisy and we were ready to be on our way. However, the experience still haunts me. Some days, motherhood really is a baptism by fire (or by crap, as the case may be)...

It was horrific. I called Will when I FINALLY got out the door and told him, "I cannot even begin to tell you exactly how sad I am that you did not stick around this morning for 10 minutes more." That much poop is definitely a 2 person job!

I also told him that I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we ended up finding remnants of the debacle in the coming days... maybe in her crevices, her folds, her ears... God only knows!! One thing I do know is that I sincerely doubt I will be able to participate in the "Club Mud" experience at Glen Ivy any time soon... too much similarity in the entire process. It could give me flashbacks!

She spent the rest of the day (as she does each Tuesday) with Aunt Lisa as I went into the office. Reports are that she was happy and talkative the rest of the day (wouldn't you be?) So, this ends "Charlie's poop watch 2008." I hope it is the last... although if it isn't we are seriously going to have to do something about her diet. I can't do that every week and a half!

Speaking of the diet, she has (as I mentioned above) started rice cereal (which makes the above story all that more disgusting as we all know (well, at least those in the "sorority" certainly know) that adding anything to baby's diet other than breastmilk makes their poop all the more stinky!) The first day she didn't seem to know what to make of it, the second day, however, she went at it like a champ. She ate all of it that we made up. I can hardly believe that we are into this stage already. I feels like just when you master one stage, it is time to move on. I am not sure I am really feeling ready to move ahead, but sometimes you have no choice! I do know that I want to make her baby food so I need to invest in a good steamer and some freezing containers (they have some cool ones that are intended specifically for baby food making!) Several moms I know have done it so I am grateful to have their encouragement. I just think I would feel better about knowing exactly what she is getting and I know it would be a ton cheaper than buying baby food. Plus, I think it is probably better for the environment because there is less waste if I use reusable containers. :) It is a win-win- win!

So, there you have it... my most recent "mommy-dues" payment. I know that I have a TON more to come but I have to say that it is still the best sorority in the world to be a part of and all those dues I have been paying are completely worth it. How could they NOT be? Look at that face!!!!