Poop Happens.

This story is disgusting but for memory's sake, I wanted to jot it down....

Today the kids and I were out running errands before piano lessons.  I happened to be in the area of town where one of my favorite children's consignment stores is located so we stopped by.  It never fails...EVERY time we go to this store--no matter what time of day it is--Charlotte poops while we are there.  She has been potty training and doing so well and at our last stop before the store, she had gone potty so I was confident that this would be a quick in and out visit.

While we were there, Caroline came to me to say she had to go to the bathroom badly and the door was locked.  I had a pile of stuff in my arms so I asked the girl at the front if she could unlock the door.  She said that the bathroom was out of order and I'd have to go next door to the toy shop to use their bathroom.  Caroline said she might be able to wait, so I went on browsing in the boy's size 6 rack.  Then Charlotte told me, "I'm pooping, Mommy."  UGH!  I realized she wasn't quite doing it--yet---so I grabbed her, laid my stuff behind the counter and the four of us rushed next door to their bathroom. As I was hurrying, I felt bad that I had dropped everything for her but asked Caroline if she could wait. Good Mommy, Donna.   It was a one-stall bathroom (figures), so Caroline let Charlotte go first.  She had gone some in her pull-up, so I threw it away, cleaned her up and put her bloomers back on by themselves.  I just knew she had gotten it all out and once we got to the car, I'd slip a diaper back on.  So, we all did our business and walked back next door to pay for our stuff.

 By this time, it had gotten a little crazy in the store with customers.  So as I was checking out, Charlotte announces to me, "I'm pooping, Mommy."  I looked down, horrified, knowing all that was holding it in was a thin, white bloomer.  I could tell that she was definitely pooping, too.  As I was signing my receipt she said, "I'm peepeeing, Mommy."  WHAT?!  I moved her over and sure enough, there was a huge puddle under her.  The girls running the store were about 19 and were clueless.  I asked if they had some paper towels and cleaner, and all they handed over were baby wipes.  They looked disgusted and I apologized as I hurriedly wiped up the big puddle, with customers standing behind me.  As I was  wiping it, Caroline was saying "Ew!  Gross!" and Roy Boy was telling me, "I'm sorry you have to do that, Mommy."  I was just embarrassed and nervous about the nasty mess that was sitting in her bloomers that I would have to deal with and I was hoping it wouldn't be dripping down her leg by the time we made it to the car. I asked the girl for a shopping bag to put the nasty wipes in and she handed me a wadded up, used grocery bag that had a chewed up piece of gum stuck in it.  Why, I don't know.  It is a store that sells stuff that is placed in BAGS when purchased.  Whatever.  I just wanted out of there!

So we quickly got out of there and my blood was boiling.  Why didn't she just finish her business when she was on the potty!  She's been doing so well lately with potty training!!  Looking back, I believe I was pulling her across the parking lot as she walked like a little cowboy.  Again, nice job Mom.  By the time we made it to the car, I threw everything in the front seat on the floor and just hoped I had a diaper.  I had a swim diaper and plenty of wipes (or so I thought).  Finally I found a diaper.  Thank you, Lord!  I peeked into her bloomers to see what we were dealing with and let's just say poop that has been peed on is nasty.  So the best way I could think of to deal with this was to lay her down on the seat and carefully slide off the bloomers.  Bad choice.  As I did this, they got caught in her sandals and poop....went....everywhere.  Runny poop.  I literally about cried.  I grabbed for wipe after wipe and did the best I could.  It was on her leg, in her sandals, on the bottom of her sandals, on her thighs, on my SEAT, on the running board of the Suburban.  Everywhere.  I was half way done cleaning up this mess, and hoping nobody could see this episode taking place and hoping nobody heard my frustrations!!  Then I was out of wipes.  Caroline was handing me paper to use but that wouldn't cut it.  The only thing I could see to use was the nasty bag of peepee wipes, so I started reusing them, while be encouraged by my two oldest ones.  Frustrating does not even begin to describe the moment...escalated by the hot summer sun.  So, Charlotte settled into her seat, I put everything---even the disgusting bloomers (my favorite ones, by the way)---into the chewed gum bag and sealed it up.  Thankfully, Caroline had her school hand sanitizer with her.  I doused my poopie and peepee hands with it and got into the drivers seat.  Something about poop and hand sanitizer does not smell clean, no matter how much you use.  And as I drove away in crazy lunch hour traffic on Park Road, trying to get into the Chick-fil-A parking lot for lunch before piano lessons in 30 minutes, I realized I had dried poopoo in my finger nails.  We had no time to park and run in for me to wash my hands.

After we got our food, made it to lessons and were waiting in the hall for Caroline's teacher, I ran to the bathroom and scrubbed and scrubbed my hands and fingernails.  Those same hands that cleaned up Caroline's mess once in my doctor's office (Click Here for that story), and those same hands that cleaned up Roy Austin's poop disaster in his crib one day when he decided to try to wipe it up himself...with no wipes but his hands.  I guess every child has a "Story" and today was Charlotte's:)