Talking S**t   1/8/2013

“Never in my life did I think I would talk so much about poop.” Although I have uttered these words many times it was funny to hear them said to me recently by another parent.  The expulsion from the body that although is necessary, is generally a taboo subject in conversations.  But something happens when you have little ones, it not only becomes acceptable, but an almost mandatory 
part of your daily dialogues. 
I even found my self discussing it with other parents at a dinner party of all places.  You must be careful however, because only those with children who are in the age range of your kids can hear it, or maybe a grandmother or real close friend, but somehow parents of older children have (happily I think) forgotten this period and how they too had an intimate relationship with the P.  

Dealing with a small child is essentially dealing with a wild animal.  With their lack of verbal communication we need to find signs of their well-being any way we can.  From the motherhood books we know how it looks when they are first born, through breastfeeding, and when they transition to food.  But those books fail to get to the detail we really need:  **what if it goes bad**!!!  
Both boys have periodically dealt with a difficulty in moving it out. That is until recently.  December was a terribly messy month. Our home has still not totally lost the lingering scent from the two of them inflected with stomach viruses.  It seemed like our house was a factory for the stuff.

Matty waiting for mom.
Are they using human waste as an alternative fuel source yet?  If so I could make a fortune!  The baby was so sick with it he required three nights in the hospital for dehydration. Mid-December – the perfect time of year to be quarantined with a 10 month old for 96 hours! That didn’t add to my holiday stress at all…
Now we are again looking at the efforts of one son and trying to figure out why he is frankly such an awful mess.  Last Sunday we were leaving a hotel in New Hampshire for a two and a half hour ride home.  Luckily he had already filled – yep filled- his second diaper of the morning.  So being a good mommy I gave him a quick dunk in the tub to get him nice and clean for the journey.  Twenty minutes into the car ride – there was that all too familiar order taunting me from the back seat.  I can only be grateful that the gas station we stopped at (which did not have a changing table) was at least relatively clean because as it was shooting out on to his leg there really was no option but to lie him on the floor and get to work.  

Will enjoying a favorite:
 homemade pizza!

Matty having his IV removed!.
After a month of this I finally had enough and was able to get him in to see his pediatrician. The doctor nicely listened to my concerns (I guess you can add him to the OK to talk to list) but somehow it still felt wrong on some level to be talking about P. The pediatrician  has a few theories on what may be going on.  But in order to confirm any we need to provide the lab with samples.  So it was take these tubes home & read the directions.  
These 2 ½ inch high & quarter size in diameter tubes needed to be filled at least 2/3 capacity, and let’s not forget the other big container and the three smaller ones you need to collect with a stick.  Who won the job to get all this? Mommy of course.  So as my son sat (again) in the tub – there I was dutifully collecting the sample.  He should never forget his mother loves him –this above all else is proof. 
Hopefully we will soon know what is up with his gut and end the mess and smell that has infiltrated our home.   Oh and if this hasn't been enough mess –both boys ended the month with pink eye.  Great – s**t in the eyes too!
Update 1/16/13
 We know its a protozoa that's making all the mess. We have to wait a few days for the medicine to be compounded, but I don't mind, at least its something that can be easily treated. Once again I am reminded how lucky we are to be living in modern times. 

Now I'm just waiting for a warm day to vent my house!

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