Post Placement and Poop

Wednesday, for me, began as any other day...up at 4:30am and out the door around 5 for work. While quietly tiptoeing in the darkness past the girls’ room, my nose took notice of a sharp scent, and I made a mental note that we should empty and freshen the diaper genie before our social worker arrived that afternoon for post placement visit #2.

Normally around 8:30am or so I receive a daily phone call or email from Pat describing how his morning went with the girls - were there any meltdowns, did he get them dressed and out the door okay, and we discuss any special things or appointments that may be scheduled for that day. More than an hour early, my in box “dinged” indicating that my morning “D & T update” had arrived. My eyes widened as I glanced at the subject line which read, “Treya and poop”.

The short two or three lines indicated that a small disaster had occurred in the night, and daddy was a little frazzled this morning. When it comes to poop, daddy tends to be a bit dramatic, so I picked up the phone to give a bit of moral support. Much to his disapproval, his report had me belly laughing with nothing but breathy bursts and squeaks coming through the receiver on his end, albeit at his and Treya’s expense. Some help I was!

Apparently, at some point during the night, most likely soon after the lights went out, Treya pooped in her diaper. Feeling a little uncomfortable and in a semi conscience state, she decided to remedy the situation. This child is a SOUND and ACTIVE sleeper, so it is of no surprise that she did not wake herself as she somehow managed to take off her jammies and her full diaper and snuggle back down into a deep slumber.

Nearly 12 hours of ACTIVE and SOUND sleep later, Devi went to wake her little sister. Poor Pat was startled awake by the sound of padded running feet and a near hysterical Devi screaming, “Daddy, daddy, I went to wake Treya and...come, come!”

Donning his CSI cap, daddy puzzled together the crime scene. Most likely the full diaper was trapped for a time under Treya’s belly, but she must have freed herself pushing it south, only to have it catch on her legs and feet, one of which is still in a cast. Not to be contained, she wriggled her legs back and forth, possibly turning over several times before settling into the crease where the mattress and bumper meet. Here she went pee pee, poor child, which managed to be wicked onto the carpet via the crib skirt. Through it all, her hands and hair managed to stay clean.

In full on “Big Sister” mode, Dev grabbed the wipes and together, she and daddy tackled the crusty mess that encased Treya’s body, described as plaster, by daddy. Daddy said in mommy’s absence, Devi was instrumental in this project. After scrubbing Treya, starting a load of laundry, and doing a bit of carpet cleaning, what was left to contend with was a pink and brown stinky cast. How does one clean a cast? Blazing a trail like a pioneer, daddy tried soap, water, toilet brush- somehow appropriate, resolve carpet cleaner, febreeze, and hydrogen peroxide to no avail. With time running out, he put a sock over the cast to muffle the stench and off to daycare and work they went.

At 3:30, our social worker pulled into the driveway, just as we all arrived home from work for our post placement visit. All was going along well, Treya was engaging (not hiding under the table), and we happily answered all of her questions about all of our family’s progress. Then she asked to see Treya’s cast. Without a second thought, I whipped the sock off instantly releasing the most foul odor causing us all to gasp, our lungs clinging to the last molecules of fresh air left in the room. Even Treya turned up her nose. I couldn’t have been more embarrassed, thankful, however, that we have a good relationship with our social worker, who never wavered once with thoughts that perhaps our parenting plan does not include bathing! In the end, she gave a glowing report and got a chuckle or two out of the story. Phew!

Treya is back into straight jacket jammies (they snap in the back) and we are not looking forward to the next two weeks of a cow spotted cast that smells, but at least we’ve improved on the scent. If ever in this predicament....bleach water does the trick! A suggestion taken from my chiropractor’s office.