Sunday, November 23, 2008

Good Times

After my rather dismal posts of the past few days I am going to try and make this one a bit more practical. Things are good. Wren has been enjoying many good times during Granny's visit. Today, despite the weather we decided to take an afternoon walk around Greenlake. After doing little to no exercise for a few months, the Greenlake circuit seemed longer than usual but Wren enjoyed it - especially the parts where we saw ducks and even chased them. Here he is chasing a large flock of ducks eating grass.


Wren also enjoyed his new BOB stroller. We bought it on sale today. I have been wanting a new stroller for a long while but finally said that if we got through surgery Okay we would have one. The old one conveniently collapsed the week before we went to Stanford which was an omen. Here Wren is 'watching ducks' with the binoculars.


This picture is a flashback to the first day after Wren was released from hospital. Yes, it was a bit ridiculous to be on the beach but it was more restful than running about the house and it was California, sunny, warm and just before we returned to the Northern Darks. I am glad we went. It is another good memory. Wren loved the sand beach and collecting stones.


People have been very kind to us, continuing to provide meals and little gifts for the kids. When we returned from California, Josh's colleagues at work had sent a box of gifts for Frost and Wren and another arrived shortly afterwards. The following pictures show Wren opening the last gift which turned out to be a creature we call "cuddle bunny". Wren loves cuddle bunny but sometimes bad things happen to cuddle bunny and he has to run and hide. Here, Wren snuggles him and tells him its all better.



Totally Disgusting Post-script
Of course, I can't write a whole blog post in this up-beat way. Rather than gloom I am going to finish with Gross and Disgusting. This evening, I had persuaded Wren to bath with me but he had pee'ed in the bath. I was wondering whether it was Okay for his incision to be in the pee-water (I am used to wallowing in children's pee) and thought we should get out. As I moved to get Wren out I looked at the water and poop billowed up.

It was not a small poop - it was a mix of floaters and poop-water. I shrieked and popped Wren out the bath. Our bath drains very slowly due to cruddy old plumbing and I couldn't wait to get clean so I stood in the poopy-bath and turned on the shower and washed myself down with the strawberry kids shampoo as hard as I could. Wren was scared of the shower and tried to escape but all I could think was that I had bathed his incision and chest-tube wound in poop. It was not on the discharge instructions and so he could not be released.

I held him in the shower and washed him with hotel soap.

He cried.

Afterwards, I made a solution of Dettol (an antiseptic and disinfectant used in homes and hospitals in England, South Africa and Australia) and sponged his stomach and neck.

I also filled the bath with the solution and I think I will shower for a few days.

Frost did this to me once when he was an infant. Now how many of you have bathed in poop TWICE in your lives?

4 comments:

Wyndi said...

ok your to funny! Izzy pooped in the bath for the first time a month ago! luckily I was not in ti and even better luck Steven was bathing her that night! ha! Wren looks great in the pictures! Your boys are so cute! I am glad that you are out even though the weather here is not so good, normal but not warm at all! I miss the sunshine and summer always feels too short! yea for the new stroller you have been wanting one for a long time!

Heather Jandusay said...

All I can say is..... EWWWWWWWW!!! I don't recall Kyler ever pooping in the tub, but I'm sure he did at one time or another.

tamusana said...

ah yes, I can smell that sharp, antiseptic Dettol aroma as I read this. Lucky you had some on hand; it's probably your best defense in this particularly gruesome situation.

Can't say I've bathed in anyone's poop, as far as I know. Beurk, as they say in French.

I'd better stop before I start recounting some of Luca and Kenji's lowest (or highest-up-the-back) poo moments ;-)

On a different topic: some sweet Kenji wisdom today, when the boys were outside sweeping zen garden style patterns into a light covering of snow and they came across some ice: "It's dry water. When you pick it up, it's glass."

Unknown said...

I have been pooped on three times in the bath. I know. You think I would've learned after the second time. Or the first time for that matter. But they were both infants the first time around, and then the second time with Piper was when she was potty training and I was overly confident we could get away with a poop-free bath. Shame on me.

We still want to see you guys and bring and/or share a meal with you. I am getting over this horrid flu still so hopefully soon.

Happy Thanksgiving. We are very thankful for your friendship!