Saturday, August 2, 2008

Potty Talk: An Honest Look at Motherhood

Being a mother is one of the best things in life.  And one of the hardest.  From the moment that little bug decides it's time to come out of your uterus, there's pain, pressure, stretching, and lots of embracing the inevitable.  There are moments so intense with love and joy, I think heaven has surely come to earth.  Then there are moments (or days or weeks) of these reactions, attitudes, and behaviors that have come from the hotter side of after-life.

I love my kids.  I mean, there is this surge of fullness in my soul when I think about their faces.  Here are a few of the highlights of late:

1.  Colby, who has been crawling and might even be close to walking, has discovered toilet paper.  No, not the dry kind, off the roll.  The used kind, hand-picked out of the toilet, left over from big sister's lack of flushing.  Don't worry too much, it's just #1.  I hesitated telling my germaphobic husband who made the predicted "EW.  AH.  UGH." face but then told me the same story the next day.  We're training Zoe to close the bathroom door whenever she walks out.

2.  We have been potty training since late March, which now makes for more than four months of bathroom runs, wet panties, and pull-ups.  We have days where she goes through six pairs - in an hour.  I recently couldn't find a single dry, clean pair so we did a lot of laundry and I decided to count just how many pairs she owns.  27.  Yep, twenty seven pairs of pink/purple/striped/polka-dotted/you-name-it, we-got-it panties.  Victoria's Secret would make millions if they introduced a toddler line.

3.  On the road of bathroom mishaps, let me share with you about our dogs.  Wednesday morning: I walk into our playroom to a huge pile of dog poo.  "Honey, I have to leave for work.  Sadie had an accident in the playroom.  Love you" were my words walking out the door.  Thursday: Again, I'm about to walk out the door when Brad discovers Bailey in her kennel, covered with dog poo.  He puts her outside to clean up the mess while Zoe helps by picking up the soiled dog.  I leave  my sweet husband to pick up the pieces.  Bailey peed on our bed later that day, too.  Lucky for her, I wasn't home to take her to the pound.

This world is full of mess, chaos, and poo.  Our lives are often as pungent as puppy accidents and repulsive as drinking toilet water.  I'm so thankful for a God who gets close to our messes and cleans them up for us.  I'm grateful, too, that He is patient with me.  He perseveres for my love and affection even when I prefer the grosser things in life.

Being a mom is the best thing.    

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