i love the girl, BUT...

may i just share with you a scenario in which my love for her seems to flow a little less freely? (just a little...)

we had just finished in the bathtub and the girl was diaper-less, shall we say, as i was getting her clothes out to get her dressed. i had my back to her as i was looking in the closet and she was playing with her toys and books and talking to me as i was picking out a dress for church. suddenly she said, "oh no."

i should have known right then...

but i didn't. i just kept looking in the closet. 8 seconds later when i turned around to clothe her, she said it again, and then again. i looked down to discover what the "oh no" was all about.

yep friends, there it was. right on the floor. in a perfectly fresh, mustard brown, smelly heap with a few scraps strewn about. one of which i put my big toe in. my day turned to really super awesome right there in that moment.

guh-reat, i say to myself and look at her as she looks at me, saying "oh no" over and over, wondering how much trouble she is about to get into. poor girl, not really her fault, i realize, but still...! huge bummer.

now, let me interject with two comments here: 1) at least she knew she had done something that wasn't exactly supposed to happen. are we on our way to full on potty training? i'm not sure... but the fact that she knew she made a big mess means we're kind of on the right track right? and 2) poop, and messes such as these, are not nearly as devastating when it's your own kid. try to convince me of that before i had children and i would tell you you're nutso, but it's true. (not that it's pleasant either, i mean, come on. but let's be honest, it's not as bad. i mean, they're your kid. you can't get that mad.)

am i lucky to have gotten this far without any major prior accidents such as this? i don't know. maybe. don't really have anything to compare it to. but if i am, then well... i applaud myself for getting so far. maybe it's preparation for the next one. frankly, i hope i make it accident-free just as far with him too.

sigh...


despite the accidents, i still love the girl.