One of my favorite posts on this blog is from December 2009. We'd just returned to America for Christmas, and our first day back in LA, we made a beeline for In-n-Out Burger. (Duh.) Our little Grace, just 6 months old at the time, chose that moment to have a serious diaper containment breach. And I was without our diaper bag. And our Double Doubles and milkshakes had just arrived--leaving was not an option, guys! Remember this?
Read the post if you wanna see the parenting kung fu I employed to solve the problem. Or an alternative interpretation could be my stunning lack of forethought and planning. Either way!
I was powerfully reminded of this last Friday evening. Jason and I took the kids to McDonald's to shower them with Happy Meals and send them merrily into the Playland. Such a perfect plan...what could possibly go wrong? We'd just arrived, and as Jason was carrying Grace into the restaurant, he told me she was, um, aromatic.
Of course, that would be the moment when I realized that he hadn't grabbed the diaper bag when we left home like I'd thought he had. Cause he thought I had. (Totally not my fault.) I ran out to the car to see if we had an extra diaper in the car--we didn't. By the time I got back inside, Gracie was pointing at her bottom and loudly proclaiming, "Poo! Pooooo!" And again, her cup runneth over--there was leakage, and we had an official Situation on our hands.
Due to my quick thinking (and Jason pointing her out), I asked a nearby mom if we could borrow a diaper. Then I laughed self-consciously, "Actually, can we just have one? I really shouldn't say 'borrow'". Har har har. She was very gracious.
I changed Grace in the restroom, removed her pants and put Ava's jacket on her over her T-shirt. It was much too large of course, but at least it mostly covered her little borrowed-diaper bum. And then I did what any mother of three does: I sent her out to play in the playland. With no pants on.
That's not tacky.
(Tomorrow, I'll tell you about how I think I'm accidentally being tacky in another way. Oh, these subtle cultural differences!)
Wow, look at how much smaller the kids were! Don't you just love the fact that Grace's language acquisition make her able to announce her situation to one and all. I love your cool head under fire and your wardrobe creativity!
ReplyDeleteI think a diaper and a jacket are sufficient attire to go just about anywhere! If one is a toddler.
ReplyDeleteI am loving your every day post plan!
I should emulate you.
I am just totally distracted by the In-n-Out....love that place....miss it here in the midwest...
ReplyDeleteI seen people wearing less at McDonalds.
ReplyDeleteI'm visiting through your sister's blog and glad to have found you! I have to say that I'm very happy to have left diaper containment days behind --
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to a May of posts! I don't think I can sign up for all that myself, but you did motivate me to post today when I ordinarily wouldn't have!
ReplyDeleteOn our very first trip to the pediatrician after Seamus was born, we forgot to even have diapers in the diaper bag. LOL. We had to "borrow" one from another family there.
That's mothering MacGyver style. I totally dig it.
ReplyDeleteCal's first Halloween, my brother and I dressed her as the yellow Teletubby and took her trick or treating. She had an accident. Of course I didn't think to bring an extra change of clothes while we made the poor thing peddle for candy. The rest of the way, she was in just her Teletubby hat and no pants. But hey, the important thing is that we got a lot of candy. That's what counts, right?
Also...every day in May? I'll see you tomorrow.
lol There's much to be said for being the mother of three. I remember a trip to the pedatrician that entailed the complete undressing of my twins for an official examination. Having undressed then dressed we found a bootie left over. On investigation it was not ours. Enquiries revealed it must have belong to the previous mum's bub. Poor Lady, I said sympathetically. How many does she have? Just the one, said the doctor & rolled his eyes! After that first one nothing fazes you any more ~ not even diaper leakages in public places! ☺
ReplyDeleteI am laughing at the thought of Grace saying "poo...." in public coz I've seen her do it in real life :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Elizabeth #1! thanks for visiting! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, no one seemed to take much notice, but I felt a bit boorish! Of course, it's just McDonalds...not exactly fine dining!