10 months old......and the long awaited poop story

Erik is 10 months old today! It amazes me that 10 months has gone by so much faster than 9 months of pregnancy did! He still isn't crawling, but is considering it. He rolls and rolls all day long and his butt is getting higher in the air making his knees go underneath him, but that's about as closer to crawling as he gets. Doesn't he look so big in this picture? He's losing his sweet infant look and growing into a toddler with quite a distinct personality.

I've offered him choices (food,clothes) since he was born, and have been doing sign language with him since he was 3 months old and he is now totally getting it! Although he is funny because I'll ask him things in sign language like "eat" or "bottle" and instead of doing the sign back he just nods yes or no. I hold out two baby food jars and ask him to choose what he'd like and really studies them for a few seconds before touching the he one he wants. It's so funny.
He has a silly giggly personality that we see more and more of each day. He really likes to tease you and pretend he's being shy when really he wants to play games. He giggles at everything and he tries to tickle us when we are changing him.

He's so damn cute that I understand why parents find it impossible to discipline their own adorable children (who are not so adorable to us when they are throwing things in Target) maybe we should volunteer to discipline each other's children? That would be a nightmare......but sometimes I'd like to!!


Here he is with his new cousin Somer's hair bow on....he thought this was hilarious!

He won't wear his own sunglasses, but Mom's hot pink ones are good!!

He still looks exactly like his Daddy, even when choosing his head gear!

OK...I know you have all been waiting for the scoop on the poop at graduation, so here it is...complete with documenting photos. It started as a lovely evening of celebration of the 5 years I have been spending my weekends and evenings writing papers and reading boring journal articles. I had to arrive early of course for practice and Mike, Mom and Erik would come later.

I guess things started bad at home with the clothes for Erik being too small, then there was getting lost on the way to school, as well as trying to figure out the handicapped parking in the parking garage which was crazy. After listening to my mother complain and nag him for two hours (and she doesn't read this so it's OK if I write it) Mike did not arrive super happy - and Mom was already in a complaining mood. Add a very chilly wind and a packed auditorium and you have irritated people. Please look through the photos for vivid detail on what happens after the graduation.

Bundled up (in May!) and waiting to go in and see Mommy graduate.

Graduation is over and I find Mike and take the obligatory picture. But notice that Mom is no where to be found. I had seen her leave during the ceremony with the baby and assumed he needed a diaper change. My friend Diana (who was taking these pictures) went back in to find her and did.........and the chaos began.

So here's the whole group. We took a quick picture (can't you see how thrilled Mom is in it?) and then I asked her if everything was OK because...well...obviously she isn't happy. Her response "Erik's had 4 really poopy diapers and there are no more diapers and he has another poopy diaper that needs to be changed and blah blah blah..........she goes on and on about the poopy diapers (keep in mind it's really windy and cold, there are hundreds of people milling around, Erik's crying and I'm listening to a lecture on how many diapers I should bring with me everywhere) and how I need to have at least 5 (funny how that's the EXACT number she needed...I wanted to say...but what if I have 7?) While she's going on and on about how bad his last diapers were I found another diaper in the diaper bag and think, "I'll just change him really quick here in the stroller and we can get on with the happiness"......which there hasn't been much of yet!!

So....I begin to change him, being very careful not to get my flowing sleeves, sash or cords near the poop. And for some reason Diana continues to snap pictures....thank goodness. I lean in to change him and take off his diaper and as I turn to get the other diaper I here a little fart and think, ok he's done now. Nope that fart was the unplugging of a stopper that was holding in the shit volcano that followed.

When I turned back around with the clean diaper shit was flying out of this boys ass at the speed of projectile vomit, it was EVERYWHERE. It came out so fast that all of us just stepped back. I think I heard Mike say "Whoa" . I know I heard one man behind me say "well she got the right degree".

There was nothing else to do but let it fly out of his butt (only to make a large poop puddle on the ground). Oh, did I mention Mom had also used all the wipes for the other diapers? Diana went running to the bathroom for paper towels and we did our best to clean things up. I wiped what I could with the blanket he was laying on (and that promptly went into the trash).
I told you Diana took pictures of EVERYTHING. See that blanket under him? It's folded over on itself because it's covered in poop, his clothes, covered, the stroller base covered. And all I can think is...I have to wear this again tomorrow.....don't get poop on the gown, don't get poop on the gown!"

Mom clean up the stroller footstool and there is that one precious diaper that's left

This was immediately after the poop....he's still screaming, and look, Mike now looks like Mom did in the other picture.

Mike has moved closer (I think he was scared of a repeat), when we got home he said it felt like a scene out of Willy Wonka, thankfully no little German boys wandered by to fall into the chocolate river.


The only extra clothes was a shorts outfit, thank god we had another blanket!!!! Look how pale he is...he pooped all his color out.

Walking back to the car this is how I felt!!

I will never forget the Poopy Graduation. Nothing like being a parent.