Adventures of a Stay-at-Home Mom

Yesterday I watched Katy's friend Ian for a few hours.  It was just me against two one-year old toddlers.  I spent the morning preparing for Ian's visit so that I wouldn't have to prep food, wash bottles, or deal with any other chores while taking care of two toddlers.

The first two hours of Ian's visit went by smoothly.  We played with toys, went for a walk, read some books, chased each other, and ate lunch.  About two hours in, it was obvious Ian was very tired and was going to be very fussy if he didn't sleep.  It's not easy to put someone else's young toddler to sleep, especially an overtired toddler who usually goes to sleep while nursing.  It's even harder to put someone else's young toddler to sleep while keeping your own toddler preoccupied.  After about 20 minutes of trying different things to help Ian relax, however, I strapped Ian into my baby carrier and started bouncing.  Within minutes, he stopped crying, his body relaxed, and he fell asleep while Katy played at my feet.  I was feeling pretty confident at this point.  

While Ian slept in the baby carrier on my chest, I prepared Katy's bottle, lifted Katy into and out of her table chair, and gave Katy a popsicle.  With less than half an hour until Ian's parents were supposed to return, Ian was still fast asleep on my chest and Katy was playing happily nearby.  I was feeling really confident now.

No more than five minutes before Ian's parents returned, Katy walked into the room where Ian and I were sitting.  Her shorts and diaper were half-way down her butt, she was poking her fingers down the back of her diaper, and her fingers were coated in poop.  Oh. My. Goodness.  My baby was playing in her own poop!  

I tried my best to quietly clean Katy without waking Ian, but it didn't work.  Ian woke up and cried while I quickly stripped off Katy's clothes and changed her diaper.  I picked up Ian just in time to hear his parents at the door.  I answered the door with Ian on my hip, crying, and Katy at my feet, wearing nothing but a diaper and a dirty popsicle face.  I'm certain we looked like a hot mess, but all I could think was, "This is not an accurate representation of the last three hours."  

Next time I keep Ian, my morning prep will include dressing Katy in a onesie, romper, overalls, or anything else that prevents her from playing with her diaper.  This sounds like a ridiculous thing to prepare for, but toddlers do ridiculous things to break your confidence and make you look like nothing but a hot mess.