Diapers and Spiders

This morning I was cradling Madeline in my lap when I heard it. The explosion. It was fierce and loud...and I knew that if we didn't change that diaper fast, it would soon be all over me. With the fragility of the situation, I handed Madeline off to Chris while I stood up. He headed to the babies room to make the change.

Before I had even stood all the way up, I heard "Bridgett! Get in here now!" As I was making my way down the hall, I heard "Get the bath water ready. She's going in. Clothes and all!" I walked in the room to find Chris on the verge of throwing up, and sweet Madeline just playing with her hands and grinning from ear to ear being held up in mid-air. Sure enough, there was poop down her leg and up her back and of course, all over her clothes. Chris just kept yelling "She's just getting dropped completely in the bath!" with this sickly, nasally sound...he was holding his breath and certainly not breathing through his nose.

We headed to the bathroom and as I started the water, Chris still held Madeline out at arms length while she just cooed and grinned. Suddenly I realized Chris was serious about putting her in, clothes and all! I looked at him and said, "honey, we are not putting her in with her clothes on." I slowly took the clothes off, wiped the poop off her legs while Chris just watched in shock. A little got on his hand and he said "It's on me!! It's on me!!" I looked at him and said "Babe, it's all over her too..." Somehow, SOMEHOW I was the one not grossing out!

Why is it that men have such a hard time with dirty diapers? Why is it that so many men out there so rarely change them? Why is it that the sight of poop can send a man cringing...in the same way the sight of a spider can send a woman cringing.....?

As he put her down into the tub to give her a quick bath, he said "I don't know how you just did that." It was at that moment it hit me. I am terrified, absolutely terrified of spiders. Chris always kindly and sweetly comes to the rescue with me when I think I see a "huge" spider that he'll say is not really that huge. My mother-in-law was very humored by my fear when I called her in to kill a spider that I spotted on the ceiling during my shower. I have always felt a little embarrassed at my fear. However, in this moment of watching my husband react to Madeline's explosion that I found so funny, it was at that moment that it really hit me. There is the point where motherhood and fatherhood meet and compromise is found! I looked at him and said "You take care of the spiders, and I'll take care of the poop." He promptly said "Deal."