Pea Poop on the Plane

Sometimes I just need to record a memory because it is too funny or special to forget.  This blog is about one such memory. Last week we spent visiting our family in Ohio. Maximus had just turned 6 months old so we decided to start him on baby food during the trip. We chose sweet potatoes as his first food because of its supposedly easy-on-the-GI-tract profile. Of course he loved eating the sweet potatoes. He seemed to tolerate them well, but on the third day he didn't have a bowel movement.  This carried on for a few more days and we became worried that he was constipated. Everyone had advice on how to help him go but we decided to wait it out.  Then the day before we left to return to Arizona, we switched to his second food- peas.
   The next day we got on the plane to return to Arizona.  It was a 4 hour flight. We chose to sit in the very back of the plane for privacy and in case Maximus got fussy. About one hour in, Maximus showed us that he was no longer constipated. Ricky was holding him and could feel the vibrations that indicated Maximus was passing stool. So, I walked Maximus all the way to the front of the plane (because there is no changing table in the bathroom in the back of the plane). Once we got into the bathroom, I uncovered the biggest, greenest, stinkiest, messiest poop Maximus has ever had in his life so far. It was all over his clothes, covered his back and was in his armpits. He was wiggling around so by the end he had it in his hair, on my shirt and all over the changing table.I cleaned him and everything up as best I can. I had to throw his clothes away and then walk him back to our seat in the back of the plane wearing nothing but a diaper. Everyone was nice and couldn't help but smile at the cute, naked little baby who had just made a mess all over the airplane bathroom.  Luckily I had a change of clothes for him in his bag back at our seat. 1 hour later, though, he had another gigantic poop. Fortunately we had the forsight to undress him before it got on that outfit.
   It was stressful in the midst of it, but actually quite funny when I look back on it. So funny that I never want to forget it!

The Best Days of My Life

I have had a very blessed life. I was born into a loving family with parents who adored their kids and dedicated their lives to teaching, encouraging, and providing for us. We went to great schools and always had fun family vacations to look forward to. Additionally we grew up in a safe town close to our grandparents, aunts, uncles and many cousins. I always did well in school and had a lot of friends. I met the man of my dreams when I was 15 and married him when I was 22, gaining the best in laws I could ask for. I was able to go to college and graduate school and get a job in a field that I love. I moved to my favorite state and have found friends and a church that enrich my life and strengthen my relationship with Christ on a daily basis. Life has been good.

All of that being said, I know I am currently living the best days of my life.  When Maximus was born in September, 2011, I was anxious about how much my life would change.  I had so enjoyed the life Ricky and I had created as a married couple and now we were responsible for incorporating a whole new life into our own.  Now, just 5.5 months later, I don't know how I ever lived without being Maximus' mommy.  He is my joy.  I have always appreciated what a good life I had, but I don't know that I ever truly LOVED MY LIFE until now.

Spending hours sitting on a blanket in the living room playing blocks or just watching Maximus play with his toes or practice making verbalizations has become my favorite hobby.  I stare at his pictures and rewatch videos of him all day long when we are apart. Even waking up to comfort or feed him in the middle of the night brings me joy because I miss him when he is asleep.

I am not really sure what the point of this blog today is, except to record how incredibly happy I am at this point in my life. I adore my husband and my son and am loving every minute that we spend together.  Maybe I feel guilt that I am so fortunate while others suffer so much. Maybe I am anxious that "my turn" for something terrible is coming up.  Maybe I just never want to forget how great it feels to be this much in love.  I don't know how long God will let me live on this earth, but I know I have already experienced more joy in the past 6 months than many experience in a lifetime.