Cleaning the Bathroom

A person might say that cleaning the bathroom is not my favorite of cleaning duties (probably because it was one of my weekly chores growing up)... well tonight might possibly have topped all of my bathroom cleaning experiences so far!

It all began around 3am this morning when my brother-in-law called me and was on his way to my house. Sweet baby Henrichs had decided to make his entrance into this world and Russell was on his way to drop off my niece, Tess. I woke Drew and got him to help me set up the pack-and-play in our room. We moved Karsyn upstairs so Tess could sleep in the crib (hoping that would feel more like home and make her a little more comfortable). Tess was WIDE awake when they arrived. Seems that she was taking notes on the L&D floor at the hospital when they dropped off her mommy. Tess and I cuddled in the rocking chair for a while and then she went to sleep. The next morning, we all woke up and headed to church. Again, everything went smoothly... and so the day continued... lunch, nap time, visiting Mommy & new baby brother at the hospital, care group, and dinner. Then came bath time... Seth took his bath first and was rinsing off about the time I added both girls to the bubbly water. He thought it looked like fun, so he hung out a little longer to watch them splash and giggle and have some fun (note: Seth definitely didn't want part in their fun. He stayed huddled on one end of the bathtub just watching. Andrew was also laughing at all of the wild splashing going on while he stood in the background - waiting for me to hand off one of the girls to him.) About the time I made Seth get out and dry off, I noticed something.... beneath the small layer of bubbles was what appeared to be a leaf... but from where? "What is THAT!" I said with an air of disgust in my tone. Drew peered over my shoulder and started laughing uncontrollably... that is until I told him to do something about it.

Seth was SAFE! He was out of the tub and drying off. Both of the girls still seemed to be in danger of the object obscured by the floating bubbles. We moved the girls to the other end of the tub (where Seth had narrowly escaped) and watched in horror as the bubbles faded with the draining water. It was POOP! And not a little bit either... a BUNCH! What to do? The girls? Clean? How? Panic stricken, I yelled for Drew to get the girls and keep them out of it. I will spare you the gross details of the cleaning process, other than the smell almost made me sick. Between tears of laughter and sickness, Andrew and I somehow seemed to get the tub clean and ready for yet another bath... this time with no treacherous bubbles to block the view!

Karsyn and Tess had a good time splashing again (a lucky day for them they thought... two baths in one night... YIPEE!) Finally, both girls were clean and smelling good again. The world seemed all right. Drew had Tess on the changing table and I had K on the floor (enjoying the sweet smell of baby lotion as I lathered her up). Bedtime was within sight, when Tess started coughing. The small cough began to grow and didn't stop. Andrew picked up Tess and headed for the bathroom to get a washcloth. I happily continued to breath in the sweet smell of baby lotion (trying to get the poo smell out of my nose). Suddenly, Andrew yelled, "HELP!" My casual reply of, "Just a sec. K needs a diaper." didn't set well with him. I left K diaperless in her bedroom and went down the hall... only to find Andrew standing by the sink, still holding Tess, with a look of utter disbelieve on his face. The smell hit me when I walked in the door and I jumped back to get a better look. Andrew kept saying, "It's on me. It's on me. It's on me," but I didn't look at him. The "cottage cheese" sprayed literally ALL OVER my bathroom was enough! I mean seriously... have you ever really gotten a good whiff of curdled milk? As if the sight of the "cottage cheese vomit" wasn't enough, the smell would literally knock you down! After about the fourth double-take, I held my nose (because taking a deep breath before tackling the job would have been like death) and began giving orders. Andrew gave Tess her THIRD bath of the night while I began the brutal job of cleaning up. (Poor Seth was in his room, afraid to come out. What is it? Should I come in there? Is everything okay? -- In which my response was, "Just keep Karsyn out!")

So, as I cleaned, Andrew finished getting the kids ready for bed. Milk for Karsyn (none for Tess). A bedtime story for all and finally sweet dreams. Hey, it's really not that bad. I was going to clean the bathrooms tomorrow anyway (as my mother-in-law is coming to see the new grandbaby). So, scratch that off of the to-do list for tomorrow - WOOT!

Oh and on a VERY happy note. I have a beautiful (or handsome) new baby nephew! Zachariah Jefferson (going by Zach) was born this morning. He is a doll (or at least Karsyn thought so & she just couldn't get enough of him). Congratulations Russell, Apryl, and Tess!


The girls having some fun (during bath #1)...



Bedtime story for all...

And saving the best for last... Sweet baby Zach meets his big sister (I'm not really sure she understands that he gets to go home with her - should be interesting *wink*)...