Frogurt Explosions

Warning: This post involves explanations of the bathroom issues of a near 2 year old. If this offends you in any way, please do not read on. If you are a mom of a similarly aged child you probably have dealt with very similar issues and will find humor in our little adventure. While we didn't at the moment, we now do.

For the past few months Zac has had problems pooping. He is such a picky eater that if we aren't really careful he gets really plugged up. Over the week of Christmas things were crazy and we weren't really careful. The poor kid had to experience some pretty terrible things to get cleared out. (This part of the story is a little too graphic to go into, but it is enough to say that it is good that Jon keeps gloves on hand at our house and that he has a stronger stomach than me. Even so, I think all three of us were a little traumatized.) So, in an effort to keep things moving as they should, Zac received all kinds of remedies- fiber yogurt with prunes in it, probiotic pudding, all kinds of fruits, mineral oil... you get the idea. Well, one night not too long after, we had gone out to eat with my sister. After the restaurant (which was an adventure in itself- Zac would not eat anything and I was determined not to have spent money on him in vain and if you have ever decided to have a power struggle with a 2 year old you know how that goes.) we had gotten gift cards for Christmas to Frogurt- a perfectly lovely frozen yogurt establishment. We decided to go and get a treat. In the car on the way there, Zac smelled as if he had been successful in filling his diaper (we were thrilled of course because we cheer at our house for poop that comes easily- literally we cheer). When we first walked in, I found the bathroom so I could change him while Michelle and Jon waited up front. In the first place when we walked in, there was no changing table- just a toilet and a sink. So, we opted for the floor- gross I know, but what are you going to do. Zac was not pleased with having to lay on the floor and started screaming and trying to get away. Now, changing a normal diaper under these circumstances is hard enough, but when I opened the diaper it became clear that it was going to be quite the experience. The methods we had been using to help keep things moving had worked with a vengeance and had filled that diaper beyond capacity and up his back. So I am in a small Frogurt bathroom on the floor with a screaming wiggly child and poop pretty much everywhere. I yelled out for Zac to stay where he was and stuck my head out the door. Luckily Michelle and Jon were sitting where they could see me and I didn't have to go and find them. I motioned for them to join me, and the three of us got busy trying to clean up the mess. After going through a few wipies- I realized we were out. Jon went after the toilet paper and we used the rest on the roll. It took all three of us to get the onsie off with out getting the mess all over Zac's hair. Luckily the pants and shirt were spared and were able to put them back on. Of course since there was no changing table there was no diaper bin, and so we ended up having to leave the very full and very stinky diaper in the little garbage can. We all washed up and then got ready to leave- remember there were 4 of us in the bathroom meant for 1. Well, I had locked the door the first time I had gone in, but after Jon and Michelle had come in to help with the crisis, no one had thought to lock the door, and as Michelle started to walk towards the door to leave, a woman needing to use the bathroom started walking in. She was embarrassed thinking she had just walked in on Michelle and she quickly closed the door. At that point we didn't know the best way to leave the bathroom knowing she was standing just outside and might wonder what Jon was doing in the bathroom with 2 women. In the end, we all just paraded past her as gave an extremely sour look. We then went and got our yogurt which was delicious but of course our gift cards had not been loaded correctly and didn't work. As we sat down to eat, we kept watching for the poor lady to come out of the bathroom we had left smelling terribly and extremely lacking in the toilet paper department. So, ma'am, if you're out there we do sincerely apologize. I hope you can understand our dire circumstances. I'm not sure either of us will ever look at Frogurt the same way.

So with all of the poo problems that happen in our house, I am always looking for ways for Zac to eat more vegetables. My sister, Kristen, had heard from her friend about this spinach that her picky eaters just loved and I decided to try it. Zac LOVES it. It helps that his favorite color is green and that we can call it his green. All you do is pack the blender with fresh spinach and add a cup of water and blend it till it is a bright green liquid. Then you add half a container of orange juice concentrate and a banana. You can add any other frozen fruits that you want- I usually do strawberries and blueberries- and then you blend again. It comes out very green and you would think it would be very good, but it really just tastes like a smoothie. I like it, but Jon won't touch the stuff because he says that anything that looks the same going in as it does coming out couldn't be right. Either way, Zac drinks it all the time. And for anyone experiencing similar problems with their children, it works wonders and is a great way to get some good nutrients into your kids. Here is the proof of how much Zac loves his green. (Sorry some of the pics are blurry- he doesn't like to hold still)






Here's to more days of cheering and less days of pushing and crying!