The Blowout

Well it finally happened. I figured it would eventually. And I'm almost sure that I knew it would be awful when it did happen, I just didn't think that I would find it so funny at the time. I am referring to the very public giant diaper blowout that Jackson had yesterday in case you were wondering. This is how it all began....

I had a doctor's appointment at the Japanese hospital yesterday morning. It would be my very last appointment. My 4 weeks checkup. I got up early, took my shower while Jackson was still asleep, finished getting ready, and then got him ready. I fed him and changed his diaper before we left the house. We got in the car and began to drive. Jackson pretty much hates his car seat. Yesterday was one of those days. He cried the entire way to the hospital. Traffic was awful. Then we had to find a parking place, I found one on the roof of the parking garage. We finally got into the hospital and met my translator at the front desk. She hadn't seen Jackson for a month, so naturally she was gushing over him. I got all of my vitals taken and was weighed. Then we sat. And waited. Jackson was not excited. I took him out of his car seat and rocked him in the waiting area. He calmed down, but then began to scrunch his face up. I know this face. This is the face he makes when he is letting one go. I was wondering how much longer we would have to wait. I set him in his seat to let him finish his job. I looked down and noticed a small yellow stain on my shirt. Hmmm....I didn't remember it from that morning. Jackson was cuddled up in his blankie sitting in his seat quietly. Too quietly.

I picked Jackson up and turned him so that I could see his behind. Oh Danger!! Poop! Poop Everywhere! Poop running down his legs and out of the leg holes in his pants. Poop on his socks. Poop on my shirt. Poop all over his onesie. I took him to the restroom. A tiny Japanese person restroom. I pulled the appropriate items out of his diaper bag. Where do I even begin I thought. He needed to be stripped down and hosed off. I laughed out loud at that thought. Good thing I had extra clothes in the diaper bag. But when I started taking off his clothes, pulling them over his head, poop got in even more places. Jackson was covered. In his hair, on his hands and feet, all up his back and on his belly. He looked like he rolled in it. Probably because he sort of did. That's it, I thought. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna hose him off. No amount of wipes will fix this mess. I took my screaming baby to the sink and began to wash him off. As he is screaming and screaming, I am laughing. Not in a mean way. But in a, of course this would happen here when I have no one to help me sort of way.

Japanese people do not believe in personal space. They are always crowded together. They talk to you closely, touch you, and come up to you and talk to you without a second thought. As I was trying to cleanse my crying son's body, women were entering the bathroom, walking right up to me and rambling on in Japanese. They tell me how cute he is, they want to touch him. Poke him in his cheeks and laugh to their friends, telling them how cute he is. Now is not the time I kept thinking. In America you would never see that. If I saw a woman covered in poop washing her baby in the sink and she was stressed out, I would not walk up to her and ramble on in a language that she didn't understand. I would maybe ask if she needed help. But I would never make matters worse for her by poking at her already screaming child, so that he would scream harder. When I tell them to stop, they look at me like I popped their balloon and walk away. What can ya do right? I'm just trying to get through this.

Finally the boy is clean. I get back to the waiting area and they still have not called my name. He is now hungry from all the crying he did. I get him situated to breastfeed. He latches on. Things are going fine. I guess I was pretty full because I looked down and he was covered in milk. It was like the hoover dam rushed out of my breast and soaked him. Dang it. I just got him clean. I wiped us both off and got my goods put back in place. And right then my name was called. My doctor's appointment went well. Dr. Sugita was thrilled to see Jackson. Jackson was very good during the visit. I was given a clean bill of health and sent home. We waited for 2 hours just to see the doctor for 10 minutes. The rest of our day was a blurr. I was exhausted. I wish I would have had my camera with me to take pictures of Jackson. That would have made this post so much better.