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Not having anything particularly topical to write about, I decided to do another quick update on the goings-on at Casa de Stopster. We haven't really been up to a whole lot--finishing taxes (ugh! we are definitely withholding more up front this year), getting the yard back in shape, and trying to spend as much time out in the nice weather before the boiling Kansas summer comes home to roost.

Shortly after we visited the Deanna Rose Farmstead--okay, like the day after--we visited Cedar Cove Feline Conservatory in Louisburg, KS with our favorite 'also-parents', the Jantzer-Wards and their totally-squeezable son, JJ. This refuge houses 7 tigers, 3 cougars, 3 bobcats, a leopard, an adorable lion cub, and a couple of coatis (co-ah-tee), which may be Maddie's new favorite animal, or at least word to say. Cedar Cove, from what I could tell, mostly takes in animals that have already been captive in some capacity and need somewhere else to be. For instance, the leopard was originally in a private residence (yes, it's insane; I know), but when they decided to have a baby, they thought the combination of baby and leopard might not be a good idea (so, maybe not completely insane), and the shelter took him in.

After we gave the kiddos some tiger-time, we stopped by the other attraction in Louisburg, Somerset Winery, for some adult fun. They have a huuuuge open lawn space, so after those-who-are-of-age selected a bottle share, we sipped wine in the sun while JJ and Maddie got good and dirty running around in the grass, playing with rocks on the gravel path, and slogging through the mud near a small bridge. (The bridge seemed to allow one to cross a small drainage ditch, and yes, it was about as pointless as it sounds, but being almost perfectly toddler-size, they thought it was great.

Other than that, we've been sticking pretty close to home. Maddie's still going to Kindermusik every Tuesday, and she seems to enjoy herself. Her favorite part may be the stamps she receives at the end of class, but she also gets pretty excited about the dancing and story time. Maddie's the youngest kid in the class, so usually, when stamp time comes, the older kids kind of push her out of the way, but a couple of weeks ago, she ran right up to the front and pulled up her shirt to Miss Amy could plant a stamp right on her belly.

Oh, and Maddie has fairly flawlessly made her transition back to Laura's for daycare. She seems pretty happy to have lots of kids to play with again, but we have seen signs that she hasn't had to, um, "share" recently. Either that or she's well on her way to "two" a little earlier than scheduled. (I'm betting on a combination of both.)

On a final note, I thought I'd share this picture that I snapped last night. Apparently, when you leave the room to get more paper (20 seconds, people!), she will find a different medium to work with:

The Great Poo "Incident" of 2009

WARNING: This post is not for the faint of stomach. Please read at your own risk.

If you follow this blog regularly, you may have noticed that in a recent post, I mentioned a debate about a certain blog topic that was arguably too "gross" to publish. I know you've all been on pins and needles since then, not only from curiosity about the event itself but also wondering what could have happened that I, especially, would feel uncertain about posting. (Not being known for my subtlety or sense of restraint...) Well, wait no more, dear readers! I present to you, "The Great Poo Incident of 2009!"

It all started innocently enough last Friday morning. As it was supposed to be pleasantly warm that day, I dressed Maddie in a little denim jumper and t-shirt. Her diapers are G-diapers (Yay, G-diapers! If you don't know what they are, check them out here.), and since they're pretty cute, I didn't think I needed to put anything else over them. Foreshadowing, people. It's what the good writers do. Having dressed, fed, and otherwise prepared my child for the day, I dropped her off at daycare with Laura, drove to work, and prepared to spend the majority of my day in a meeting with clients, sans phone.

Meanwhile, back in Olathe, Laura puts Maddie down for her morning nap and goes about her day, which at this point includes entertaining the two children at daycare who don't take a morning nap. Around 11 a.m., she hears Maddie fussing, and she goes upstairs to get her out of the pack 'n' play and bring her down to play. Little does she know what horrible fate awaits her on the other side of the bedroom door...

(If this were TV, I'd take a commercial break here, just so you know.)

On entering the room, Laura finds Maddie on her hands and knees in the pack 'n' play, whimpering, and completely caked in poo. Yes, poo! Apparently, during her nap, the cute g-diaper that I had so thoughtlessly left uncovered came loose (or was helped loose, we'll never know), and then, Maddie proceeded to poop in the bed. Being still somewhat new to this world, and it must be said, never having been allowed to play with her own feces before, she proceeded to make short work of the "matter." Laura said it was everywhere--all over the pack 'n' play, the crib sheet, her clothes, her pacifier, her hands, feet, hair, face. Yeah...it was not a pretty sight.

Now comes the slightly ridiculous part. After bathing Maddie (that must have been fun), Laura becomes concerned that Maddie may have ingested or inhaled some of the poo. BUT, instead of calling our pediatrician, whom she has the number for, she dialed 911 and had a team of paramedics come to the house to assess her. (Note: Maybe I'm an irresponsible mother, but if this had happened at home, I would have been disgusted, had a long battle with my gag reflex, bathed her, and then probably had another battle with my gag reflex, but I would have even thought about calling her doctor, much less an ambulance, but then, maybe that's why I don't run a daycare.) The paramedics arrive, listen to her lungs, which sound clear, and then ask Laura if she'd like to have her transported to the nearest hospital. Now remember, I'm in a meeting without my phone, Jon sees patients and doesn't carry his phone with him, and Laura thinks he's in Gardner when he's really in Overland Park, so through all of this, she can't get a hold of either of us. Luckily, she decided not to have her transported; otherwise, Jon and I would have been charged several mortgage payments because our daughter decided to go all nude-beach on us.

So, there you have it, "The Great Poo Incident of 2009." Laura sent all the laundry home, but Jon had it all washed and dried by the time I arrived home (the sheet and pacifier were beyond salvation, sadly), so really, writing it up for the blog is the most I've had to do, which was nice. Well, that, and try not to cry on the way home, picturing my baby covered in poo.

Needless to say, there will be no more uncovered G-diapers, ever, I don't care how damn cute they are...