My first ick moment happened on my first day back at work from maternity leave. I was excited to go back to work and I was ready to conquer the world again… almost.
t Parenting, I have learned, is a crazy mix of cute, cuddly moments, mixed blended with a bit of nuts, a side of icky and a whole lot of fun. Sometimes it’s the ick moments that teach us the most about what it means to be a mom or dad. I know my ick moments taught me a few lessons I will never forget.
t My first ick moment happened on my first day back at work from maternity leave. I was excited to go back to work and on that first day I was happy, I looked polished (well, except for a tiny spit-up spot on my shirt… but hey, that’s what blazers are for right?) and I was ready to conquer the world again… well, almost.
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t My first day back went well, and now it was time for my first “official” working mom duty: the after-work day care pickup. I was excited because I got to see my baby again (I missed her little face) and because I felt like a grownup. This is what I saw gorgeous, working TV moms doing. I was part of the club now. Well, in my head anyway. When I arrived at the day care, I got my baby, signed her out for the day and walked out of the day care back to the train station to head home. I didn’t even notice that on her day sheet from the day care, she was due for a diaper change soon. Oops.
t We boarded the train and it was packed. Ugh, rush hour. So many people. Why had I forgotten how crowded trains were? Then, I smelled something… and, I felt something on my shirt. I looked down and saw Sofia’s concentrated look and I knew. My baby girl had just had her first blowout diaper… on a packed commuter train in the middle of Philadelphia, with 20 minutes left for home. That’s okay, I thought to myself, no one will notice. I’ll change her as soon as we get home.
t “What’s that smell?” asked the lady a few people in front of me. So much for no one noticing. I checked my watch… 10 minutes left. In 10 minutes, I would have to somehow maneuver my way to the door, without touching anyone, so when the train stopped, I could make a mad dash out of the train and sprint home. All without anyone else getting a dose of the ickies.
t When the train pulled into my station, I maneuvered through the train like a human Frogger game. Left, back, left, dodge. Right, left, hop.
t Almost there…
t Dodge, left, step… and… we’re off the train. Crisis averted. I ran home, gave Sofia a much-needed bath, fresh diaper and cuddled her to sleep. I also made sure to pre-treat our clothes with Clorox 2 Stain Remover & Color Booster to remove icky stains and boost the gorgeous colors, and threw them in the wash while I put my girl to sleep.
t My icky moment taught me that being messy is part of a life well-lived. We were a new family and there was plenty more icky to come, but also plenty of love, laughs and joy. That’s what parenting is to me: a little bit of ick, with a whole lot of love.
t These are the types of moments that are shared on the Clorox Laugh Hub. The Laugh Hub is a way to help parents “roll with it” by changing the way people talk about and deal with messes. It creates a community for modern parents, letting them laugh about, commiserate and conquer life’s messy moments. For more cleaning and laundry tips visit www.Clorox.com, and make sure you follow Clorox on Facebook and Clorox on Twitter, for news, discounts and more.
t What’s your icky moment?
tWhile all of the content on SheKnows.com reflects the honest opinions of our Experts, Clorox did sponsor this post.
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