My Son Discovers There’s Water in the Toilet
Last Sunday after Sunday worship at church my wife tells me she’s going into the men’s restroom to get Mateo. She didn’t see him right away. She finds him in the stall, scooping water out of the toilet into his mouth. Or maybe just to wash his mouth.
We had lunch at Lamppost Pizza (which is really good, by the way) with a two other young families. Mateo was being willful. He didn’t want to eat. He didn’t want to sit down. I spent most of lunch standing outside with him. We figured he was tired because on Sundays he doesn’t get a morning nap.
When we’re saying good-bye to everyone in the parking lot, he vomits on me. Twice. Mateo has spat up before when he was younger, but this qualifies as his first actual vomit. We forgave him for his fussiness over lunch and we wondered what sorts of germs he picked up in a toilet in an elementary.
Did I already mention he had diarrhea the rest of the day? No? Well, he did. And he leaked a couple of times.
Don’t worry he’s all better now, but earlier this week I did catch him scooping toilet water in our house now.
And again last night at Dawson’s house.
kenny says:
May 8th, 2008 at 11:51 am
That’s really funny; obviously disturbing and gross, too.
jose says:
May 9th, 2008 at 10:31 am
I’ve never written about the rocket-propelled poop. That falls under disturbing and gross.
nichole says:
May 11th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
hmm…sick dude.
mostly i wanted to comment and say how excited i am that you’re on the haiku bandwagon…i love them.
kenny says:
May 12th, 2008 at 7:45 am
To spiritualize this charming anecdote, I wonder how often God finds his children drinking out of the toilet.
Ali says:
May 12th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Michael thinks maybe Mateo is just feeling a little dehydrated. Maybe invest in a sippy cup.
Abby says:
May 13th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Yeah, we saw the vomit as we drove away - you dodged well I thought. Then we had some of our own problems - a pull over for a diaper change and a screaming child the whole way home. But good lunch! :)
jos' says:
May 13th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I caught plenty of it on me. I don’t think I did any dodging. I drove home shirtless. It’s not as sexy as it sounds.
You just wait, Ali. Your time will come.
Ali says:
May 13th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Oh Eliza had already had her first puke. Although her’s wasn’t self induced. It seems that formula doesn’t agree with her. I found this out while at Target. Clean up on isle 4! I waddled out of the store soaked and smelling of old cheese.
Ali says:
May 13th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Oh I did leave my shirt on as I drove home though.
smalls says:
May 21st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Ok, going to try again to post. They have a toilet seat lock, so only the adults can get into it. Put a bucket, not deep, like a dish pan, down on the floor with a towel under it when he goes to the toilet to play. Say no to the toilet, then bring him to the bucket and say yes. Then let him play it it. Add a toy to it. Lots of fun. Redirects. But eww.. give the boy more to drink! ;0)
jos' says:
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:15 am
So the bucket has some water in it? Interesting.
smalls says:
June 4th, 2008 at 7:35 am
ooops. yeah, the bucket has water in it. I just wanted to give you credit for knowing that already. yeah, that’s it. :)