The Day JD Overcame His Fear of Poo

JD has never changed a dirty diaper. He has changed a few wet ones, but somehow I always get stuck with the poop. I don't really mind. We use cloth diapers and poopy ones are super easy to handle (you just flip the poop into the toilet and flush). And there's something about dealing with your own kid's poop that is less disgusting than dealing with anyone else's. This has become something of a bragging right for JD. He may be the only modern day man to not have encountered a poopy diaper in 9 1/2 months of being a father. Until today.

The last few days have been rough for us. A picture fell off the wall in the nursery at 5 am (3 hours earlier than we normally wake up) a few days ago and it has been downhill ever since. Beatrice has been waking up before 6:30 for the past several mornings and I have had a hard time adjusting to less sleep. Since JD has to go to work during the week, I always feel guilty asking him to get up with her since I get to stay home all day. So he gets to sleep a little longer while I get up.

Today was different. Today was Saturday and Beatrice woke up at 6:15. We stayed up late so I was dragging this morning. I got up and played with her until morning nap time. I told JD that I was going back to bed and not to wake me up until noon. He was not to wake me for anything unless she was hurt. He gave me that look like "what if she poops?" I told him that I would call the local divorce attorney if he woke me to change a poopy diaper. He laughed, but I was serious. I was tired and needed to sleep at least 3 hours and there would be consequences if he messed with me.

I fell right to sleep and slept and slept. I actually had a dream that JD got in the bed with me and made me get up with Beatrice so he could sleep. Not cool. At noon on the dot, a tiny little girl was fingering my eyelashes saying "dat, dat, mamamamama!" I felt refreshed, Beatrice got to play with Dada and JD survived daddy duty. The first thing he said was, "she pooped and it was horrible." I have never loved that man more. He overcame his fear of his daughter's poo (and divorce) and manned up to the challenge. He said it wasn't that bad. I knew he had it in him.