Lessons in a Diaper Change

My cousin and his wife stay a stone's throw away from where I am put up. They have a wonderful baby son who at9 months is just another energetic, adventurous and curious kid. He's an absolute darling especially when he smiles, gurgles, does his own version of singing or dancing or just be cute which at his age I must admit comes pretty naturally. Anyways about 5 days ago had dropped by my cousins place just when they were on their way out and I agreed to baby-sit along with the maid. It was humbling to say the least. He wanted to be held, then he didn't want to be; you had to keep an eye on him all the time lest he put things that didnt belong in his mouth in there (He has a fancy for footwear). You had to be wary lest he fall, lest he hurt himself in some unique way. You have to decipher when he's hungry, what mood he's in and keep him occupied. The first time he kept still was when I took him out for a walk. He was just still listening to all the sounds around him. When I mashed a banana in my fingers and put it into his mouth, was the second time. Seeing such simple happiness in this little bundle of joy was fascinating. And then it happened. What can I say. When a baby's gotta go he's gotta go. He was standing, holding on to the chair and then with a rumble he let go. The stink was bad and so I called out for the maid. She was busy in the kitchen and I had to entertain my nephew in the meantime. We peeled off his clothes & went to the bathroom. In the bathroom, while I was holding him under his armpits, the maid peeled off his diaper and I almost gagged at the smell. I wanted to hand my dear nephew back to the maid & head off. But she wanted me to help her and as I held him over the comode she washed him off. We then took him to the bedroom and tried to get him a fresh pair of diapers and clothes. That took a long time as he was obviously used to strutting his stuff; but we got him in. By then I was exhausted mentally. This was just 2 hrs and I wanted to bow down & really thank ALL parents especially the mothers who go through this routine for a better part of their lives. So what did I learn- first its only when the shit hits the road that you can separate the men from the boys. Second love, marriage, family is not all that fanciful & romantic as in the movies. Most likely your life is going to be spent working, managing kids, grocery shopping, doing laundry, house cleaning, entertaining guests and preparing for the week. Third: Love can surmount all that. And thats when you reach for that baby with poop in his diaper and hold him near just so that he knows that just 'coz he's got shit in his pants does not mean he's not loved. In fact he's loved all the more, for his trust in his helplessness.