A Rest Room?

Note: This post contains references to bodily functions. If you are squeamish, don't read it...

The bathroom is supposed to be a place for privacy, right? You get to go in, close the door and be alone with your thoughts and bodily functions. WRONG! Not in my house. With two small daughters, I am almost never alone in the bathroom. I cherish the ugly salmon-colored stalls at work where I can actually do my business alone. I make frequent trips to the bathroom when I'm there just so I don't forget what it's like to pee in private.

This morning I was home with the girls - one of them is recovering from a random summer fever and the other has just come down with it. When I went into the bathroom to use the toilet, this was the scene: the baby was sitting on the floor, pulling at the small bits of toilet paper that are always stuck to the empty roll. My pre-schooler is standing next to me as I sit on the toilet, holding onto my left arm, as she often does when she needs comfort or a snuggle. Needless to say this is not the easiest way to get your body to produce its waste. It appeared that this would be an unproductive trip so I stood up to finish my business and discovered that today was the day that my period decided to make its reappearance - after 2 lovely years without it (yes, that's what happens when pregnant and then nursing). What a kick in the pants! Of course the only pad that I can find is leftover from just after the baby was born. It resembles an inflatable mattress. The pre-schooler wants to know, "What's that, mama? What are you doing?"

Even as I write this post, the baby has her head in my lap and the pre-schooler is jumping up and down and singsonging that she needs to poop and can I please come sit outside the bathroom door while she does that? Sigh. There are certainly worse problems in the world than having two lovely little girls who want their mama!