Hold the Crab

Diaper changing time is now more difficult. Violet does not like to be on her back for more than a few moments, and like any other animal, once she starts struggling to right herself, she’s difficult to contain. Another habit of hers is to immediately start exploring her nether regions once the diaper is opened, which can be especially unpleasant when there is poop involved. Linda was smart enough to figure out that by giving Violet a toy as soon as we lay her onto the changing mat, the rolling over and the searching fingers are less of a problem. She reminded me of this when I was changing Violet this afternoon, struggling to keep her on her back and clean her up after a particularly messy deposit. “Just give her the pink crab,” Linda said. Nearby was the squishy plastic crustacean that Violet loves to gnaw on. Its blank round eyes looked up at me as if to say, “Duh.” I picked it up and offered it to her. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, she reached for it, took it from my hand, and shoved it between her legs, right into the diaper’s contents.

271 days old