Today was Kobe’s 18 month appointment with the Dr. I was in a big rush as I grabbed him, his drink, my bag, a huge pillow for the laundromat, soap for the pillow, water for me. I headed out the door with a quick goodbye to my husband who was so kindly watching Kierra for me.

It wasn’t until we were in the waiting room, looking at Dr. Suess and waiting for the nurse’s call that I smelled that suspicious scent.  I heard the little grunt and watched the face scrunch up and I reached for my bag and Kobe’s hand to head off for a diaper change. We entered the small cold floored bathroom with  portable handicap rails around the toilet and glanced around. There was no changing station. And at the same time, I realized there was no pamper in my bag. I had my small bag today since it was just Kobe and I, but even then, I searched it nearly four times, before I convinced myself that I could not make a diaper appear.

So we cheerfully headed out to the van. I remembered putting a stash under the seat just the other week. Just our luck! Under the seat was empty. There was no pamper in the glove compartment or under the other seat or in Kierra’s chair or floating around among the stuff behind the passenger seat.

So we hopefully headed back to the office, and I tried to act charming and OK as I asked the nurse if they would by any possibility have a pamper on hand.

This is a Family Doctor’s office and I have personally only seen 3 people under 50 yr. there as patients I believe.

She searched here and there and I heard the word ‘nappy’ and tried to recall if they actually used to call pampers by that name.

No luck.

We had waited nearly half an hour now, and no way was I about to lose my slot in line by running to the grocery store for a PAMPER!!

So we headed back to the bathroom, and I began undressing Kobe without a very good idea of what to do next.(besides getting rid of that awful odor!)  The only usable items I could find in the bathroom were white stiff prefolded paper towels and plastic trash bags. So I grabbed a stack of towels, folded them around him like a diaper, and quickly pulled his shorts up for rubber pants. Only they weren’t rubber. So We took a big black trashbag and returned to the waiting room and he sat nicely on my lap and browsed my Kindle as we waited some more. This might just work! I thought. (Thank God for Kindles!)

Eventially, we made it back to the room, and the nurse chuckled abit and began taking down general information as Kobe peed  through the stack of paper towels, through his shorts, down his legs, and off of the trash bag.

She suggested that I use one of those blue water proof disposable pads that you find on scales and changing tables in Doctor’s offices. So I gratefully accepted one and was stuck with the problem of HOW to keep it ON!!!???

Maybe growing up on a farm and watching my Dad improvise was in my favor. If i pulled hard enough and Kobe held still long enough, I could tie the two ends together on each side into a sort of knot.

It was actually kinda cute…minus the fact that it wasn’t very tight or leak proof! But it sure beat holding my breath at every turn and standing ready with a trash bag!

An hour and a half later, we exited the building. leaving behind 3 or 4? wetted pads, a peed on carpet (shhh! don’t tell! i seriously TRIED to clean it up with hand sanitizer and paper towels! i promise!). We took some souvenirs with us-  my peed on skirt, and Kobe’s peed shorts, (safely tucked in my now empty wipe container) .

I was THRILLED to get home!!! And Kobe was so worn out, he was off in LaLa Land and didn’t even mind when I put a proper diaper on him!

Amazing how you improvise! And to think that thousands of children have no ‘nappy’ ..

Tonight I am thankful for diapers!