My sister and her husband are in town, having flown in from Colorado to let us see how Bennett, our new nephew, is doing. We were all trying to figure out what to do for dinner, when Loralie invited us to her birthday bash with her sister at the Melting Pot. Vat’O’Cheese and Vat’O’Chocolate — count us in.
Bennett was well behaved, playful, and happy — he was celebrating his 7-month anniversary as well by cutting his tooth and nibbling on any adult knuckle that was presented to him.
During the dessert phase, which consisted of a huge warm bowl of melted dark chocolate with flaming marshmellows, my sister announced to her husband that they should change Bennett, as he just had a blow out.
I’ve seen blow outs before, when the diaper can no longer contain what’s been put into it, and it oozes out uncontrollably via every exit possible.
Concerned that we’d need to get a manager and wipe down the seat, I turned my head to assess the damage. Something I should not have done. Certainly not at that exact moment.
My sister sets Bennett down, pulls up her hand, and there’s a dark brown streak on it, to which she… licks it off.
The expression that must have been on my face had to have been shock and horror, because my stomach was about to wrench.
My sister looks over at me in that instance, catches my expression, and starts laughing so hard she can’t breathe.
That’s when I clued in that she clued into to what I had thought had just happened, and realized that it in fact wasn’t what I thought it was, but that she had been reaching for a napkin, not the baby, and that it was dark chocolate she was removing from her forefinger and thumb orally.
It’s amazing how long it took for my appetite to return, even after being assured. It was like walking into the middle of a conversation and picking out the last bit without context, only visually.
As blowouts go, this one wasn’t even in the top 50…. Here is the same story from my perspective.
Jeff was holding Bennett, and said he needed a change. As he moved Ben to the seat between us, I saw coloration near the leg hole, and commented we should change him before it becomes a blowout. I looked at my hands, noticed they were covered in chocolate and didn’t want to get it all over the baby. So, before touching the baby at all, I reached for a napkin and licked off some of the excess (in part to help in the removal, and in part because it would be a shame to waste such a tasty treat). That’s when I saw Walt’s look. I can’t remember laughing so hard in years….