“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”
Angela Schwindt

These days I seem to be learning a lot about Q and me through his urine. Oh yes, you read it correctly.  I have been talking a lot about change and stress and serious stuff but Q and E continue to remind me to laugh, and I mean really laugh and 2 of those times most recently have come because of Q and his mischievous laughter that comes when he gets to be without his diaper and he tries (literally tries) to go pee pee wherever he happens to be.

The first time was just a week ago.  It wasn’t the first time it happened but it was the first time it’s hit me squarely in the face.  As I decided to try to be supermom and rather than employ my usual containment strategy (leave Q in the playpen while I bathe E and vice versa) I decided to bring them both in the bathroom.  E was playing on her back contentedly next to me as Q was in the tub and I was leaning over him washing him down.  He picked up a bath toy so I was squirting the water on him as he giggled hysterically.  I then started leaning over him doing fish kisses.  For those that aren’t familiar of call it something else, it’s when you pull the corners of your mouth in through severely pursing your lips.  It looks ridiculous and definitely isn’t great for my aging face, but a moms gotta do, what a moms gotta do so when you get caught up in the moment you go with it.  As I bobbed my head up and down over Q’s face with my fish lips, I saw a look in his eye, a loud giggle and next thing I know, smack in the kisser a warm liquid shot up at me.  This direct hit, was followed by a mischievous giggle, and a lot of laughing spitting, and wiping of my mouth.  I couldn’t help but crack up as Q lay there so pleased with himself and seemingly convinced that must have been the most awesome thing ever for me as I got to experience his joy.  The lightness in my heart was so real and I continued to chuckle hours later as I put him to bed.

Last night, the encounter was less invasive, in that it didn’t go into my mouth (thankfully) but it did go all over the floor.  In an effort to let Q experience the joys of freedom without clothes, as I got him ready for bed I decided to let him go as he quickly crawled away from me when I took his diaper off. Shortly after, and by shortly I mean 30 seconds I saw the familiar look, the slow smile and the look of someone who is pushing but trying not to be obvious…and yep you guessed there is came.  Like lightening I grabbed a wipe and put it over the culprit who then started giggling.  Once I suspected he was done, he was off and moving to his standup table a couple of feet away.  I glanced away to look at E and a few seconds later I looked back to see him using his feet like Picasso to smear around a puddle of water that was now beneath his feet.  More laughter, more giggling and more wiping, sighing and laughing on my part. At this point however, I am doing the secret, I can’t let you see me laugh laugh.  So really it was more lip biting and a weird coughing sound.  I clean up him and the mess and think he must be done and AGAIN, the smile, look and more liquid. At this point I grab his clean diaper, and him and put it on while he stands there laughing hysterically at all the fun we had together…my little mischievous monkey.

In these moment, I am reminded to laugh more, worry less, have some fun, not be afraid to not have everything just so all the time. I am learning from them every moment as I try to teach them. Super mom really just means love and to give my babies all the love I have.  Showing them it’s ok to break routine and do things differently and that having fun is just as important as following the rules.  So, today I laugh because mischief can be fun, whether you 20 months, 20 years and 45.  Have some fun today and make today ‘yournewfavoriteday’.