Carpe Diem
By Jeff LaBonte, Triplet Dad
Originally printed in June, 2006

It’s hard to believe that something like a well-placed bowel movement 
could cause so much excitement.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, boys and 
girls of all ages, welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth.  Cece pooped 
in the potty.  

Alright, it was a fluke and it has not happened since, but you just have 
to stop and appreciate the little things in life sometimes.  I was not 
there, but I knew something was amiss when I called Jenny from the 
airport after coming in from Las Vegas. 

“I have some big news.  We had a big development here today,” Jenny said.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Well, you have to wait until you get home to find out,” Jenny smugly replied.

“Did someone go on the potty?” I asked.

There was a long pause before the somewhat disappointed reply, “You 
have to wait to get home.”

“You didn’t save it, did you?”  I was getting worried.

Actually, I think the image I conjured up in my mind upon hearing the 
story second hand is more precious than if I had witnessed the actual 
episode.  There was Cece saying, “I poop.  I poop.”  Noting an empty, 
unscented diaper, Jenny asked Cece if she wanted to poop on the potty.  
“Okay,” replied Cece, her standard answer to almost everything unless 
she is saying “No.”  

Jenny took off Cece’s diaper and plopped her on the potty, watching 
expectantly to see what would come next.  What came next was what I 
have coined “premature modesty.”  Cece pushed Mom away as if to say, 
“A little privacy, pleeeeease!”  So Jen gave Cece a book and walked 
away.  Several minutes later, it appeared.  Everyone who was home 
got so excited, it scared Cece to the brink of tears.  She has not 
sat on the potty since.  (Question to Mr. Pavlov - positive reinforcement 
gone awry?)

Then Luke and Jill had to examine this ninth wonder of the world.  
Mom stood closely by to prevent the obvious – that is, someone deciding 
to pick it up.  But alas, Cece’s siblings simply stared and pointed as 
if the thing were lying in State.  They exclaimed over and over, “Cece 
poop in potty!?!”  I guess the only things missing were confetti and a 
videotape of the event.  (Legal disclaimer for Renée – this column and 
all copies thereof are to be destroyed prior to Cece’s 10th birthday.)

I admit that I have a self-serving interest in this event.  I could not 
for the life of me come up with a subject for this month’s column.  I heard 
the story and I just knew there was an article in there somewhere.  What 
dumb luck!  

The whole thing got me to thinking, though.  I spend a lot of time lately 
thinking of all the wonderful things I will be able to do with my kids 
as they get older.  With their second birthday around the corner, I am 
excited to be able to do all those activities in the paper that say 
“2-years and up” and other such nonsense.  

This summer, we should be able to start teaching them to swim.  Music 
lessons can’t be far off.  Soon we’ll be able to get them to sit through 
an entire story at one of the library story times.  By next summer, I envision 
us out in the front yard playing catch, soccer, croquet… okay, maybe not 
croquet.  I try to picture what they will look like when they grow up.  I 
wonder about their interests.  Will they be athletes?  Musicians?  Panhandlers?  

But, it is the seemingly innocuous and often humorous events, like pooping 
in a potty for the first time, that I live for.  How will my children amaze 
me today?  There will never be another time in our lives quite like these 
times.  I could say that about last 24 months and the next 24 months.

There is a passage in the Bible that reads, “So do not worry about tomorrow; 
for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.” 
[Matthew 6:34]  This resonates to me so much lately because, before I know 
it, these days will be gone.  There are great things and surely difficult 
times to look forward to, but I just know I will always remember today 
fondly.  So I have to remember to live it and quit wondering about tomorrow.  

I am sure I am not alone.  I am sure we all focus on and worry about what 
the future holds when there are miracles happening in front of our eyes 
right now.  Let’s all try to remember to live in the moment, live for the 
moment, not just when it comes to our children, but especially when it comes 
to our children.  Appreciate the miracles big and small.  Really, everything 
they do is a miracle.  Some miracles just smell better than others.