Ya hachoo kaka!

Do you remember, back when you were a kid, when you thought "I'll never say that when I'm the parent"? You probably had in mind something like "Because I said so" or "Because I'm the Dad, that's why". I had a few of those in mind, but this weekend I came across a phrase that I never imagined that I would say. "Ya hachoo kaka!" I spent much of the weekend saying it, saying it in funny cartoon voices, singing it, singing and dancing it, etc... all to roaring laughter from everyone in my family. You see, "Ya hachoo kaka!" translates as "I want poop!". How very dignified of the tenured college associate professor in me. My students would be proud.

At Kim and Peter's preliminary visit at the International Adoption Clinic on Friday we were given four little bottles for each of them for stool samples to check for intestinal parasites, etc that we were to bring to our next appointment on Monday. We were to collect two stool samples from each child and put some into two bottles for each sample. We were given little trays to catch the "precious material" and the lids of the bottles have built in little spoons to... well... you get the idea. The nurse explained what we were to do and the translator told the kids. Boy did their eyes get BIG at that one. The nurse commented that don't be surprized if they try to hold it in all weekend now that they know you have to collect it.

So, we went home and I asked if they needed to use the bathroom and I held up one of the little trays. I received, in unison, a scared little "Nee Hachoo" (I don't want to). So we waited. I asked again later... again a very small "Nee Hachoo". OK... this isn't going to be all that easy. To break the seriousness and fear, I spent the rest of the weekend asking in VERY humorous and animated ways so that they laughed instead of panicked. Who needs dignity?... I needed poop. They really laughed at my chardes attempt at explaining that they didn't want the doctor to have to take it out of them. Eventually, my efforts paid off (I can't believe that I'm actually proud of this). It took a couple rounds of "back on the toilet" to get an adequate volume for Peter's first sample, but we succeeded. I've never seen a kid so proud and so paralyzed with laughter at poop. Good boy! After we dropped the samples off on Monday, Kim asked if I wanted any more poop. We both giggled and I told her "maybe later but not today".