This is one of those stories that I should’ve written down the day it happened… but as you’ll soon read, this event was all consuming.
Just under 4 years ago, while still living in Dallas, we vacationed in Florida over Christmas. Riggs was around 6 months old so venturing out to restaurants was always exciting and rarely relaxing. This particular evening was no exception. When necessary, Adam and I take a WWF tag-team approach in these scenarios where one of us wolfs down our meal while the other is on baby duty. We chose to eat at a Mexican restaurant with a nice patio. Riggs was getting restless so Adam tapped in for the first round. He took Riggs with him to the bathroom so he could wash his hands before dinner. I quickly put in our dinner order. Adam was nowhere to be seen, and I chalked it up to one of his hero dad moments. I pictured him walking around the restaurant, taking his time so I could savor my meal. I ate my fill of chips and salsa (delicious might I add), and our food came soon after. I enjoyed every bite of my tacos. On one of my last bites, I became suspicious. As much of a hero dad as Adam is, he also LOVES Mexican food and it was very out of character for him to be anywhere BUT where the chips and salsa were served. I started craning my neck around to see if I could find him. I heard a familiar cry and saw a familiar silhouette walking up to the outside of the patio from the oceanside of the restaurant. And then I cocked my head as I realized it was in fact Adam and Riggs- but Adam was soaking wet from the waist down, wearing no shirt, and Riggs was swaddled in what seemed to be Adam’s shirt. He gave me a very direct “let’s take this to go” cue so I got our check and met him at the van where he shared the story….
While in the bathroom (how appropriate) Riggs had quite the “blow out”- not just your normal up-the-back situation… but everywhere. ALL over Adam’s shirt, down Adam’s shorts, and into Adam’s shoes. Mind you, Adam was in the bathroom washing his hands. He is a tidy guy. He isn’t afraid to get dirty, but he would rather it be on his own terms (and that it not be from a diaper). I’ve had my fair share incidences so I think this may have been a right of passage for Adam. He was at a complete loss for what to do – he couldn’t walk through the restaurant in his squishing shoes- this would likely violate health codes… and then what?! This was a situation no amount of wipes could handle. He didn’t dare call to me from outside the patio- his and Riggs’ clothing were so offensive and people were eating! And some of them, refried beans! …so he headed straight out the exit and kept walking… across the oceanside highway and to the beach. He didn’t stop there, he kept walking- with soiled clothing and a screaming baby (Riggs probably wasn’t feeling his best)- down the beach into the water. He waded out (fully clothed) until he was almost chest deep to rinse himself and Riggs. He emerged to see the confused faces of the beachgoers. His walk of shame continued back to the restaurant where he dumped (pun intended) Riggs’ clothes into a trash can. We joined him at the van – full and happy from our delightful meal.
Not surprisingly, the big boys found this story to be quite entertaining right off the bat–it took slightly longer for Adam to see the humor in it.
Max's World 