Freaky Friday...

Yesterday was really bizarre. In the morning I had my normal stuff going on. Smoothie, cup of tea, vitamins etc. I finally had some work in house after a bit of a dry spell last week, so I was rarin’ to go. I sat down at my computer and Tim went down stairs to work. At about 10 am, there was a knock at the door. I went and opened it and one of Tim’s friends (a guy he used to live right next to in his old apartment, someone he was good friends with, but who has kind of faded out since we moved away. We only see him and his wife every few months or so) is standing there. He says,” Is Tim around? Can you watch my daughter for a while? I really need to sleep…” He looked like something was really wrong, I thought maybe he was going to expound on his reasons. Instead he just handed me his 1 ½ year old daughter, Starla. I asked him, “When can we expect you back?” “In a few hours…” he responded. “Does she have a diaper bag?” I said. He mumbled, “Nah, I forgot it…” Then he jumped in his truck and was gone.

I looked at this little girl. She was completely oblivious to what had just happened. Luckily she is a very chilled out baby, so she didn’t really get upset. I carried her downstairs to Tim’s desk and said, “You’re friends are weird.” He looked at Starla and asked, “Is Ryan here?” I explained to him what had just happened. We both looked at her like, "what are we supposed to do with you?" I mean, I am the oldest of four and I know how to take care of children, but usually they come with accessories. This one came with nothing. Just the clothes she was wearing. We tried to call her father on the only number we had for him and it just rang and rang and rang. Then I noticed that she was starting to smell.

So, I had Tim watch Starla and I ran to the store. I bought diapers, wipes, snacks, and a sippy cup. (I don’t even own any plastic cups and I was sure she wasn’t going to be down for snacking on gruyere and water crackers…) Changing diapers is like riding a bike. I'm not sure how many I changed over the course of my childhood, but I'm pretty sure I could do it in dark. Somehow, it seems less gross than cleaning out the litter box. I still can't do that with out gagging.

After I got back, I spent the morning hanging with the Starla. We watched t.v., chased the cats, played horsey ride and peek-a-boo, scribbled with crayons, changed another diaper and chased the cats some more. I wasn't sure about if she had any allergies and I knew enough that you shouldn’t give babies peanut butter if you’re not sure. So I made her little jelly sandwiches (all finger food sized) and heated myself up a Lean Cuisine. She wasn’t interested in her food. She spent some time wiping jelly all over her shirt and then came over to me and opened her mouth. So I gave her a bit of my Lasagna Florentine and she was all about it. I guess babies love noodles. So I made some mac and cheese for her and she ate a very decent helping.

Well, thank god for cartoon Network and our friend Rachel. Rachel showed up around 2, with extra clothes, snacks and toys and a baby Shakespeare movie. She helped me entertain Starla for a while and by about 3:30 or so, her dad showed up. He walked in, picked her up and left. Not a thank you, no questions about if she’d eaten or napped. He just took her and left. Tim followed after him and let him know that I had taken a day off work to help him out and that next time, more notice would be best. He mumbled something about being sleepy and then drove off.

Tim and I are the kind of people that will help out our friends no matter what. Sure, I lost money from not working that day, but if he would have taken the time to explain what was going on, I would have been glad to babysit. Instead he just acted angry that I hadn’t kept her for longer. His wife called us later and let us know that he’s been having some major issues. After she explained in detail what has been going on, we weren’t really angry anymore. You can’t help people when they have problems that just can’t be talked out. It’s tough when you have people you care about that just can’t live a normal life. It made me so glad that Tim is such a awesome guy and how supportive he is. And also, that we don’t have children. We are so not ready for all the work that comes with having a baby. I didn’t get anything done yesterday! Ah well, at least I caught up on my Sesame street.

This post was brought to you by the number "$250 (in lost profits)", and the word "birth control". *sigh*