A couple of weeks ago I visited home for my sister's 30th birthday where I got to spend some quality time with my adorable niece. I mean seriously...have you seen the smile? It melts my heart. That is, when my ears aren't bleeding from her screaming. She's not so good with the word "no."

I was watching Adelynn for my sister (Bridget) so that she could shower and get dressed, blow-dry her hair and ultimately do all those things that those of us "childless" folk take for granted. Because apparently for my sister, getting a chance to put on makeup and do her hair is the equivalent to waking up next to Clive Owen drizzled in chocolate after someone wallpapered her house with 100 dollar bills. IT WAS THAT EXCITING FOR HER!

So, my sweet sister looked lovely. And clean. And I'm sitting on the floor next to Adelynn when all of a sudden she gets a weird look on her face and starts staring at me. And I look back, wary, and say to her, "Addie, do you have to poop?" And she's squatting and nodding, a pained expression on her face--which I think we can all empathize with.

I know Bridget is beginning to potty-train, but I'm a little lost in that department, so I figured I'd just let her do her thing and I'd handle the diaper later. All of a sudden I see a stream of poop running down Adelynn's leg, staining the nice white carpet and my poor niece starts screaming, "Poopie, Cayeen! Poopie!". I pick her up and throw her down on the changing table. Bridget comes running in upon hearing those ominous poop-filled screams and she takes over my position as I was about to take the diaper off.

As my sister slides the diaper off of Adelynn's legs, projectile poop comes flying into her face. I mean, this kid may as well have been throwing poop around the room. The stuff was everywhere by the time she was finished and all the while she's crying, "Poopie, Mommy, poopie!"

After all the excitement was said and done, we all got cleaned up; scrubbed the rug, the changing table, showered, changed our clothes again. And just as my sister and I flopped ourselves down onto the couch, Bridget's husband, Adam walked through the door. Adelynn ran to him and he picked her up, asking: "Adelynn, what did you get Mommy for her birthday?"

She smiled coyly and pointed to both of us and simply answered: "Poopie."

She sure did.