The Crib

By Doris Washton

I was in my 9^th month of pregnancy expecting our 4^th when a friend offered us a crib. We checked it out and Bob decided to repaint it to freshen it up.

I offered to help. So we set the crib up and we both painted it—Bob on the outside and me on the inside. When we finished the painting, the crib looked like new. So Bob ran in to the bathroom to wash up. He came back a few minutes later to see me still standing in the middle of the crib. He asked me why I didn’t wash also, not realizing that I was surrounded on all four sides by wet paint. My simple answer to his question was, “How?”

He finally realized that we had painted me into a difficult situation. The look on his face was funny, but he was frustrated too. I came up with a solution—he got two bridge chairs and placed one inside the crib and one next to it on the outside. Then I raised my very pregnant body up on one chair and stepped over the painted bar onto the other chair. Then, with help, I got down to the solid ground of the floor.

Needless to say I was thrilled to be out of this situation but it provided much concern and laughter from our three older children. It has been a story retold and remembered by all.

Doris Washton, who is married to fellow author Bob Washton, has four children and 10 grandchildren.