Poo, Poo, Poo

One of my mom's many superstitions involved warding off evil spirits when she was reporting something positive. "Poo, poo, poo" was a critical declaration uttered at the end of such a tale, a statement made in a kind of half spit. It meant, I do not take this good luck for granted and I fervently hope it remains. I understand and appreciate my good fortune and thank the gods for watching over me and my loved ones. 

Or at least that was my translation.

I fear my daughter recently forgot her poo, poo, poo.

My son in law is out of town for several days so the task of caring for my precious young granddaughter has fallen on the able shoulders of my younger child. Sunday evening my wife stayed overnight at her apartment, to keep the two generations of ladies company.

That night, for 12 straight hours, with but a few second interval for grandma to place a binky back in her four month old granddaughter's mouth, there was heard nothing but the wonderful strains of peaceful, uninterrupted silence. It was the best sleep in the baby's short history.

But rather than utter the requisite poo, poo, poo, my daughter made an egregious error. She reported of her recent conversation with several similarly situated young moms who warned her of a regression in sleeping habits of others at exactly this tender age. It was, in fact, the anti poo, poo, poo utterance, virtually inviting disaster. It left a gaping hole where the poo, poo, poo would have stood guard.

In the wee hours of the following morning we received a text from our daughter chronicling the endless night, filled with hourly cries from the crib, a recitation of how quickly the worst followed the best. Her message ended with her plea, in jest, for grandma to return to work her magic. 

This past evening, grandma was in fact back in the city. Hopefully she recalls the life lesson my mom tried to pass along to those she loved. So, should our granddaughter pass a quiet night, my wife must report the same with the requisite three word protective shield. 

Only then will the baby's progress be assured. Poo, poo, poo.