Trenton Reynoldsand some of the defining moments. The following was recorded on January 26th, 2017. This is episode number 33, Cheetah Party. Room in the Trees is hosted by Sabrina Harrison and me, Trent Reynolds. Show notes, including pictures, links, video, and more for every episode can be found at roominthetrees.com. If you like this podcast, please consider showing your support. You can become a subscribing patron at patreon.com forward slash room. And you can rate us or write a review on iTunes, which is very helpful, and we love reading your comments. That link is at roominthetrees.com forward slash iTunes. Today we are departing somewhat from our usual subject matter. We really wanted to post something for you all this week and we had a topic we were both excited to get into, but then life got a little vivid for me. A little gritty. So the conversation we ended up recording is mostly a recounting of a night in the life of Trent. If you don't care to listen to parenting horror stories, or if you're squeamish about talk of body functions... then I would ask you to just stick around for the first four minutes and then maybe pass on the rest this week. No harm in that. We'll catch up with you next week. Before my story, I have something to say about an event coming soon that you should know about. I felt like you weren't going to, this sounds condescending when I'm saying it out loud, but I felt like you weren't going to do a good enough job pitching your workshop. And we've had a lot of conversations about it. And self-promotion is kind of inherently difficult because you feel like you're, you know, tooting your own horn type deal, right? So I don't know. I feel like some of us tend to downplay, uh, what we're offering, even though like, you are really excited about this, and this is something that you've put a lot of time and energy in. And the thing that struck me most that I wanted to make sure to say, and get out to our listeners, is that it was important to you to create this experience that wasn't catered just to people who are used to, or familiar, or even that want to typically, go to these workshops. Yes. Right? Those people will come and they'll definitely enjoy themselves, right? That's not a concern. But you wanted to create an experience that was intimate and at a level where people who don't typically consider themselves a person who goes to workshops maybe are a little bit more introverted or just quiet or not, you know, I don't know even what people have in their minds when it comes to like. thinking of whether that really appeals to them. But this isn't like a high energy, like every day is packed with crafty things and pep talks and trust games. That's not what you're doing here. You're doing something very different. I think a lot of people, a lot of our listeners obviously connect with your books and, on a very deep level, right? Somehow that really resonated with them. And I think my feeling is that that is that connection, that feeling that's evoked through reading your books, which is, you know, I'm reading a book by myself in my room, a very private experience. Like that is the experience you're trying to create, right? You want them to come and you want them to feel those feelings. to feel that connection and to feel that empowerment, permission, all those feelings that they get from your book. And you're not calling it a workshop on purpose because you don't want to evoke those maybe stereotypical notions of what a workshop is. So I think that was more than anything the point that I wanted to get across is that this – and I'm excited for it. Like I can envision – how this is different you know yeah I can envision how this is in a way more inclusive to those people that wouldn't necessarily typically go to these things that's the that's the pitch I think that I wanted to make is that if you're listening to this and you really and you've connected to the conversations that we've had over the course of this podcast or if you're listening to this and you've read Sabrina's books and felt like a deep connection with them for whatever reason. This is an experience you are going to really enjoy and benefit from. This is something that will really offer you an opportunity to grow and connect with like-minded people. These are your people. - Yeah. - Maybe that's what I'm trying to say. - Totally. - These are not others. You know, this is not a workshop for somebody else. This is an experience that is going to be profoundly meaningful to you. I hope that if there are people out there that are on the fence because they've just already decided that they're not that kind of person that would go to this type of thing, I hope you reconsider and I hope you really take a close look at it and join you. I think it's going to be a fantastic experience.
Well said, Trent.
Sabrina Ward HarrisonWell said. I think we don't need to incorporate my response to that but thank you for saying that if you haven't
Trenton Reynoldsdone so already make sure you check out the website there's a you know there's a very cool description and picture and information about the workshop if you haven't done so already i was sitting working for probably about an hour on this silly cheetah face. And I was just reminded that I actually kind of enjoy little crafty projects like this. - Yeah, yeah. - The revelation was that I would rather spend two hours making a cheetah face than I would watching any sporting event. And the reason that was significant, I think, is just to, it was such a contrast, I think, you know, for most people, the jump from like sitting down watching the game to making Cheetah Face.
Sabrina Ward Harrisontotally it's like a cheetah jump actually it's like totally cool with that okay i just i just sent you the cheetah uh this this cheetah
Trenton Reynoldsdress up has been a huge ordeal this week start from the beginning can you start do you want to
Sabrina Ward Harrisonstart with the situation that occurred oh my gosh the
Trenton ReynoldsThis week. Well, I need to ask our listeners just to be patient. I know a lot of people, especially if you don't have kids, don't appreciate parent talk. But this was a defining moment in my life, and so I would like to share it. It was the worst moment I've had that I can recall in parenting so far. I've got three daughters, five, four, and one. two five four and two or she's almost two one and a half something like that i'm horrible i'm horrible with dates and the only reason i can remember by the time you get to kid three it's just like okay whatever is she still alive yep okay we're good so Monday night was it Monday night? I can't even remember now when I texted you I think so which day was the 23rd? The 23rd was Monday. So this was Sunday night. That's right. It was Sunday night. The only reason I can remember Eden's birthday is because the date is 1-2-3, like January 23rd, 1-2-3, of 2013. So it's 1-2-3-1-3. which is kind of cool. - Yeah. - So it's Sunday night, the next day is Eden's birthday. She is so excited. She already has a hard time going to sleep normally, especially when she takes a nap and she took a nap on Sunday. So we get to Sunday night and it's eight o'clock bedtime. Eden's not asleep, she's totally worked up thinking about her party, talking about it, and she's got it in her head that all her friends are gonna be coming the next day, which they're not, they're coming today for her friend party. But we were gonna celebrate her birthday on her birthday the next day. So, eight turns into 10:30, she's still not asleep, she finally goes to sleep, so we can decorate the house for her birthday. We get the whole house decorated, cleaned up. Laura like totally gets into dressing up their dolls in these outfits that she found at Target that are like birthday, birthday outfits with like cake and little fork and stuff like that. It's funny watching Laura get because she tries to downplay it. She's like, oh, Eden's really going to love this. But really, you can tell that she is right there. She's like living vicariously to the second. Like she totally is loving, you know, spending this time dressing up the girl. the dolls and getting them all situated. So she spent a good amount of time getting that whole thing set up and just so when Eden came out in the morning, she would see the dolls dressed up celebrating her birthday. So we finally get to bed, 12.30-ish. I'm not sure exactly on the timeline. One o'clock... Liv, my oldest daughter, comes into our bedroom. Sometimes it freaks me right out. Because, I mean, it's like a horror movie almost. You know, like this little girl walks in your room and just kind of stares at you. And you wake up, not even from any noise or anything. It's just like you can feel the presence. And you look at her, it's like, oh! And then she says something freaky, like, you know.
Yeah.
Trenton ReynoldsOh, I wish I could remember what her dream was about, but the dreams are always like really, really odd, you know, things that happen in dreams. Anyway, she was having a nightmare and she couldn't sleep. So Laura took her back to bed. While she's settling down, she starts to cough. And sometimes when she coughs, she gets worked up and she was already kind of scared of her dream. works herself up into a you know a fit and she throws up a little bit in her bed so at this point we're thinking it's just you know this has happened before she gets herself worked up throws up a little bit and then you know it's not she's not she's not sick she just threw up a little bit this happened by the way like from the time shortly after she was born like she just gets herself worked up you're like she's very very intense dramatically little girl. So we can't put her back in her bed. She's very upset. So we took her out into the living room, put her on the couch, got her all set up on the couch. Everything's fine. In the process of transferring her though, and in the process of her getting worked up and coughing, the youngest wakes up. So Mara is up. and usually if we can catch it in time and get her back down she'll fall back to sleep but this time because of all the motion and I didn't warm the bottle up enough because I was trying to help live so Laura had to come out and fix the rest of the bottle and Mara saw the balloons and the in the decorations and she got like really interested in that anyway like she would not go back to sleep she was wide awake and if we leave her in a room then she starts screaming that's up Eden. And mind you, this is like, you know, time is ticking. We are both like half dead, like sleep, sleep zone. Exhausted, yeah. Exhausted. We have to clean off the bar from Liv's bed, put new sheets on, you know, get it all situated. Put her back in her bed, get her calmed down, get Mara set up in front of the TV in her, you know, high chair with. some Cheerios on there. Oh my gosh. Because if we sit her in front of the TV for like half an hour, she'll kind of get in the zone and then we can get her back to sleep. So we get Mara set up, Liv's down. I think when Laura was putting Liv back down, Eden woke up. And again, like she's just already kind of hyped up a little bit. So she came in, got into our bed, and I didn't even know she was there. because I was already like back, back asleep. About half an hour later, Eden sits up in bed and starts making the noises, right? Like a little coughing and, you know, just in time for us to flip the light on. And again, I didn't know she was even there to begin with. Turn the light on. Copious, copious amounts of barf. Like just barf coming out of her mouth onto our, you know, onto our comforter. Right. You know, this is like less than a foot away from my face, right? Like this is, and it's chunky and it's, and the smell is just, just wretched. Just wretched. when that starts happening you just got to spring into action it's like you go from zero to 100 you know like it's like right right there at this point we're at like 2:00 to 2:30 or something like that in the morning Laura is trying to help eat in in and I'm I wrap up all the blanket and sheet together take it to the other bathroom put it in the bathtub Laura's trying to help Eden, and so doing, she pulls her shirt off, but does it in a way that takes all the barf that's on her shirt and drags it across her face. - Oh no! - Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I mean, half asleep, you're trying to get this kid like cleaned up, and you're not like, you know, So she drags it across her face, there's like barf in her eyebrows. And I think for some reason that detail, that detail stuck in my mind. It's like there's something, and I told you this before, there was something so utterly violating to me about being in that, asleep in this safe place, It's like the godfather, you know, when the guy wakes up and he's got the horse head in his bed. There's something deeply, deeply disturbing about having your bed violated like that. So just having the smell and the intensity of that moment and the upset and, you know, Just anyway, very disturbing. So Eden's got barf in her hair and her eyebrows and there's little chunks on the floor and I keep on stepping on a little wet spots on my heels. So, you know, like, but you're trying to there's no way to win. Like, I can't stop and. take care of these little things on the floor that are getting ground into the carpet as we go along. Oh! I have to, you know, we got this other bigger situation to deal with. You know, getting Eden to calm down, because if she doesn't calm down, then that's going to upset Mara.
Sabrina Ward HarrisonAnd as a kid, the feeling of throwing up, you always want your parent to hold your forehead for you, like it's so traumatic for them throwing up. Very traumatic, yeah. It's such a traumatic thing on your body. Yeah. Yeah. But you have to act like, and as a parent, I'm sure you have to act like, it's okay. We're okay. This is okay.
Trenton ReynoldsYeah. And, well, you kind of got to try to make it, like, you're doing a good job. You're doing exactly what you need to do. Your body's doing the right thing. Like, you're, like, praising, like, coaching them through this experience.
Yeah. Gosh.
Trenton ReynoldsSo we finally get her through that. We put her in the shower. We put all the dirty stuff in, you know, the barfy stuff, which is like the entirety of our linen closet now is in our bathtub covered in barf. We're like sleeping on a cold night with like the nappiest little sheets that we have around.
Yeah.
Trenton ReynoldsWhile she is washing off, Liv barfs again in her bed.
Oh, my God.
Trenton ReynoldsAnd, wait, no, Liv is in the, no, Liv's back in the bedroom by this time. So, yeah, Liv barfs in her bed. Oh, my God. So, you know, it's just, it keeps on going. And, you know, so I got to go in there. We got to live in the shower. So at this point, all three girls, it's 3.30 in the morning. Unbelievable. Everybody's awake. Everybody's upset. Two girls in the shower getting hosed down. I'm, like, trying to... kind of pick chunks of like soggy noodle out of out of the carpet with the with a diaper wipe you know so tired so tired and it was just like that moment where you just kind of like oh Oh my gosh, is this real? We finally get everybody set up, and now everybody's out in the living room. We get both girls set up on the couch. Eden obviously has by now seen all the decorations, all the balloons, all her presents. And the one redeeming moment, and it was a really redeeming, beautiful moment, is the minute she saw Laura's setup of the dolls and all the presents. The dolls were like set up around the presents like they were all waiting for Eden to arrive. Yeah, it was super cute. I love it. They're super cute. Yeah. And Eden, the minute she saw that, it was an instantaneous. her eyes lit up and she's like oh they're dressed up for my party and she like she had this huge huge reaction and even though she had just you know thrown up and was out of sleep but laura just melted it was awesome like it was such a payoff for her yeah so it's like 4 to 45 in the morning by this point and everybody's awake and Eden's kind of ready to get on with her birthday. So we let her open a present and they play for a little while with that and we turn on a TV show. We've slept for maybe two hours. You know, just wash out her mouth and she's good. Eden threw up twice. Liv threw up probably, I don't know, five or six times and both had, oh, oh, forgot an important part. After Eden opened her first present, she pooped her pants. You know, you hear this little very visceral wet sound in the silence of the moment. I wish I could have a video of that moment. Because her little voice, you know, is like, Mommy, I pooped my pants. It's got this little lisp. It's so cute. So that happened as well. She pooped her pants. And both of them had diarrhea for a little bit. And anyway, so you can imagine, by the end of the night, it's like the sun came up. There we were. Every bit of bed wear that we have is covered in barf or poop. And our bathtub's full. and it just smells so outrageously bad. - Oh my god. - So slept for a couple of hours, Laura slept for a couple of hours and we spent the rest of the day trying to make Eden's birthday. All right, they both stayed home from school. Eden was supposed to go to school that day and have a special celebration for us. She'd been talking about the crown that she was gonna get at school for weeks, but they postponed it for a day
Sabrina Ward Harrisonand she got it the next day.
Trenton ReynoldsSo it was a 24 hour bug, everybody was pretty good after that nighttime fiasco. But oh man, was that a doozy.
Sabrina Ward Harrison- That is unbelievable. And then you got it for 24 hours too, and did Laura get it?
Trenton ReynoldsI got it for 24 hours, and Laura got part of it. I don't want to be too descriptive of it. Laura had some symptoms. She did not get it as bad as I did, and Mara got it, too, just a little bit. She threw up once and had some diastasis. but if I can be a little bit descriptive, I'll leave Laura's experience out of it, but one of my least favorite things in this existence, you know, there are so many unpleasant things I'd rather do than throwing up. I hate, hate throwing up. It hurts so bad. And my whole body just like clenches and my head feels like it's gonna explode. And I make this horrible like wild cat sound. Anyway, the reason I share this is because, and I can't help it, like I try to be quiet because I don't want to bother neighbors or whatever. Like it's really loud. - Wow. - So I did, yeah, it's kind of silly, but Liv was in our bedroom when I first got it and she heard me throwing up and she was really scared. Like she's brought it up a couple times now. I think it's like one of those moments where you realize your parents can get hurt or they can be in pain. How that's kind of like, oh my gosh, this thing, that I thought was permanent is... Human, like that. Yeah, yeah. Anyway, so my wild cat scream.
Sabrina Ward HarrisonWow, that's major, actually, for a child to experience that. Yeah. Did she see you throw up?
Trenton ReynoldsNo, she didn't see it. She just heard it. I think that was probably part of the reason why it was so affecting is, like, she didn't... didn't understand what was going on. She just like heard me going through a werewolf transition.
Sabrina Ward HarrisonCan you give a little sample?
Trenton ReynoldsWait, a little sample? You want me to give you the scream? A little audio?
Yeah.
Trenton ReynoldsLaura does a pretty good imitation of it. I don't think I can do it.
Sabrina Ward HarrisonDo you do the sound while you're throwing up? The sound is a product of the event.
God.
Trenton ReynoldsI mean it's like, you know, like a demon is being released.
Sabrina Ward Harrison- Oh my God, have you always done that?
Trenton Reynolds- That's the thing is I went like a decade without throwing up ever. - Yeah. - When you don't have too much exposure to kids, probably I'm guessing that's what it is. Like I went for a decade without. throwing up or getting really sick. Little petri dishes of agony.
Sabrina Ward HarrisonThat's great. I love it. I think that should just be the whole episode.
Trenton ReynoldsIs there anything else you want to say for this week or for the episode?
Sabrina Ward HarrisonI just want to say one thing. I just feel like a grown-up that I accomplished today is that I... realized that I had a little, there's dental work I need to get done at some point, and I always fear the dentist, think I can't afford the dentist, don't know how to. And I thought, why don't as an adult, I connect with the dentist before it's a crisis moment, and I, you know, Go in like you would do if you had a parent that had to schedule a dentist appointment for your child. So I thought, I'm gonna take action. There's a place called Artist in Dental here in Madison. I thought I liked the word artist is in it. and I made an appointment I was it was made very clear to me that I would not I could not afford any of the work that I would probably need to get done but I thought the just start by going in just start by being examined so I'm sitting there I'm like something is going to unfold it's just going to be right and who walks in as my dentist a girl that I partner with at CrossFit on some of I've like has been your workout partner for one of the workouts of the day and I isn't that crazy and I know it's cool it was really cool it really felt like I don't know and it happened to be the day that I had shared in the group about some of the stuff developing in London and she'd happened to have been in that class and so she immediately just asked about that and I just felt like maybe they'll just need some artwork for their office or I could do some kind of trade or something and you know, maybe something will, but it really felt, it felt cool. So once again, Madison's very kind and helpful. Yeah, amen.
That's it.
Trenton ReynoldsHey, lots of Trent today. Thanks for hanging in there and letting me share a little off-topic bit of life. We will be back on track next week. make sure you check out the announcement for Sabrina's true living experience at roominthetrees.com forward slash Madison 2017 or find the link in the show notes for this week I just got another notice while recording this that another person has registered and there aren't many spots so don't wait around for now you're okay love it all Go face your soggy barf noodle and clean it up. Move on. Thanks for being there. You guys are great.