Death By Milking:

Our couch is was relatively new.  At least within the last 5 years.  In that short amount of time it has been peed on, puked on, pooped on, 'dogged' on, spilled on, climbed on, ripped...sewn back up and had springs pop through.  And, all things considered, it has held up fairly well.  Until now.  Now all that is left is half of a sectional and the carpet marks where the beloved chaise once sat.

Why?

All day yesterday Dan and I keep smelling something.  We couldn't put our finger on it, but it did not smell 'good'.  At first we thought it was something in the trash or disposal.  Those were clean.  We kept smelling the dogs, who are the usual sticky suspects.  They, surprisingly, were also clean.  We finally assumed it was just a food smell from the left over spaghetti we were having for lunch.  

After going on a walk last night the smell was getting stronger and making my stomach turn.  So after the girls were in bed, I went on a mission to find it to origin of the odor.  I smelled high and low until I found the unusual place it was coming from...the back of the couch.  That could only mean one thing.  I immediately feared the worst.  Moving the cushion out of the way, my fears were confirmed.  ROTTEN MILK.  One of the girls sippy cups of milk had gotten wedged between the cushion and the back of the couch.  Forgotten about, it began to curdle and leak out of the cup until the smell was strong enough to come through the back of the couch.  GAG! Super gross.

It is in the garage now so the stench would clear out of the house.  It is soaked into every nook and cranny.  Cleaning is simply not an option.  A new couch was not in the budget for at least a few years, so now we have to decide if we should go cheap and expect to buy a new one in a few years when the girls are older and the dogs are dead.  Or, invest the money in a couch that will 'last'.  However long that is...

These are the things that can only happen as a parent.  You can't make this stuff up.  But, lesson learned: always count the sippy cups to make sure they ALL return.

What is the grossest thing you have experienced as a parent?