05 Mucus Dermis

M.D. = Mucus Dermis Wednesday. Wednesday was her Sharing Day! Judy was going to have the best share ever. She couldn't wait two weeks until her Human Body project was due. She, Judy Moody, would Show and Tell about Stink's bellybutton. To-day. All she had to do was steal it. Judy waited for Stink to go downstairs for breakfast. She tiptoed into his room, took down the box of baby stuff, grabbed Stink's bellybutton jar, and hid it in the secret inside pocket of her backpack. As soon as the bell rang, Mr. Todd asked Class 3T to form a Sharing Circle. It was Rocky's day

to share, too. And Jessica Finch. Jessica said she'd brought an especially special share. But Judy just knew her bellybutton had to be the specialest! Rocky went first. His share was a Lego. Judy thought one Lego was boring, until Rocky conducted an experiment on it. He put it in a petri dish and poured some stuff on it. The Lego turned black-as-dirt from all the germs on it. "Eee-yew!" said Jessica Finch. "Germs!" Germs made her squirm. "There's a fungus among us," said Frank. "I had lice before," said Bradley. "In my hair!" "Me too!" said Alison S. "Ick," said Dylan, backing away from the circle. "Millions of bacteria are on us all the time,"

said Rocky. "On our heads, up our noses, between our toes." "That's right," said Mr. Todd. "Each one of us is our own ecosystem. We carry around millions of critters too tiny to see." "Like a human rain forest?" asked Judy. "Exactly," said Mr. Todd. "Now do you see why I'm always after all of you to wash your hands?" "I have something that's not germs," Jessica said. "My guinea pig, Chester, was a boy, but he turned out to be a girl and had babies." Jessica Finch held up a picture. "Nutmeg, Jasmine, Coco, and Cindy, short for Cinnamon. The Spice Girls!"

"Aww!" everybody said. "Cute!" Judy took a look. All she could see were hairballs. Bellybuttons were way more scientific than hairballs! "Judy, did you bring anything to share?" asked Mr. Todd. "Yes," said Judy. She held the baby-food jar behind her back. "See, when you're a baby and

you first come out, there's a thingy attached to your bellybutton. Then it falls off and your mom and dad find out if you're an innie or an outie." "I'm an innie!" said Frank. "Ooh. I'm a way-outie!" said Bradley, showing off his bellybutton. "Okay, 3T! Keep your shirts on," said Mr. Todd. "Let's let Judy finish." "In this jar, I have a real live bellybutton thingy. No lie. I call it Mucus Dermis. It's Latin. Dermis means skin and mucus means yucky. Yucky skin." "Where'd you get it?" asked Rocky. "Actually, it's from my very own brother, Stink Moody." "Double yuck," said Jessica Finch, squirming

in a wormy way. "Let me see!" said Frank Pearl. Judy passed Stink's bellybutton to Frank Pearl. Everybody crowded around to see. "Take your seats and Judy will pass it around," said Mr. Todd. "Bellybuttons are also called navels," said Judy. "Everybody has one, but no two are alike. Just like snowflakes. Sometimes bellybuttons collect lint, and in Japan, they have bellybutton cleaners. My dad told me. No lie!" "Thank you, Judy," said Mr. Todd. "I think we've all learned more than we ever imagined about bellybuttons." "Bellybuttons are better than bones," said Rocky. "Better than lice!" said Frank.