First, I moved the diaper changing station to the window. The beautiful trees outside keep Liam enthralled with their beauty while I complete the necessary evil, which before had him crying with impatience for it to be over so that we could go back to playing or book-reading or feeding or doing ANYTHING else that is much more fun.
Now the process is easier for me because he isn't hopping all over the place while I do it, nor is he arching his back, scooting himself off the table, folding himself in half, or inserting toes into mouth, all of which make diaper-changing next to impossible.
He does these things even more so when he's happy. He's just one super-active, athletic kid.
But, those trees! Oh, those trees! They just distract him. He marvels at their arboreal majesty. And while he ponders those perennials, he holds still -- and Mom gets the job done quick. She can get a hearty giggle out of him, too, if she plants a few raspberries on his belly or forehead. Oh, how I love those belly laughs. Love, love, love.
The second change: Cloth diapers are the new darling. In fact, I like them so much that I've turned back on that awful-sounding buzzer on my drier, just so that I'll know the exact moment when I can race down to the basement and retrieve them. As I bring them up, their fluffy softness is still warm, and I fold and snap and fold and snap and fold and snap them closed with joy, loving the bursts of bright color they bring to our lives. Words like "organic" and "environmental" and "economical" dance through my mind, and for those moments, I feel like I'm a savvy, thrifty mama who probably maintains a homegrown vegetable garden in her backyard and cooks with only the healthiest of ingredients. But alas, I do not. Baby steps, my friend. Baby steps.
