My Geek Baby

I was going to write about the great Swaddler vs. G Diaper comparison but we still haven’t used the G Diaper. We have however tried the Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Diaper. Why, you ask? Swaddlers have a perfumy smell, which is one step in the diaper rash risk area and you don’t want to go there. Baby rashes cause the nicest, sweetest babies to turn into that little girl from the Exorcist. And with good reason. They’re in pain.

I switched brands for now because I noticed the baby’s wet diapers had this weird smell. Like movie popcorn butter. I’m not kidding. It happened day after day and I finally looked up weird smells in the baby book and low and behold there were more things for a new mom to worry about. Pee smell that reminds the frantic new parent of a wolf, a barn, or even maple syrup, could indicate that the baby has a metabolic disorder of some sort. But nothing whatsoever about a buttery smell. So before I panicked and called a team of pediatricians, I took a clean diaper and shoved it up to my face and inhaled deeply. Huh. Baby powderish. But why? Don’t diaper manufacturers KNOW that additional chemicals in baby’s most sensitive areas are not good? So, bye bye Swaddlers. You were cute. We’ll miss seeing a diapered Elmo on the front of the diaper. The Seventh Generation diapers are safer, but sad to look at. Utilitarian at best. Unbleached cotton is tan, almost dirty looking. They look like diapers babies in jail would wear. Government issue.

…This post was interrupted by a live baby who demands immediate attention…or who is mortified that her mom is writing about her diapers.

I think it’s the rocktastic shirt with the AC/DC font that is influencing this look…

I was half a second away from pouring my cold coffee into the trash can instead of the sink but I stopped myself. The pre- and post-natal fog of pregnancy is lifting, finally, but with the sleep deprivation, I still have my moments. My brain, which is a steel trap for useless factoids such as, “the largest soap bubble ever recorded was 105 feet,” my ability to spit out such facts has slowed down considerably, as has my ability to finish sentences, I just keep rambling, switching topics at random, as I am doing right now.

I attribute my recovery to my parents for bringing proper deli meats and hot meal ingredients from NJ to make real sandwiches and comfort foods such as kielbasa and chicken and dumplings.

But really, this blog is about baby Indira’s smarts, not my diminishing ability to communicate due to a lack of sleep. Without being able to yet speak in complete sentences she has already taught us many things:

Also, to accept offers from grandparents who can help burp baby. Here she is with Pop Pop.
”

Wow. Babies poop alot. A LOT.

New moms like myself hear their baby crying and think, “Hungry?” or “Diaper Situation?” or “Need a Snuggle?” and head towards their baby to start the calming down process. But not all cries are the same, according to Priscilla Dunstan, a mom from Australia who says she’s unlocked the secret language of babies. Born with a photographic memory for sound, Dunstan became a musical prodigy in early childhood. When she had a child of her own, she thought she could decipher specific cries for “hungry,” “tired” and more. But after being around other people’s babies, she believes she discovered that all babies speak a universal language.

Here’s a few “words” she’s hearing. I’m listening closely to Indira, but I’m pretty much tone deaf so I may have to wait for her next phase where we begin learning sign language and continue changing dry diapers in an effort to determine she’s hungry, not wet!

Eh = need to burp
Owh = sleepy
Heh = uncomfortable
Neh = hungry

We didn’t watch the Giants crush the Patriots in the Super Bowl but I did record the game so I can see what all the fuss is about regarding the commercials. And no, I don’t see anything odd about that!

But as newbies to this whole parenting thing, our priorities are more focused on matters of eating, sleeping and well, diaper changing. So in honor of the Super Bowl we’re engaged in a Pooper Bowl, a butt-to-butt comparison of two diaper types; Swaddlers and the eco-friendly G Diaper. The Swaddler is a basic, disposable diaper and we’ve had good luck with it so far. No poop shoots out the side (YET). G diapers, are the flushable and/or compostable cousin. More on that front when we have tried both. G for green, G for great, G for groovy. They come with two-part potty pants (or party pants, I mean they are SWANK) and the cotton insert that is a lot less waste to dispose of in the manner in which we choose. Considering I recently created a situation in the bathroom by flushing Q-tips we may go to the composting route.