Poonami

Welcome to Mondays at Bitsy Buzz!

When you shop at Itsy Bitsy Bums, you will notice I do not market specifically to mothers. I cannot tell you the number of times I have read that a diaper is 'the perfect choice for a husband or babysitter' or 'trusted by moms around the world.' What on earth does that even mean? That a husband isn't competent? That he isn't any better than a hired childcare provider? Ok, so these are perhaps gross oversimplifications, but I do believe and hope that parents come together to make the best decisions for their child. And if that involves using a diaper with a higher learning curve, a husband will be on board. 

Let's get heavy for a second. I think a parenting is a partnership. And I believe a husband's role in cloth diapering is just as important as the mother's. I will often read posts on a favorite online forum claiming 'my husband will not let me cloth diaper.' The statement always breaks my heart. I pray it is simply a poor choice of words, rather than the the possible truth that he is not allowing his wife to cloth diaper their baby.

Okay, off my one-ton soap box. Need some jocularity? Me too. 

My husband is not only supportive of cloth diapering, but he also hopes to be an inspiration to some reluctant spouses out there, be they husband or wife (or both!). Therefore, each Monday you will find an entry written by him. I hope you find him helpful, witty and incredibly darling, just like I do! 

And, for such a special guest author, should today simply be called Monday? Nay! If my grandfather can get away with calling my husband 'Marky Baby' then I should as well! Henceforth Mondays at Bitsy Buzz will be known as 'Marky Baby Mondays.' 

Enjoy your first MBM! 

From The Desk of Marky Baby

Poonami (p-näm)

n. pl. poo-na-mis

As defined by the Baby Daddy Dictionary 'A Tsunami of, well, you know...'

As far back as I can remember I have always associated babies with diapers, for the obvious reasons. When we found out that Abby was pregnant, people and 'friends' would ask about my diaper changing skills, which were lackluster at best. They would say you have to change them often and occasionally they may pee on you. Okay, fine. But these 'friends' never warned me about Poonami. 

Poonami and I were introduced early on into my time as a father (which I like to call it the 'Newlywed Stage').

  

The memory of my first introduction to Poonami is very vivid in my mind. It's something most people never forget. The sweet innocent baby girl in all her glory had just arrived, still with her little angel wings on. She had the sweetest little cry you have ever heard, like a little lullaby, just wanting her diaper changed. So, I picked her up, moved her to the changing table, got my wipes ready, got the new diaper ready and pulled the sleep sack up to get to work. While smiling at her, I proceeded to open the left side of the diaper and then the right. The second I pulled back the diaper, all my senses were instantly violated. I actually think I lost all of them in that one instant. The sight of it led to the loss of my sense of smell which then lead me to be speechless, and the last two senses just gave up. As I regained my composure, I saw a box of rubber gloves. I rushed to put on a pair and go at the Poonami - definitely something the 'books' never taught me. 

Ever since that day I have been battling a war with Poonami. It is a fact of life. Thanks to the diaper sprayer, it's pretty easy to clean Poonami from the diaper. But don't get me wrong, there are days when I am tempted to put Avalee over the toilet and just use the sprayer directly on her bum (you know, save wipes). But I would never do that. 

One last thought I want to leave you with: my sister gave me and Avalee matching shirts with the saying 'Warning: Excess Gas.' Honestly, Avalee's is wrong. It should have said 'Beware of Poonami.'