Forever changing diapers....

As I was changing 2 diapers this morning, I started thinking about when the last time I didn't have to change diapers was.....it was a LONG time ago!! In the last ~6.5 years, I have never had a break from changing at least one child in diapers a day-NEVER!!  That is one of the "perks" of having closely spaced children.  I have spent most of my years actually changing at least 2 kids-quite a few of those years 3 kids!!  And here I head again, ready to tackle 3 in diapers for the third time.  I guess I should be bummed, or have some kind of desire to potty train my two year olds in a rush.  But they just aren't ready and I am not overly concerned.  And I know in another 3/4 years, with this being our last, that I will have NONE in diapers.  I can't imagine what that will be like and I am actually kind of sad thinking about it.  Its gone by too fast.  There is just something so special about taking care of  young children and doing the mundane tasks like changing diapers.  Yep, crazy as it sounds, I know I am going to mourn the last pack of diapers I will ever buy.  *sigh*

And what I have learned with over 6.5 years of diaper changing behind my belt? 

That cloth diapers are adorable and so easy to clean!!  And that I love AIO's (All in Ones) the best and that there is something innately satisfying about hanging freshly cleaned diapers to dry.  And if I can find a time when I am not so BUSY, I might pull out our stash and give them one more run! 

I have also learned that all diapers are NOT created equally.  That as cheap as some diapers are, they aren't worth it when your child wakes up wet in the middle of the night.  Over and over and over again!  I have found that the cheapest, BEST diapers that work for us are Target's new and improved Up and Up brand.  We don't have any leaks with them, they feel nice and soft when wet on the inside, and they have green and blue polka dots (which is great for a polka dot and stripe obsessed mama). 

I have also found that I sometimes will WASTE my money on Pampers...actually many times I will.  Why on Earth would someone with 5 kids and a tight budget do that?  It is NOT bc I feel Pampers are superior to the Target diapers-not at all.  I have had no issues with my Target diapers and I actually think I have a *small* crush on them and those polka dots!!  So why waste my money??  Its all in the smell.  Yep, the smell.  And I know its a huge ploy by Pampers, and that is why they give their diapers out at hospitals.  To get us mommies to get warm, fuzzy thoughts when we smell those baby dry or cruisers 2 years after our babies were born.  I close my eyes and take a sniff and suddenly I feel right back at the hospital, when I met my gorgeous babies for the first time; when I felt that new intense love and kissed them and loved them and snuggled them and fed them...AND I smelled them and I never wanted to forget that smell of the joy and excitement of new life.  Pampers bring me back to that moment each and every sniff.  As much as I don't want to waste my money on them, I WANT to waste my money on them.  Yep, its all in the smell.  And those sweet memories....

In 3/4 short years (maybe even sooner) I will be lamenting the fact that I have none in diapers.  But I *may* just continue to buy a pack here and there.  A pack of Pampers that is.  And I *may* smell them from time to time.  But for now, I am just enjoying having my little ones, still little enough to need those diaper changes.  It may seem like forever since I have not changed a diaper... but one day it will feel like forever since I have changed a diaper.  And I am just not ready for that yet!