A few notes on diapers (and related matters) in the Baby Squared household. Note: this post involves graphic discussion of matters scatalogical and butt-o-logical. Reader discretion advised. Because the writer certainly didn't exercise any.

1. Our babies got back, apparently. A couple of weeks ago, we had to switch from size 3 diapers to size 4. We use Seventh Generation, and their size 3 diapers claim to go from 16 - 28 pounds, but my girls are nowhere near 28 pounds! I guess there are some long, tall, skinny-assed 28-pound babies out there that these diapers fit. I would be incredibly curious to see what these children look like. Meanwhile, the size 4 diapers puportedly fit babies from 22-37 pounds. Again, I seriously doubt that either of my girls are 22 pounds yet, but apparently they have 22-37 pound booty, because the size 3 diapers were just not doing the job. I couldn't get the sides to overlap front to back. I had to stre-e-e-tch the tabs, so that sometimes it looked like the girls were wearing string bikinis. Very puffy, bulky, crinkly string bikinis. Not very good for poop containment. And speaking of poop....

2. Solid food poop stinks. Literally and figuratively. Back in the day, when the girls were getting nothing but breastmilk, their poop smelled like buttered popcorn. Seriously! It was almost pleasant. Now -- ugh. Nasty. Multi-hued. Unpredictable. And the fact that they're more mobile and squirmy on the changing table makes cleaning up that much more treacherous. They're also doing their business a lot more frequently, it seems, and at all hours of the day. Clio, especially. In fact, Alastair composed a little song that we like to sing about Clio and her new...er...nocturnal habits:

 Sleep pooper! She poops in her sleep!

Poop sleeper! She sleeps in her poop!

3. If it feels good, do it, right? Yes, of course. It's perfectly natural for babies and children to touch themselves down there. But must they do it while having their diapers changed? I don't want to discourage this sort of happy exploration. I don't want to be saying "no, no, no," while they're getting to know themselves, doin' what comes naturally, etc. But what do you do when your baby is gleefully plunging their little hands into a big ole mess? How do you expain to an 11 month old that yes, it's perfectly OK to touch their own bodies, just NOT NOW, PLEASE! Please.

You know what? I'm sorry. I've gone too far. I've said too much. Special apologies to all you non-parent readers out there. Let me attempt to make it up to you with this very sweet, non-butt-or-poop-or-anything-else-related picture of the girls on their first Thanksgiving, taking a joyride on their new Winnie the Poop -- I mean Pooh -- rider.

Poop poop! Here we come!