With Hiro due in 54 days, I'm preparing for that big transition: from defecation as an essentially anti-social event to an intimate familial ritual. The mere fact that in 54 days I will shelve the word "defecation" for the word "poopy" or "yucky-lump" is signal enough of the revolution.
Next weekend, Rachel and I go to Memphis for a baby shower. I'm confident that someone will tell, for at least the 50th time, the story of my Uncle David, who, at 18, was asked to babysit me for several hours. Who, when my parents arrived home after those hours, was standing in the driveway, dumb-struck. Who left me alone in my crib after my diaper went blooey; the walls, the carpet, the crib, my face all having caught what the diaper didn't.
Do I remember that moment independently of its telling? Probably not. I was probably too young to make a connection between defecation and abandonment. Still, I have always fully subscribed to the bromide set forth by Thomas Lynch (in his essay "Crapper" from the book The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade): "In short, when shit happens, we feel alone." This will soon change. I am trading formal isolation for loaded community.
Which reminds me, if any of you bargain hunters is in the St. Louis area and is looking for something to haggle over this Saturday morning, we're joining forces with several friends for an awesomely mundane yard sale. At least four families, at least bunches of stuff under a dollar and many over. Your purchases will go toward funding an initial stash of cloth diapers, so you'd be saving both our bank account and the environment.
What's for sale? Lots of books; tons of CD's; clothes; knick-knacks; sewing machine; Sumo bean-bag; camera equipment?; and all manner of other things from other families. We'll be on Waterman one block east of Skinker. If you give a crap about community, you should come see us.
Posted by ghetto monk at May 30, 2007 03:41 PM | TrackBacknear skinker, eh? i'm not in st. louis, but one of my wife's life-long friends lives there...and she's close to skinker.
also, i'm interested in finding out how cloth diapers match up against disposable. you know--gallons of water used to wash them vs. trash piled up with one diaper.
Posted by: daniel at May 30, 2007 04:26 PMDaniel, I bet that if I launder diapers while showering then it'll make a small dent.
Posted by: jeremy at May 30, 2007 04:32 PMDaniel, the environmental impact of washing cloth diapers, even if one uses a diaper service (high volume, high pressure washing, using more water/heat and chemicals for sanitizing) is still miniscule compared to the impact on a landfill the four thousand or so diapers a baby needs before he's housebroken. Not only is it illegal to dispose of human waste in a landfill (You're supposed to knock the crap off the disposable diaper into the toilet, and who does that?!), a disposable diaper takes over 200 years to decompose.
Posted by: she who knows at May 30, 2007 04:57 PMcamera equipment? cds, books, sewing machine? i wish i lived closer.
Posted by: steph at May 30, 2007 08:41 PMOkay, so is baby's name pronounced HIro or Hero?
Best wishes to you all ~
Posted by: Christine at May 31, 2007 05:14 AMthe shower thing is a good idea. the comparison thing is a bit overwhelming. the knocking the crap out before trashing the disposable isn't done. does anyone know of this law?
Posted by: daniel at May 31, 2007 07:58 AMpeople (fools!) will think you are nuts with the cloth diapers but I had three kids in them, two at a time, and it was fine. if you need practical cloth diapering advice, i'm your gal. sorry i can't rummage through your cast offs at the sale.
Posted by: emily at May 31, 2007 08:23 AMYo slaw dawg, what dates will you be coming into town? i'm headed to Boulder Fri afternoon but should be back Sun around noon. Would love to catch up with you dood.
Posted by: Zack at May 31, 2007 09:34 AMHave Rachel tell you Abby's story-
We took pictures of her adventures with
the dreaded substance!
Christine, it's pronounced with a short "i" or an "ee," depending on the lingual habits of the speaker. We're not too picky about it. Yet. I tend to pronounce with the "hi" along the lines of "hip" as opposed to "Heathrow."
Thanks, Em! Some already do, unfortunately. And we will gladly put you on the short list of emergency cloth contacts.
Zack, we'll be down briefly for a baby shower June 8 and 9. Not sure if we'll have any down-time, but if I have a moment to catch up with some BBQ, I'll definitely get in touch so we can drink some sweet tea together, sweet nectar of the gods!
Posted by: jeremy at May 31, 2007 11:20 AMSometimes, when I drive my car too much, I imagine Al Gore crying in the back seat, and it makes me sad. I'm glad you're using cloth diapers, and when you wash them in the shower, you can imagine Al Gore standing there with you, beaming.
Posted by: linnea at June 1, 2007 08:46 PMLinnea, the truth is, that would be terribly inconvenient. And overly gorey.
Posted by: jeremy at June 1, 2007 08:53 PM* i would have given you at least $8 for it.
Posted by: jane. at June 2, 2007 11:54 PMActually, there are a lot more issues at stake regarding disposable diapers than just God's earth. (What kind of newborn diapers are you planning to buy? I reccomend Kissaluv fitteds. www.diaperswappers.com is a great site for buying and reselling diapers.)
MALE INFERTILITY Disposable diapers could be the cause of the sharp rise in male infertility over the past 25 years. It is thought that disposable diapers heat up boys testicles to such a degree that it stop them from developing normal.
SODIUM POLYACRYLATE, which is linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome and can therefore no longer be used in tampons, is the super absorbent gel in disposable diapers. You can find the little "gel balls" on the skin of your baby's bottom. It is interesting to note that employees in factories manufacturing sodium polyacrylate suffer from female organ problems, slow healing wounds, fatigue and weight loss.
TBT (TRIBULYTIN) In May 2000 Greenpeace found TBT in PampersŪ Baby Dry in Germany. TBT is one of the most toxic substances ever made. It harms the immune system and impairs the hormonal system. There is speculation that it could cause boys to become sterile.
DIOXIN Traces of the carcinogen Dioxin have been found in disposable diapers. Dioxin causes liver disease, immune system suppression and genetic damage. It is a byproduct of bleaching with chlorine gas and is banned in most countries. Unfortunately, the USA still allows it.
ASTHMA In 1998 a study showed that childhood respiratory problems, including asthma, might be linked to inhaling the mixture of chemicals emitted from disposable diapers.
UTI INFECTIONS IN BABY GIRLS also seem on the rise with an increased use of disposable diapers.
BABIES POORLY DEVELOPED OUTER SKIN LAYER ABSORBS ABOUT 48 CHEMICALS if you use disposable diapers & wipes and standard baby products. This can be greatly reduced by using cloth diapers and natural baby products.
Posted by: sarah mosley at June 6, 2007 03:53 PMHow was the baby shower?
Posted by: Bekah at June 14, 2007 08:30 AMhi, Jeremy. just catching up on your blog. some friends told us this weekend (no, we're not expecting. probably won't be for a couple of years) about gDiapers, which they've liked the best out of all the environmentally friendly options. here's a link: http://www.gdiapers.com. the simplicity of disposable and just as (if not more) environmentally friendly as cloth. you may be in the giddy throes of new fatherhood already... exciting! and scary!
Posted by: Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma at July 25, 2007 02:51 AM