Parenting from the Up Side Down: Elmo Loves Diaper Changes

*************************************************************
Amari does not.

In fact, the mere question, "Do you need a diaper change?" now invokes a dramatic drop to her knees accompanied by an operatic wail that might loosely translate to, "Oh, the humanity." She doesn't put up a fight, which is nice - some of my friends need tasers and four-point restraints quell their child's resistance - but the insta-tears and the theatrics have inspired Carrie and I to try anything and everything to make it a more pleasant experience.

Music has always been an effective distraction, specifically a very colorful caterpillar who sings songs of different genres according to the colored segment you push. Red is reggae, blue is opera, orange/country, and so on. Along with us singing goofy songs about what we're doing at the time - hits like "I Found My Thrill on Pooberry Hill" and "Damn That's a Lot of Pee" - the caterpillar has had the most staying power.

A few days ago, during a visit with her friend Mackenzie, I noticed Amari take a particular interest in a life-like baby doll - something we don't have at home. She was fascinated by it, stroking its hair and giving it pats on the back, something she likes to do with just about everyone. It's kind of her thing and it's very endearing. By the end of our visit she was hugging and kissing the baby, probably longing for a smaller friend who didn't pull her hair and take her things.

In the past, I've tried to get Amari involved in the diaper-changing process, opening the drawer and asking her to pick out her own diaper. She would get very excited, run over to the drawer, and pick out several diapers, close the drawer, open it again, pick out another diaper or two, and so on. Nonetheless, when I'd close the drawer more definitively and try to pick her up, the mellow-drama ensued.

Yesterday, I decided to see if getting Amari to change someone else's diaper might help so I recruited the always lovable Elmo. I pulled out a diaper, asked Amari if Elmo needed his diaper changed, and let her go to work. For fifteen minutes, she stood by the diaper-changing area, carefully pulling the blanket flat, trying hard to open the diaper correctly, then placing Elmo on top of it while attempting to wrap it around him. She never succeeded, but she was fully enthralled, and when she was done to her satisfaction, she began covering him with a small blanket and tucking him in for a nap. When it came time to change her diaper, although there was still some fuss initially, having Elmo lying beside her draped in wool and synthetic polymers, somehow made things a little easier.

Tonight, as bedtime approached, Amari snatched up her new bestie, Elmo, whose diaper had long since slipped off of his scrawny, hairy legs, and walked towards our staircase. Carrie scooped them up and I followed moments later to tell them a bedtime story and let them share an mmm-ba (bottle). When I came downstairs, Amari was curled up in Mapa's arms with Elmo faithfully sitting against the wall just above her head.

I can't find my camera right now, but I'll try to remember to add pictures of Elmo manana. In the meantime, here are a few pics of Amari from the past week or so.