Naked Baby On The Loose

When our first baby was born we toted all the essentials --- car seat, stroller, play pen, swing, booster chair and diaper bag stuffed to the gills. We crammed these necessaries into our vehicle everywhere we travelled, across the province or across the street. We were prepared. Our precious boy lacked for nothing.

Fast forward to baby number four. Suffice it to say, our level of preparedness has relaxed just a tad. I'm lucky to make it out of the house with my own purse and keys. Diaper bag? Sometimes it gets left at home. (There's usually a stray diaper to be found somewhere within the depths of the van, right?)

That laissez faire attitude came back to bite me in the bum this weekend.

Our family is slowly settling in to our new home. I can scarcely believe we've been here nearly two weeks already. Earlier this weekend we made the obligatory trek to the urban mecca that is Ikea to purchase goodies for the aforementioned new home. As our van pulled into the parking lot my eloquent husband made the following comment:

"Something really stinks."

Not something, my friends. Someone. The littlest member of our family had filled his diaper. And his pants. And his shirt. And his socks. The movement was epic. I'm surprised the car seat escaped unscathed.

We had remembered to bring the diaper bag along on our excursion. I was supremely thankful to have a large supply of fresh diapers and wipes close at hand. However, had I thought to pack an extra set of clothes in said diaper bag? Of course not.

So we did what any other family-of-six would do in our position. I set up a make-shift changing station in the front of our minivan, wiped down the babe as best we could, slapped on a fresh diaper, and strapped our (otherwise naked) three-month-old into the Baby Bjorn. With the unnatural effort it takes to haul our family into Ikea, we were determined to complete our mission.

So what if the baby was slightly under dressed? At least it wasn't February. Besides, no one would even notice. Right?

(To be continued...)