Maybe We Should Shake Hands or Something...

I really don’t what the proper etiquette is for introducing yourself on a new blog. I could spout off a random list of facts about myself, but that would be about as helpful as wearing one of those “Hello, My Name Is” stickers they make you slap on at speed dating – it’s just awkward and doesn’t really tell anyone anything useful about you.

So I guess I’ll try to explain why I’m starting this blog, and, hopefully, in the process of doing that, you, dear reader, will get a better picture of who I am.

Before I got pregnant, I had certain ideas of how I would raise my baby. I was a formula-fed, disposable-diaper baby of the early 80s, and, even at a young age, I associated cute infants with that plastic Pampers smell. To me, that petroleum-produced diaper WAS babyhood, and I had every intention of putting Muppet Babies and Sesame Street characters on my as-yet-unconceived child’s butt.

I had also assumed that my attitude toward the environment would stay very much the same, even after bringing new life into the world. I recycled, I tried to conserve, and I had a great talent for turning brown paper grocery sacks into totally kickin’ textbook covers.

Then Abby Rose came along

She is our little winter baby who was born on Elvis’ birthday, and everything I had ever thought and assumed turned out to be completely and totally wrong.

I still associate that Pampers smell with babies (and will probably always secretly lust after it in my heart), but once Abby hit 6 months, I began to realize just how many freakin’ disposable diapers we were going through – six, seven, or eight PER DAY. Taking out a small trash bag full of sodden and poopy diapers every other day became a disturbing visual that hit me straight on, like a freight train. Add to that the disposable wipes and the formula cans we were throwing out with alarming frequency, and I began to feel like the world’s worst parent.

What kind of world am I leaving for my child? One filled with diaper-laden landfills and smog-filled skies from the production of the petroleum products? This thought has begun to weight heavily on my mind, and I realized that something had to change.

So things are going to change – but they’re not going to change completely, quickly, or all at once. I know who I am and how I operate, and doing ANYTHING that way is an instant recipe for failure. I realize now that my “green” efforts were, overall, pathetic, and that there is much room for improvement – even at my slow and steady pace. I know that I can improve upon not just Abby’s diapers, but her food, her environment, and her life in general.

And so this blog is born – to chronicle this journey that my husband and I are taking to make the world just a tiny bit better for our precious daughter. I’m going to start at the beginning, and go from there. Step one is the diapers and wipes, step two – who knows? But it will be documented here, in a blog that I hope will showcase the daily frustrations of going semi-green, as well as the ultimate success and positive results that our actions will bring about.

I'm going to make mistakes - have no fear! But if I ever falter or lose my inspiration, I only have to look at this sweet little face to get back on track:

So grab your stainless steel water bottle and join my on what is sure to be a crazy roller coaster of an adventure!

-Jen