I was all ready to write a blog about my newfound disdain for the concept of paying an arm and a leg for Pampers Cruisers when there are so many other options available that do the job just as well. I had my analogy all ready - like, I could have a BMW and pay way too much for it, or I could drive my CRV which costs a whole lot less and gets me from Point A to Point B just as well, albeit not as stylishly and with fewer bells and whistles. Then this week came along.

What happened is that we ran out of our wholesale-size box of Cruisers, so I decided to take the opportunity to test-drive some store brands and economy brands just to make sure that there were no viable options we were missing. I got a pack of Publix, a pack of Target, and a pack of Luvs. Publix was out of the running pretty quickly, but the Target brand (cute as can be with its blue and green polka dots), was actually pretty decent. The only problem is that with it and most other store brands, the padding inside gets folded and clumpy. No less effective, but not a confidence-builder. Liam also had to wear one one night when I forgot to get Huggies Overnights, and he didn't leak out any more than he did with Cruisers.

So I ended up settling on Luvs. I guess I just hadn't had to leave him in them for stretches of time as long as I have for a trip to the beach. It's not that they have ever leaked; they really do the job decently. You can, however, see that the diaper has become completely full pretty quickly. At that point, they're not as heavy as a completely-full Cruiser, so you know it just didn't have the potential of the Cruisers.

I think that, while you pay a lot less for Luvs, you just have to change them so much more often, probably making the Cruisers worth your while (not like we leave him in Cruisers for ten hours at a time or anything, but you feel like, should you need to go 3 hours, you're safer). I'm not composing spreadsheets for a fancy cost-benefit analysis or anything, but I think that in the end, you're probably not really coming out too far ahead by going with Luvs. So, back to the trusty old Cruisers once we get back to Atlanta and I get off my bum and go to BJ's.

This is a really interesting age right now, where all of a sudden you start to figure out exactly how much a toddler understands. You just have these moments where things just click right into place in this amazing sort of way.

The other day, I was sitting in the glider in his room, and he was playing on the floor. He had 'Guin the Penguin lying on the floor beside him, his stuffed dog in his hand, one paci in his mouth, and another on the floor. I wasn't really thinking too hard about it or expecting anything at all, but I said "Liam, can you please put your paci in 'Guin's mouth?" He stopped what he was doing, picked up the paci from the floor, and reached over and laid it right on 'Guin's beak. I was floored. At this age, you slip into this mindset that they can only understand what they can communicate, but it just isn't true. You know it's not when you really think about it, but it doesn't become real until one of those moments when they understand and act on such a strange and obscure request.

Today, he was sitting at the little kiddie table with a disposable cup full of graham snacks. He finished, and then he started walking over towards the trash can. I was about to run over there to keep him from taking everything out of the trash (surely that was what was about to happen!), but instead, he takes his cup, puts it in the trash can, and then walks right back over to us.

I know, it's a simple task, but another little "aha" moment in that continuum from the time your child is completely new to this world with barely an ounce of knowledge to the present. You bear witness to all of it, so every new discovery is pretty meaningful in a way that is hard to put into words. Most of the time, the discoveries are less your child's and more your own moments of learning what capabilities your child is putting into action, though they have probably been present for a long time.

He has a slight bit of a stuffy nose, so I bought him some Triaminic. I did not read the label before making the purchase, so I didn't realize that it is not for children under 4. I am secretly excited because now I can steal a teaspoon here and a teaspoon there. I used to LOVE Triaminic as a child.

Well, my beach free time is dwindling as Andy takes his turn to babysit, so I am off to do some reading outside now.