There is not much on this earth that smells quite as soul-suckingly awful as a full diaper pail. Like Satan, genocide, and country music, it's impossible to describe in a way that accurately conveys just how insidious it is. Taking a direct breath of diaper trash air makes you see things. Spirits. Intangible philosophies. Telly Savalas wearing a paisley suit. It's like a vision quest, but not the cool kind that Matthew Modine had in the 80's.
Sometimes the diaper pail gets full. Sometimes it gets so full that the little trap door doesn't close properly when a new deposit is made. If this occurs and is not noticed by us, the house becomes uninhabitable in approximately 4 minutes. After half an hour, the smell lays waste to the better part of south Powderhorn Park, and you will be watching CNN for updates on the eventual quarantining and destruction of our house. It's bad.
Changing the bag is an exercise in contamination. Have you ever seen pictures in National Geographic of those pools where they keep spent nuclear fuel rods? Changing the diaper trash is similar to being the guy who has to scrub that pool every Monday.
It's really bad.
I think I've made my point, yes?
How in the world, then, can Lily get so much happiness in walking over to the trash, lifting open the lid, pushing open the trap door, and staring down into the cylinder? She sits and stares and breathes deep, hearty breaths of the foulest smell I've ever been privvy to. How is this possible?!? When do kids develop, in an olefactory way? Where is her sense of goodness and decency??
It's maddening, because she does this almost every time we hang out in their room. She's drawn to the pail...it cannot be resisted. I don't have to be looking at her, either, to know it's open. Within probably 5 seconds - not an exaggeration - the smell hits me like a brick, and I break into a cold, deathly sweat.
Strange. I should actually look this up, find out when kids do get a sense of smell. Do they already? Do they just not know or care what they're smelling?
It's interesting, since Jen lost her sense of smell a few months ago. I am the only person in the house who can smell, not counting the dog, and he's only really got the knack for cheese and discarded curbside chicken wing bones. It's a serious logistical issue for JJ, since she can't smell poopiness during the day, and has to do lots of checks and rechecks. More hassle for her, which is totally what she needs.
Day one hundred and forty five.
That top picture of Lily is about the happiest picture I've ever seen. It makes me smile just thinking about it. Regarding the diaper pail, I had forgot about that smell. What were you talking about?
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