Shoes or Diapers?

When I was a single gal I had a love-hate relationship with shoes.

Loved looking at them, dreamed of wearing outrageously high heels, couldn't pass up the sale rack at a department store.  The colors, the styles.  Such fabulous eye candy.

Wedges, heels, bright turquoise flats and summery espradilles.  I'm a sucker for a red shoe or a bowed peep toe heel.  Or ruffles.  I could go on.

But, oh, I hated the price tag of the really fabulous ones and the serious lack of cute wide width shoes in my size.  I sadly had to opt for practical more often because of all the trekking across campus I did at ASU. The practicality of wearing flats instead of heels, while working with kids, often won out .

As a newly married woman, I finally fixed my tootsies (bunion surgeries are not cool...).  Fun shoes, here I come!  Suddenly, before I could hit the mall in a shoe-buying frenzy with my newly narrowed feet, we got some wonderful news:  Baby number One was on his way.

I traded shoes for diapers.  Lots of diapers.

If I could buy shoes instead of diapers, I feel like I could give Imelda Marcos a run for her money...

Some days I look down at my Croc-clad feet and sigh.  I wish I was fancier (although Crocs are a lot more stylish now.  Seriously.).  Then I think, those diapers, as stinky and dreadful as they can be, contain the sweetest little baby bodies. 

And then I remember...

Shoes don't grab your legs and say, "I wuv you!".
Shoes don't have infectious giggles and they don't hug you back. 
Shoes don't sigh and melt into your arms as they fall into a blissful sleep.

Furthermore...

Babies don't give you blisters if you hold them too much.
Babies are kissable.  (I don't recommend kissing your shoes, even if they are adorable.)
Babies don't wear out, they just get better with time.


I realize, even if the diapers are smelly and costly, I'll take them over shoes any day.  Any day.

So I'll don my practical Crocs and bounce my little ones and chase the slightly older ones. 
I'll relish the occasional date with my handsome husband, when I can put on a fun heel.

And I will be grateful.