I'm working on it.

The shortest version of the Diaper Bag Tragedy (yeah, it needs its own post) is that since the birth of child the first, I have purchased and/or used a large assortment of diaper bags. There was the cool Dad-bag I got for Scott, and the black working-mom bag I got for myself. Then there was the little back-pack bag, and the insulated charcoal colored bag and the black and white flowered bag that almost worked well, the monkey bag, the regular backpack (which actually does work well when we're doing some kind of family outing in the great out-of-doors) and finally, amid a mix of other random bags, the one I bought shortly after the birth of child the second, which began to fall apart not quite six months after her arrival.

Fed up, and I do mean fed up, I decided to really do some research, go on actual store excursions, touch, feel and generally pull on some bags, and then spend a nice chunk of change on a new, and hopefully long lasting diaper bag. So I did. I visited the only 3 baby stores in the city, two of them high end baby boutiques and the third a baby-super-store of national fame. I pulled on bags, carried them, reached into them, tried them on my stroller. All of this, mind you, with a seemingly always needing to be nursed 7 month old and my suddenly very into everything 4 year old. I endured the stares of the sophisticated sales ladies in boutique number one, (I mean come on, I'm a mother ... of course I have spit up on my shoulder and running shoes on my feet ... do all the moms in your store dress in silk and heels? ... um, yeah, that's an altogether different post), and the toy traps of the big-box kids store and finally made it to the third boutique, which alas, only had three bags in the entire store. Nearing exhaustion, I headed to Target, one last hopeful stop to try and find the bag of my dreams. And yet, I found nothing there that was any better or more affordable than the higher-end bags I found at the fancy mother's boutique.

I'll not bore you with any more of the details. Besides, those are for another post. Suffice it to say that I finally, after a few online missteps and one now nonreturnable bag, found the very same bag I loved at the "we-are-so-better-than-you-baby-boutique" for thirty dollars less (and free two day shipping!!!) than the ninety-eight dollar price I would have paid had I purchased it from the obviously child-free sales girl.

This bag is ahhhhh-mazing. It is cute without being cutesy, big without being a suitcase and organized without inflexibility (I hate those pockets that can only be used for one kind of item ...). It has an antimicrobial pocket ... you know, for poopie diapers and clothes. It has awesome hardware including built in stroller straps, super quiet magnetic closures, seven inside pockets big enough for diapers, wipes, clothes, whatever you need, and this awesome pocket for my Incredible right on the front. I LOVE this bag. I LOVE it. And it is worth the whole awfulness of what I had to go through to get it in my life. Especially because it makes my life so much easier.

I always know what needs restocking (diapers/wipes) because I can see what's there easily. I always know where my keys are. This bag even has a special snap that lets you tuck things like blankets or toddler jackets or stuffed animals underneath it for an extra quick carrying capacity. It has pockets perfect for moms: I know where my personal stuff is and don't have to go digging around looking through a million zip lock bags to find my Blistex (another TIL). It is comfortable to carry, holds my Bible and my laptop, and I think, I think I might actually be able to fit the baby in there if I had to. Did I mention I LOVE this bag? Because I do. Along with my running shoes, my charcoal wool coat and the lipstick I got for my birthday, this bag is one of the best things I've ever owned.

What bag did I get? I got this one. Mine is the pewter dot. I also loved the charcoal. If you like it, too, you can get one at the Skip*Hop site. You can also get yours where I got mine, and though the great deal is a little less great than it was, you can still get two of the color options for right around seventy dollars which is a total steal for the peace of mind this bag will bring to your baby-totin' life.

Got a bag you love?? I'd love to know about it ...