Diapering 101

Our preparations for the little one have focused mainly on the nursery.  Today, we took it another step further by attending a bab.y care c.lass. 

We drove just over an hour to a counseling center that is centered on adoption and infertility issues.  Sure, there are baby ca.re classes at our local hospitals, but we would have been surrounded by pregnant bellies and strange looks when it was noticed that I don't have the rotund silhouette of one who is preggers.  Funny that I'd rather have us drive 100 miles round trip than be in THAT situation.  Hell no. 

The class consisted of about 10 families in various stages of the adoption process.  I was surprised that the majority were just beginning the process, as in, waiting to have the homestudy visit or just finishing their profile.  I wouldn't have even considered attending a class like this when we were at those stages.  But in hindsight, I can see that it would be an ideal springboard to start the research and education on all things baby, even if in the early stages.

In the history of education, there cannot be a group of more earnest and knowledge-hungry adult learners than a bunch of first-time adoptive parents-to-be at a baby c.are class.  After this morning, I'm totally convinced of this.  During the class, I had a flashback to college lectures when the professor would say something that was for sure to be on the next test....most heads suddenly turned downward, every pen to paper, furiously writing down whatever testworthy statements he or she might say.  This class was no different in that respect.  However, this time, I was writing "6 to 8 wet diapers per day" and "nipple size changes at 3 mos".  And, lest I forget, "NO bathtub until the cord falls off!".  I'm looking at my notes from today and I actually wrote this.  With the exclamation point.  As you can tell, I was doing  the notetaking, but hubbs would nudge me as he took a sip of his coffee or give me a look as if to say, "Aren't you going to write that down?" when the instructor said something potentially earth-shattering such as, "Use room temperature water for the formula."

OK, so I'm making fun of our group of clueless future first-time parents (at least I knew that the hoodie on the towel is not just for decoration).  We're just a bunch of dorks afraid of doing something "wrong".  As hubbs said later, our parents didn't attend a parenting course of any kind...it seems to hubbs that much of parenting is common sense.  (I can't wait for the first opportunity to remind him that he said this...just kidding...no, I'm not).  We did agree that it was definitely a useful class and worth the drive.  The instructor gave a lot of practical tips and mentioned things that I wouldn't have known or thought to do.  Hubbs somehow managed to place his very first newborn diaper on a doll with long, matted blond hair, who looked more like a small 3 year old with severe hip dysplasia than an infant.  Oh, I'm sure he'll do just fine.  I was just glad that we didn't get the one doll that looked like the Brid.e of Chu.cky (it makes me sad that there might be someone out there that would goo.gle this movie....but I'm sure he's out there).       

On our way home, we decided to swing through a little area that is very popular with locals and tourists alike for it's strip of restaurants, eclectic shops and bed and breakfasts along the De.laware River.  Although it rained most of the afternoon, we checked out a few stores and had a very lovely and tasty lunch at a place overlooking the river.  How fitting that the town is named Ne.w Hope.  We had never been there until today.