 |
| Baby Pancake Cuddles |
Our baby for the day (pictured above) was a good sport. I named him Pancake. I felt it went well with Waffles (one of our cats). I promise I wont insist the real baby be named after breakfast foods! Pancake was a newborn, but could somehow already sit up on his own. Our kid for the day was super advanced and smart obviously.
The instructor was an adoptive mom, though she did not do domestic newborn adoption. She adopted her daughter internationally. Despite the difference in our adoption paths, she did seem to understand many of the feelings that come along with the adoption wait and due to working in labor and delivery was familiar with adoptions that take place at birth.
The class covered the things babies do that might make you panic, but are totally normal. Like black poo-y stuff called meconium. Apparently, black tarry stuff in the diaper is A-OK for a newborn. Noted. Actually, we talked about many colors of infant poo. Riveting.
We went over a lot of things we are already familiar with like how to hold a baby, how to change a diaper, and how baby should sleep ( flat on it's back, nothing else in the crib!). Gone are the days that our parents put us on our tummies to sleep!
The class was about three hours. We of course were the longest waiting family there. It's pretty rough on the ole' self-esteem. My big goal this year is to hold my head high and just know that our baby is coming, it just hasn't been our time yet. Like I said, goal. You work toward goals, right?
There were people in the class who were just finishing their initial home study. I kind of felt like everyone looked at us worried when we said how long we've been waiting, but I'm hoping that was just in my head. The reality is though, that many of them will likely wait years. Anyway, enough about "boo hoo, we are still waiting".
The instructor suggested that we all get a car seat and take it to an authorized car seat inspector before baby comes. We haven't purchased one yet and honestly I'm glad we haven't. If we had purchased one when we started, I would be worried about if it was going expire before we finally adopt. I still am not comfortable buying one without at least a call saying it could be time. We have Target gift cards from our parents in case we have to fly somewhere and then buy stuff like that. Even if there isn't a Target, there is likely to be a Walmart or something. Heck, I have Amazon Prime, we can have whatever we need delivered to the hotel if need be.
I felt like that was the one piece of advice from the class I wouldn't necessarily follow. The rest of class was mostly safety stuff. I got pretty attached to little Pancake Cuddles Farrar. It was rough giving him back at the end of class. I'm sure he is on to other expectant parents with better doll naming skills.
All in all I thought the class was wonderful. We saw some adoption friends we've made over the last year or so and scoped out the new competition. Not that it's a competition... sort of. I mean, I hate to think of it that way, but some people are seeing our profile along with brand new people's profiles! Ugh. Oops, I'm doing it again. Long waiters. Once you are one, it kind of sticks in the forefront of your brain.
In other news, it is kidney walk time again! For anyone who is joining Sarah and John Adopt late, I am a two time kidney transplant recipient and unstoppable life force. My kidney walk team, Team Walking Beans, walks every year. The walk raises money for the National Kidney Foundation which provides education and resources for people with kidney disease and for the community at large.
If any locals want to join us, it is June 4th at Turner Field. My personal kidney walk page is located HERE!
That's about all I have for today. I'm trying to take a new blog approach. If I only have negative stuff going on, stay off the blog! Life updates, adoption updates, fine. Whining, no. A mix of both, maybe.
