Practice makes perfect

Relaxation isn't the only thing we've been practicing to get ready for parenthood. It would seem that raising a child involves a number of different contraptions, which are best mastered before the baby arrives. One article I read recently suggested that I should not only take everything out of the packages, but I should also loosen all bottle tops and containers so that I don't have to worry about trying to open the baby lotion with one hand while balancing Jack with the other. Phew! Good thing the author mentioned that because with all the other things to think about when having a baby, I'm pretty sure the loose bottle caps item would have definitely slipped my mind! :) Personally, I don't really like the idea of half-open items sitting around my changing table and nursery. And honestly, with all these other baby-deposits we have around the house - crib, pack 'n play, swing, bouncer, sling, even *gasp* FLOOR - I don't think I'll have a problem putting Jack down for a second so I can open a tube of diaper rash cream. I digress.

Back to practicing for parenthood ... here's a picture of Jon trying out our new baby carrier.

All those straps and buckles didn't make a whole lot of sense, so we threw Bennie Dog in there for size. Not only does Jack have a smokin' hot dad, but he looks pretty good with a baby carrier too. We can't wait to try this one out on our beach walks! I think I've figured out how to run the swing and I've officially listened to all 5 songs and all 5 nature sounds (hey I had to make sure they were appropriate!).

I tried setting up the baby monitor. It didn't take me long to realize it's kind of hard to test that one out on your own. Especially since Jack doesn't make much noise right now.


I also tried out the stroller this week (in the garage, I definitely don't want to creep the neighbors out by pushing around an empty stroller) and toyed around with the carseat. That one is definitely going to require some more research. There are way too many straps, snaps, slits and buckles on that thing. And I think I pulled one too hard to see what it was for and now I can't get it to go back to normal. At this point, the baby authorities recommend installing the car seat in your car so that you're ready to go just in case you go into labor early. We've discussed taking the base to the fire department to make sure it's put in correctly, but so far have not taken action. I just can't picture myself staring at an empty carseat in the rearview mirror just yet. Maybe I could put Bennie Dog in that too. Now, if I could only find a way for Jon to practice changing a diaper ...