The Bare Necessities
We are almost a week into our indeterminate waiting period. Needless to say we haven't gotten a call yet. While we are doing our best to keep on living our best lives -- I've gotten in 14 workouts already this month #humblebrag -- it's hard not to constantly look over the phone just to be sure I didn't miss a call.
As we settle into our new normal we've started thinking about how to prepare. Pregnancy does afford some predictability. There's a due date, and while that's not a hard and fast deal it at least provides a ballpark. Even matching with an expectant family ahead of the baby's arrival offers some time to process. While ideally we would match and have time to discuss and make plans, we know that a fast placement is a possibility; we've already been asked to settle on a lawyer in case things move quickly. This got us thinking about how to prepare if the call does come and informs us that we need to hit the road, stat. In the military, it would be called putting together a "bug-out bag". For us, it means planning out a suitcase with the essentials.
We have hit the ground running with our research...because, as anyone who knows Husband knows, he is all about research when it comes to important purchases. We've looked at car seat and bassinet reviews, and there is so much to consider. What brand? What size? How long can the bassinet be used? Do we want an infant car seat or a convertible car seat? How many bases? How easy are they to transport? What do the customer reviews say? It's rather overwhelming -- and we are looking at these things wondering if we aren't just going to have to do this all over again when we go from having a baby to a toddler. Car seats expire and need to match the child's size. Bassinets only work for so long before an upgrade to a crib is needed. The options abound.
And that's just for the bigger pieces. What about clothes? Will diapers be cloth or disposable? What kind of formula -- and what kind of bottle will we put it in? How many blankets do we need? We haven't even made it to baby carriers yet...
I'm glad we are doing our due diligence because we didn't wait all this time and come all this way to not make things as great as they can be for a little one. We also realize that this could all be for nothing; we could have a car seat sitting in a closet for a year, or we may end up having to sell it ourselves if it never gets used. It's exhausting to consider, but it also motivates us to keep thinking positively that someday soon these items will get put to excellent use.
As we settle into our new normal we've started thinking about how to prepare. Pregnancy does afford some predictability. There's a due date, and while that's not a hard and fast deal it at least provides a ballpark. Even matching with an expectant family ahead of the baby's arrival offers some time to process. While ideally we would match and have time to discuss and make plans, we know that a fast placement is a possibility; we've already been asked to settle on a lawyer in case things move quickly. This got us thinking about how to prepare if the call does come and informs us that we need to hit the road, stat. In the military, it would be called putting together a "bug-out bag". For us, it means planning out a suitcase with the essentials.
We have hit the ground running with our research...because, as anyone who knows Husband knows, he is all about research when it comes to important purchases. We've looked at car seat and bassinet reviews, and there is so much to consider. What brand? What size? How long can the bassinet be used? Do we want an infant car seat or a convertible car seat? How many bases? How easy are they to transport? What do the customer reviews say? It's rather overwhelming -- and we are looking at these things wondering if we aren't just going to have to do this all over again when we go from having a baby to a toddler. Car seats expire and need to match the child's size. Bassinets only work for so long before an upgrade to a crib is needed. The options abound.
And that's just for the bigger pieces. What about clothes? Will diapers be cloth or disposable? What kind of formula -- and what kind of bottle will we put it in? How many blankets do we need? We haven't even made it to baby carriers yet...
I'm glad we are doing our due diligence because we didn't wait all this time and come all this way to not make things as great as they can be for a little one. We also realize that this could all be for nothing; we could have a car seat sitting in a closet for a year, or we may end up having to sell it ourselves if it never gets used. It's exhausting to consider, but it also motivates us to keep thinking positively that someday soon these items will get put to excellent use.
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