Diapers and bottles and car seats, oh my!
Well, some practical decisions have been made which leads to even more stuff coming through the door. We think we're going with the prefold cloth diapers and waterproof covers system. We think we're going with glass vented bottles. And, we think we're going with a convertible car seat and skipping the infant seat to do some baby wearing. I'm careful to say we "think" for the benefit of all of our friends and family experienced with kids who think each of these decisions is nuts. "Thinking" these are our solutions gives us an out if we decide to do disposable diapers, plastic bottles and infant car seats. However, those same friends know us well and should be aware that we're pretty driven to follow through once the decision has been made.
So, deciding to go the old fashioned route to cloth diaper and use glass bottles should make this easy, right? Wrong. I have no idea how our mothers managed to diaper us at all when they only had one size cloth to wrap around our bums. At least today we have a minimum of 3 and up to 7 options for cloth diaper sizes, depending on the brand. Oh, and not knowing if your baby will be colicky and you might need a way to rid them of gas means you don't know if you want the vented or the unvented bottle options. Will we decide in the end that waking the baby to put them in our sling when we get out of the car is worth it rather than leaving them sweetly sleeping in the carry style car seat? I dunno. But anyone who thinks this isn't complicated, hasn't tried to make these decisions lately.
That said, I will add the disclaimer that I'm a waiting adoptive mom. (Hmmm, WAM! I like the sound of that. But, I guess that makes Josh a WAD. Sorry babe.) This means, I'm gonna be broke and I've got time and mental energy on my side. I'm trying to get the registry together to get a little help wherever we can, and that means making decisions before their time. I'm also trying to do something more productive and more fun that imagining whether or not someone is looking at our profile at all today.
Yay, craigslist! The great news is that having the decisions made and being open to reusing makes for great deals if you have the time (check) and patience (sometimes) to look for them. Plus, it stocks the nursery. So, we have acquired some of those essential items that are just adorable to look at before you are having to look at them all day long and at all times of the day. Baby bottles, so cute, for now. :-)
The other really great thing is that we're now a mix between American culture and Nigerien culture. We know that there are no diaper size options in the West African bush. I witnessed moms using their ankles over the sand to serve as the all mighty potty chair. It worked. They didn't have poop all over them. They wore their babies all the time and the kids are well adjusted. It helps to keep this perspective even when we're nesting within this culture of excess.
