JESSE 

Written by Jesse.

Names have been changed to protect privacy.

No two adoptions or children are the same!

I remember with our first adoption on the day before the birth parents were to TPR, I was in Target with baby basics on the conveyor belt. I had tears streaming down my face with every range of emotion. The clerks and customers thought I was nuts! I didn’t intend to cry, it just happened. Many tears of joy were shed after that day! A few things that helped us in the early days are the following.

*walk with God regarding your children; God gives us much freedom in how to raise our kids

*get a bottle warmer and bottle steamer (for quick cleaning of bottles); keep the bottle warmer in your nearest bathroom; middle of the night feedings will be A LOT easier

*take turns feeding the baby every other night, not every other feeding; that way at least one person is coherent and gets a full night's sleep

*shower either at night or first thing in Am; walking around in PJs all day is a bummer

*keep a calendar of the first year; try to write down 1 word or phrase each day in each square to keep the moments and memories alive

*take a picture on the baby's birthday @ month in the same place to really see how quickly they grow

*ask for help; don't try to do everything on your own; bury your pride

*buy baby OxyClean (the pink can); it will take out any baby stain w/soaking

*Gymboree has the best and softest blankets in the world—they’ll last with 4 kids and 100 washings without fading

*don't worry about doing everything perfect; your baby won’t know if you’re doing it right

*buy gender neutral PJs--GAP sale outlet is my favorite; use them with every child

*make your own baby food--it's a lot cheaper, fresher, healthier (use jars for travel); we blended everything and froze it in ice cube trays; then when they’re older, give them chopped up table food; they’ll resist adult food less later

*when you go to the Pediatrician, ALWAYS ask for formula samples