Big Brother Class

Cole likes to visit the hospital. Actually, he LOVES it. He's been to a few doctor visits with us and is the life of the office. . . the nurses beg me to bring him and are disappointed if he's not there :) He calls Dr. Piper (my OB/Gyn) Dr. "Peter" (hey, Peter Piper. . . who can blame him?) and always thanks her for delivering him. Hilarious boy!

He loved watching the ultrasound of Cade, listening to the heartbeat numerous times on the doppler, and using the tape measure to make sure Cade was growing on track. He also got to watch Mommy be brave as I got a shot (didn't know that was coming!) to counteract my Rh negative self. Yep. . . the boy thoroughly enjoys Baptist.

Now if I could just get him as excited about HIS doctor visits. . . hmmm. . .

A few months ago, I found out through a friend that most hospitals in our area offered special classes for Big Brothers and Sisters - to - Be. Don't know how I missed it, but Michael and I both knew we wanted to take Cole, and knew that he would love it. We signed up for Saturday, April 2 and had a BLAST!

At the beginning of the 1 hr. class, all the boys and girls sat in the floor with Daddy (or other caregiver. . . mamas wouldn't be able to get up!) and a nurse began to talk about babies. How they will look (size, weight, umbilical cord, etc.), eat, etc. Mrs. Jill did a GREAT job and kept all the kiddos very engaged. Being his social self, Cole answered most questions and was proud to announce that he weighed 40 lbs. when he was born - news to this mommy! :)

The kiddos were asked to bring a doll or stuffed animal from home to practice changing a diaper. Cole brought a teddy bear and surprised us both with his diapering skills. I was also impressed at how much Michael remembered - I'm gonna have TWO great helpers!

After the 'talking' time, apple juice/water was given and we watched a short video about new babies. We then took the tour of the L&D room, postpartum room, and nursery. Many kiddos were distracted or disinterested, but Cole hung on to every word that Mrs. Amy said. It was PRECIOUS! He wanted to know all about the equipment and was especially interested in what shows were available to watch on the TV. Love. this. boy!

Of course my favorite part of our morning was the nursery. So many sweet miracles to behold! Michael and I said they looked like little glow worms all in a row. Although there were just a few present, the hospital was actually FULL with 40-50 babies that weekend. Thanks to the storm (the drop in barometric pressure really does cause water to break and labor to begin - who knew?!) the doctors and nurses had a BUSY few days :)

We are so glad that we took Cole and hopefully prepared him a little for Cade's arrival. We also enjoyed the one-on-one time with our precious boy and can't wait to see him interact with our new blessing. He's going to be such a fantastic big brother!