Regular baby stuff

Last night at church supper, I sat with my friend Kristy who is about my age but has three kids! I was watching her adorable littlest one being held in her lap while she was eating. It's funny, when you aren't "expecting" babies just kinda fly under the radar. But I've noticed myself watching kids and parents very closely lately, I guess trying to observe or absorb parental knowledge. As she ate Brody chewed on his finger. I don't remember exactly what the exchange was but we began to talk about baby milestones such as teeth, mobility (Brody is 6 months old and can roll one way across a room, I labeled that an "ambi-turner" per Zoolander, but anyway, I digress....). I see him once a week and it is amazing how fast he has grown! Three months ago he was a tiny "real baby Jesus" in our "Return To Bethlehem" production at our church! Anyway, it kind of struck me watching him that all these adoption books teach you about possible delays, learning disorders, behavior problems, sleeping challenged, eating dilemmas, and other issues facing the "post-institutionalized" child BUT THEY NEGLECTED TO TELL US SUCH IMPORTANT FACTS AS:

1- What if my 9-24 month old (who is used to eating orphan mush in a bottle) wants some real food? Can I go ahead and feed them some cookies/crackers/Cheerios?

2- Do I really need a bassinet? A basket that holds a baby seems like a bad idea. I've seen the bottoms fall out of baskets before.

3- Vaccinations? Will they need to be re-done after bringing them home from a foreign country? Is this dangerous for a baby to have all those antibodies floating around their bodies more than once?

The list goes on and on. A free parenting magazine I picked up at Burlington on Tuesday had a pair of "baby gloves" for $17. The gloves have rubber grippers on the palms for use in the tub so the baby doesn't slip out of your hands! I mean really?!?! There are some things that I'm KNOW I don't need, but just how many sheet sets, bibs, diapers, tiny t-shirts, etc. are we talking about here? If I wrote an adoption book I think I would add a chapter- "Parenting for Dummies" I'm sure there is a book already out there with that title. Good thing we have a while to figure all this stuff out.