Sibling class & Hospital Tour

On Monday night our family of three visited the maternity floors of the Yale-New Haven Hospital. We were there specially for a sibling class for Lily. The purpose is to show her where mommy's going to be staying for a couple of days so she can be prepared and not as scared when she comes to see me. We've started talking about mommy sleeping at the hospital and I think this sort of blows her mind and I know she won't be happy about leaving with me there (especially since we're basically together 24 hours a day when she's not sleeping). The teacher did a really good job of gearing it for the range of ages that were in the class. Lily was the youngest sibling in the group, the closest in age was a little boy a few months older than her. The two of them were the troublemakers of the group and were crawling down the halls, climbing on tables, etc. During the tour they got to see a room where I'll stay, try out the moving hospital beds, see where the snacks are and learn how to wash their hands really thoroughly.

By far the highlight of the tour was seeing the babies. There were two babies in the nursery when we visited. One was only a couple of hours old and was getting her first bath with a very proud daddy watching on. A new mom also let us take a close up look at her baby. They showed the kids her bed and all her supplies and her teeny tiny feet with her little security bracelet. Lily was quite enthralled by the baby. Up until a few months ago Lily hadn't really been interested in little babies. They don't really make a lot of noise or move around so she wasn't really that curious about them. But in the past couple of months her interest has really grown. She points out every baby she sees, even strollers she sees out the car window. She's very concerned when babies cry and wants to know why (she always thinks they are hungry or tired).

Lily learning how to swaddle a baby.

Lily learning how to hold a baby correctly.

Lily sitting with the other siblings in her class at the hospital. She had to bring her baby along and was not shy about contributing to the discussion.