Parents Class

No, this is not the latest Tokyo Fall fashion - this is the 'baby jacket' that is supposed to simulate the mother's experience. I suppose it's suppose to give the husband a greater appreciation for the difficulty of being pregnant. I have two problems with this though.
First, I'm just strapping this thing on suddenly. I've never had breasts this big (and hope to keep it that way) and I have not had any time to build up the back muscles to deal with the weight of said breasts, let alone the stomach element. Just as weigh lifters do not start benching 350, I don't think it's reasonable to strap on a baby and say, HOW DOES THAT FEEL?
Second, all the weigh is on the outside of the body. I have quite a belly of my own, but the protruding weight is only a part of it. A lot of the weight is internal and distributed. Never the less, it did give me a better appreciation of how hard it is to tie your shoes with such a big belly. Time to get on the treadmill!

The class was actually quite good. My favorite part was where they taught you how to bathe the baby. Japan is so efficient at these things that there is a step-by-step system for going from start to finish in just 5 min. The key is to pre-stage every detail of the operation so that once it's bath time, it's all execution. Next to all the bathing utensils and tub, they stage a series of layers. The bottom layer is a soft towel or surface for the baby to lay on. On top of that is the 'destination' clothing, open and ready to wrap around the kid. Above that is a fresh diaper, again - open and in position. Above that is the towel that will dry the kid and on top of that is the towel that will cover the baby in the bath. As you go thru the stages of washing you peel away layers until you end up with a clean, dry, diapered, and dressed baby. I was thinking garden hose, wash bucket, sponge, chamois, and some carnuba wax...

Other parts of the class were a challenge as there weren't any English subtitles, but Hiromi got a lot out of it and explained most of it later. It's all common sense stuff and a few anecdotes and experiences. I suppose now I'm officially qualified by the Japanese government to wash a baby.