Bottles, Bottles and More Bottles

By-Trey Darnell

34 weeks!  Everyone says we are in the home stretch. Time seems to be disappearing fast as we get closer and closer to the due date.  Preparations are definitely in full swing.  Matthew and I are attempting to be prepared as possible. Is that even possible?  We have found ourselves asking tons of questions to friends that are already parents.  The three most common questions have been, what bottle, diaper and formula?  Selecting the best is a high priority for the both of us. We found out extremely quickly that tommee tippee was the right bottle for us.

As we began to assemble the nursery and prepare our house and lives to welcome a newborn, we thoroughly reviewed every possible product.  Whether it was through Consumer Reports or customer reviews on a particular store’s website, we wanted to make sure we were happy with the choices we made.  While reviewing specific products to use as parents, we also looked at the company that makes the product as a whole.  It is highly important to both of us to seek out companies that support our community as well as share in the joy of adoption and same-sex parenting.  Mayborn Group, the parent company of tommee tippee, is one of those companies. I shared on our twitter feed that “we are a tommee tippee family.” We received a short letter and package from Mayborn and tommee tippee.  It was short, sweet and left a strong impact on the both of us.

Tommee Tippee Letter

It is exciting that they are following our journey to parenthood!

While we are just over a month a way from hopefully becoming dads, we are clearly practicing (playing) with all of our tommee tippee products. It is possible that all of our bottles have been sterilized two or three times each. We both enjoy our Keurig that we received as a Christmas gift last year and while visiting a Babies-R-Us we were shocked there is a similar product for baby formula made by tommee tippee.  The excitement was instant and became a must have.  While we call it the baby Keurig, its official name is the tommee tippee closer to nature perfect bottle prep. I love it! I am without doubt acting like a kid in the candy store.

Our Baby Keurig

If you read our very first blog you know that we decided to start the adoption process while on an Ikea trip in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our journey will reach the one-year mark in just a few short weeks.  At the start of the adoption journey, we were particularly worried as to what reaction we might receive from everyone. So often we had heard what a traditional family should “look” like.  Looking back over the past year, we are humbled by the encouragement we have received from our family, friends and even our community.  In the beginning, we were reluctant to share so much about ourselves in this process but the friendships that we have built since then and the words of support we have received were worth taking the leap.

The journey to parenthood is different for every person and every couple.  Each adoption journey is unique in itself.  We both try to educate family, friends and followers about open adoption.  Our message is a positive one about becoming dads. Next week I am enrolled and excited to participate in a new parenting class.  Diaper changing, burping, swaddling and bottle-feeding are just a few of the topics.  I even can’t wait to tell them that we are a “tommee tippee family.”  We are surely on the fast track to become The Next Family in September.

Follow Matt and Trey & tommee tippee on twitter