On Saturday, Dan and I had a two-hour sit down with our calendar to try to schedule a bunch of things that need to happen this summer before the baby comes. Among those things are some kitchen renovations we've been putting off, some traveling I'd like to do before that gets too complicated, some family visiting us here in Albuquerque, and somewhere in there the fact that we need to take a six week childbirth preparation class.

It was not an easy task, because every time we'd get one things seemingly settled, it would be come apparent that our most recent decision conflicted with some other aspect of the List of Things to Do. But at the end, we'd gotten it straightened out, down to filling out a form signing us up for the childbirth class we chose, putting it in the envelope and putting the stamp on. Before I sealed the envelope however, I glanced back at the informational packet my doctor's office had given me and noticed that in addition to the childbirth prep course, they also recommend an infant care and safety course and a breastfeeding course.

We were so fried after the process of trying to find a six-week period of time when we could take the first class, that I almost didn't even mention this new information to Dan. But we were there anyway, so I asked how he felt about the infant care course, and brought up the breastfeeding course as well.

I mentioned that the infant care course might be good, because I've heard they give you a plastic baby doll and have you practice things like bathing and diapering, but I could tell Dan's mind had shot right past the infant care course and was trying to compute the breastfeeding class concept.

"What are they going to teach you in a breastfeeding course?"
"Well, I don't know, but the class comes pretty well recommended, and it's only a couple of hours."
"Yeah, but I don't understand how a bunch of women are going to learn to nurse babies that they haven't had yet."

It's funny when you get to the point in your marriage when you can almost see thoughts forming in your spouse's mind. At that moment, an expression of imagination crossed Dan's face, and it became obvious to me that he was envisioning a group of women sitting in a circle, trying to nurse plastic baby dolls. The imaginative look is replaced by an expression of alarm, and then he snaps out of it and says:

"Yeah. I'm definitely not going to that class."

I guess I can see his point. I'm sure any man would not feel exactly at home with that discussion. But it makes me wonder what he thinks we're going to be talking about in the childbirth class. The stork?