First things first...no news on Odin. We should be getting Nov. updates any minute now. We should be getting the videos they promised any minute now. I wish we were getting travel news any minute now. Frankly, I wish I had even the tiniest bit of control over this process. For an admitted control freak (yep, that's me!) the international adoption process is pretty much rehab. And not the LiLo kind of rehab where you get massages and mud baths and congugal visits. It's like involuntarily committed evil cold-turkey rehab with nurses who enjoy seeing people in pain. Yeah, kinda like that.
On a related note....we are *sort of* acting as if we expect a child to join our family. In that vein, we have actually done the following:
1) Researched car seats (Britax vs. Sunshine Kids)
2) Furnished the nursery (my favorite room!)
3) Arranged to have the crib bedding made (thanks, Mom!)
4) Purchased some clothes (sizes varying 12-24 months)
5) Researched strollers (Hubby says the Quinny rocks!)
6) Researched high chairs (I'm leaning towards the Chicco Polly)
7) Researched SUVs (don't even ask)
8) Given notice at work (particularly hard to do when you have no idea how much longer you will work. Saying, "Until two weeks before travel" is a little different than saying, "Until two weeks before due date")
9) Read parenting books (I'm not fond of Weissbluth....are you?)
10) Thought about babyproofing (Can't we just say "no" a lot?!)
So...we're sort of in that spot right before you really need to TAKE ACTION and get the show on the road! My reluctance to purchase a ton of stuff is twofold: first of all, things cost $$$ and I'm frugal (cheap), secondly, I'm hoping to have a baby shower or two and possibly not have to pay for all the necessary loot!
Those of you who are already parents, how 'bout helping me out? Any suggestions on ABSOLUTE MUST-HAVE ITEMS? What're your baby-gear recommendations? Let me have 'em....I'm all ears!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Especially for Judy, who is in Taiwan waiting on a very slow judge and needs something new to read!
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9 comments:
for those of us who don't live close enough for a baby shower, you should start an online baby registry!! i LOVE shopping for baby stuff!!!
also, for what its worth: i have worked with kids for many many years, and have changed thousands of diapers of all brands in that process. i would recommend huggies. they work as well as the pampers, but aren't as expensive. plus, i've never encountered a leaky huggie. :)
Hey, Let's see pictures of this nursery. I'm miserable wanting to start mine, and love to live vicariously through yours. (wink wink)
Thanks Mel. We have a Britax Marathon and a Saab 97 SUV. it sits so high that Eric's feet would be kicking the headrest instead of the back of the chair. we bought the chair first before the car, so just be aware of that. You can never have enough clothes. I thought I had a lot, Eric is already outgrowing a lot of them. 12 months is already a bit small for him. I need more 18 months now. check out baby recycleing store, in LA, there is one called Children's Orchard. I am sure there is one similar near you. we have the peg perego Venezia. i wanted the Stokke Xplore but settled for the Peg perego. ($1200+ vs $400). It has the reversible handles which i really like so i can either have Eric face out or face me. Good luck baby proofing. it is never too early to start. it took Steve quite a while to install them and he is usually pretty handy.
thanks again for posting. Hope you get your update soon.
I have a Britax Roundabout... love it.
Must have items:
- A shopping cart cover.
- A dustbuster for quick clean-ups under the high chair.
- Robeez shoes - the only ones that stay on.
- A little ride-on car. Baby boys go crazy over them.
- We use the Chicco Travel Seat Explorer instead of a high chair. It clips right onto your table. Babies love sitting at the table with you, and you can fold it up into a travel bag and carry it with you if you go out somewhere.
Not to mention it is cheaper than a high chair. http://www.amazon.com/Chicco-04069488860070-Travel-Seat-Explorer/dp/B0002Y5YFK/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1197041224&sr=8-1
Have fun getting ready!!! :) I would love to see nursery pics.
Rebecca
P.S. I LOVE my stroller too. It's a Maclaren Volo. Folds up small and goes anywhere. I hate big bulky strollers.
Okay...where to start. I love Britax. We have the Britax Roundabout and just upgraded our daughter to the Britax Regent. The one thing I have found about Britax, though, is that while your child may be okay for the weight limit, you have to also check that your child's sitting height does not exceed the requirement for the seat.
As for baby-proofing, I don't think you need to go too crazy. Be sure that you have medicines and cleaning supplies locked in secure cabinets. We found these nifty magnetic tot-lok by Safety First that we use on a couple of cabinets. For cabinets that don't have anything harmful, but I want to keep our children from getting into, we just used the basic latches.
I could go on and on...but there is a book that I found invaluable in all of our baby research. . .it's called "Baby Bargains" and it is written by Alan and Denise Fields. They update it every few years, so the information is fairly current.
Happy shopping!
Cindy
http://adopttaiwan.wordpress.com
Well, let's see...everyone has weighed in on strollers, so I won't add more than that you really need an umbrella stroller or two. They're SO handy. Husbie and I each tucked one permanently in our respective trunks, just in case.
What can you stock up on? Would you believe crib sheets?
Yes, you will get quite a few of them as shower gifts, but if your little angel is anything like mine was, you will need MORE. And more on top of that. I don't guess I need to explain all the various stuff that can get on crib sheets, right? Wait for good sales (oh, trust me, I'm frugal, too!) and get really cute ones at a good price. A fine use of your wait time! :-)
Oh, and let me second Rebecca's vote for Robeez. I got a couple pair for a shower gift AND I ended up buying a larger pair when she outgrew them. (There are also less expensive knock-offs out there at Target and places like that if you want. I didn't try them b/c they came out after the Princess was too old for them, but they look cute.) Oh and you don't need an exact size to buy Robeez. They have very broad size categories.
Hugs,
Stacey
Mel,
Lots to do, it is so exciting getting ready fro Odin. Can't wait to see your nursery. Do you have a glider? just wondering
Megan
Liz: Thanks for the Huggie advice! I definitely don't want a leaky diaper....ugh!
Sarah: I promise pics are coming. Maybe even an entire post dedicated to how my husband DELETED pics from my camera of the "nursery in progress" which I was going to scrapbook!!!!!
Judy: Ack..Eric is too big for the 12 mos. stuff?! Is Odin bigger than Eric...he looks chubbier in photos I think...I have a good bit of 12 mos. stuff...I hope Odin can wear it by the time we get him home!
Rebecca: As always, you are full of useful info! So far we have 1 pr. of Robeez. Love the dustbuster idea!
Cindy: I haven't seen the magnetic lock thingies anywhere before but now I am definitely going to hunt them down...THANKS!! And I do have Baby Bargains but I must confess that I have barely opened it thus far. On your advice, I'm digging it back out!
Stacey: I'm going to decide how many crib sheets I think we need....then DOUBLE it based on your advice!=) I'm not really sure I want to even think of all the things that can get on crib sheets so for now, I'll take your word for it!
Megan: I don't have a rocker/glider yet, although we are looking at them. I think we're going with a fairly small swivel rocker maybe...the nursery doesn't have much extra space and I think a small chair is all we'll fit in there.
Everyone: Thanks again for chiming in....I really do need all the help I can get!
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