Here are the highlights and some kudos to commenters.
On Saturday mom and I had peanut butter on toast for breakfast (you know, protein for energy) and lots of tea and water for hydration. Mom did a few calisthenics in the living room. We both ended up wearing pink (...?) We left coats in the car to prevent overheatedness. We pushed a cart so we didn't have to carry the purses. Mom wore her new super comfy tennis shoes.
We have a phrase in our family "it's serious time now" which perfectly described Saturday.
We thought it would take 2 hours. It took nearly 4 plus a half hour lunch break. Dad was not thrilled to be left home alone for that long. Jeremy was at work and relieved to not be involved in any way. (Although of course I went online and gave him a tour of some of the things "we" chose later that night.)
Some of my favorite necessities:
1. B.ritax carseat - thank you Korana, Seema, Leah and Ana for comments about B.ritax. It was also well recommended online. We only had to spend 10 minutes or so in that aisle. I registered for the B.ritax Bou.levard Castle.rock. A convertible seat so it doesn't matter what age baby is. It is soft and padded and even reclines. For the price it better be like riding on a cloud in a golden chariot pulled by unicorns.
2. The stroller was a difficult thing. I agree with Leah , Stephanie, Ana and others that the e*rgo is a must. But I thought a stroller for airports/malls is important. Ended up registering for a $20 umbrella stroller. Thank you new blog friend Jill. I think it will work for now and we'll just see about later. Very very tempted by the joggers and B.obs and other strollers that cost more than my first car. Resisted temptation. Had frugal mother along. It was helpful.
3. Inflatable bath tub. Thanks to Ana because I watched you use this several times and it seemed so great. And thanks to Jill again. I actually read Jill's comment after we came home from shopping and I had registered for everything on her list.
4. G.raco Bl.ossom 4 in one highchair. Turns into a booster, a travel seat, and an older toddler chair. Does anyone have one? My only requirement was that this product be very small (like lives in the corner/tiny/invisible highchair small) because our kitchen is the opposite of roomy. You get the picture.
Now for the questionables category:
1.Do you think I really need 7 beautiful soft fluffy blankets for baby? Thanks to Claudia I entered the registry feeling very concerned that I make sure to have enough blankets and whatnot. But she has twins. I'm thinking 7 is a lot for just a singleton baby. Oh but have I mentioned how soft and fluffy they were? My first page of the registry is all blankets...not the practical kind. The floating clouds of marshmallow variety.
2. The Comfy 3 in 1 soft seat potty. It looked cool. Who doesn't want to be comfy on the potty? The alternative was a very chilly Swedish looking minimalist Bj.orn chair. But reviews of my 3 in 1 potty are not great. Apparently the soft seat cannot handle being immersed in water.... ??
3. Play.text bottles with plastic liners. Seems easy for Ethiopia. Sounds expensive and not dishwasher safe for Colorado life. May only be used for travel. We'll see.
4. Things got confusing around health. Ear thermometer was the final choice although I am very tempted by the pacifier thermometer. Nail clippers with a magnifying glass? Teeny tiny blunt scissors. What do you use those for? Teeny weeny baby brushes? It was a lot to take in.
Frivolous stuff that I really liked and almost bought on the spot:
1. BPA Free N.uk Animal Pacifiers. Stage 2 (what does that mean - is it related to age?)
Well, no matter how they function or what size they were. The point is that they looked like little animal mouths with whiskers and noses!
2. A bathtub toy that attaches to the faucet and blows bubbles. This was only one of about 5 bathtub things I HAD to have. What baby wouldn't decide she loves it here with us after being shown the bubbles??!
It was a long day. A complicated day. I think we handled every product in the store. And I didn't register for that many practical things. I think toys, books and blankets are the largest sections on the list. But I feel so much more confident about what we need now. And I can always go back. Things like the exersaucer and stroller can wait. Wipe warmer? I'm not sure. Mom insisted that warm washcloths will save both money and the environment.
There are also still many things I prefer at online stores like this diaper bag which is begging for an Ethiopian flag decal. http://www.pokkadots.com/itemsDetail.cfm/pcid/536/cid/551/item_num/DD-BLK
and this owl (along with a million other things on etsy) that belongs in the baby room:
But I made it through the holiday and that is what counts. Made it and conquered it. AND have not emailed our adoption specialist in almost two weeks for an update. This is record breaking.
Thanks for your fun comments and advice.
For Cathy and Sara - The B.elly B.utton book made me laugh out loud.
And for all of you haters of noisy toys-wow you are so right. I had never thought of it before but played with the toys pretending that they were in my house. Goodnight peace and silence.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. It's been so much fun meeting new readers/blog friends. Hopefully tomorrow begins THE MONTH. Birthday....Christmas....referral?
~A
Haha! Thanks for the kudos.... Here's the rundown (hey, you asked for it!)
ReplyDeleteFluffy blankets - YES! You need one for bed, one for play, one for the car, one for grandparents house, one for daycare/sitters, always an extra for when you have to wash one. Although be careful...you might need them to be all the same. Mari was fine as long as hers were fleece, didn't care about color/size just as long as they were fleece. we have 6 and they are all well-loved.
Agree about the playtex drop-ins - great for Ethiopia, a nuisance otherwise.
I was an ER nurse for 10 years and my strict rule is rectal temperatures until the kid is at least 3 - Mari just lays down so I can takes hers, she's that used to it. I know that makes a lot of people squeamish but it's the most accurate (just get a FAST one). The ear ones are okay but I've never gotten one that is reliable. The pacifier ones are the worst...you have to be so careful that there was no eating or drinking 15-30 minutes prior or it can mess it up.
Nail clippers - don't worry about the magnifying glass, I actually like to see the actual nail I'm cutting. Tiny scissors - still no idea what those are for. Tiny brushes - not on your little one's hair. Unless your baby has a full head of hair, don't worry too much about this yet. The only tool you will need for awhile is a wide-toothed comb. Still the only thing we use and Mari's hair is long.
Never could get Mari to take a pacifier but she has a fleece giraffe lovey (actually we have 4 to prevent meltdowns if one gets lost) that she used like a pacifier. Still does when she's stressed.
Agree about the bathtub stuff - I'm a sucker for any bath toys. Crayola makes an octupus that goes over the faucet and then you put this color tablet in the mouth and the water squirts out of its legs in that color. Oh yeah! Way Cool! Just wait until yours is old enough for bathtub crayons...seriously cool.
Agree about noisy toys too. And they are also frightening for kids that have never been exposed to anything noisy.
Good Luck...hope you get a referral soon. I'll be following along!
You crack me up!
ReplyDeleteI love the owl.
Yes- the pacifiers are staged by age... they get softer or sturdier as age progresses.
OK, so for our showers for Denver, between the one from church and my family one, no joke we got 18 blankets. Believe me, you will get enough! But some you love because of their extravagance and some you love because you don't care if it gets peed upon.
ReplyDeleteMmmm...potty seat...I liked any brand that had one that would attach directly onto the toilet. So after they got the hang of it, they would not forever be insisting on going in the tiny little potty, where I then have to deal with whatever is in the tiny little potty. Much easier just to flush.
Thermometer, we went with a temperal one. So much easier but it can give us a different result each time but easier on them as they get to a point where they can actually sit still. My kids HATED the ear one.
Love that there would be bubbles in the bath! Would definately have to have it if I was in your shoes.
Noisy toys..yes, they are something aren't they? Willa just purchased(with her own money) a drum pad. Yes...noisy toys...need them like I need a hole in my head.
I checked your registry out ASAP. Looks definately better. I'm sure you'll find more things, especially once you know who she is!
Congrats on your major accomplishment!! ;o) I don't think you can ever have too many soft fluffy blankets! They get 'stuff' on them quick so there is always a need for one to be handy. ;o)
ReplyDeleteLove the owl. ;o)
Blessings
A
Oops! I guess I'm a little late in commenting on what we loved for our kinda-baby-almost-toddler girl. Sorry! I did a very simple registry about this same time last year. Ellie was going to be between 10-15 months old coming home so I only registed for must haves. I also requested our registry be "adoption" so that there was not a time restraint on returns if we needed to take things back due to our timeline being pushed out. I must say, my favorite purchase was the Ergo - worth EVERY penny! Seriously, I am MORE than happy to pack mine up and ship it to you if you'd like to borrow it. And, I'll throw in some Playtex bottles for travel ;) - we've got PLENTY!!
ReplyDeleteHope you had fun!! Sounds like you did a fabulous job!
Sounds like a great start! I agree that tons of blankets are a must---you use them for EVERYTHING and they get dirty so fast.
ReplyDeleteInstead of getting a full high-chair, we got the travel strap-to-the-seat kind like you described. Ours is the Fisher Price one and I regularly tell Luke that it was one of the smartest purchases we made. We used it as soon as Ayden could sit up with help, and I've seen three-yr olds still using it. Here's a link to it on Amazon:
or not? it won't let me post it with the link, but if you look up "Fisher Price Booster seat" on Amazon its the first one to come up
When Ayden was about 3 months old I realized that baby fingernail clippers are the biggest scam out there. Every time I cut his nails he had at least one bleeding fingertip. It was horrible. Then I lost my baby clippers and panicked: if I cut his fingertips everytime I use the baby clippers, I'm going to cut his whole finger off with the regular clippers! I tried it anyway and to my astonishment I was done in no time (did I mention the baby ones took forever!?!?) and he didn't have any bleeding fingers. Don't buy them. Just use the same clippers you use on yourself. (stepping off the soapbox now)
And I wholeheartedly agree with everyone's sentiment about noisy toys. I'll also add that kids have more fun and play longer with non-battery toys because it draws out their creativity.
Good Luck with it all and I can't wait to "meet" #3!!!
~Jaymi