Gametes In Love

When S and I began planning our wedding we spent a few week-ends driving around checking out venues and meeting with vendors. We spent several week-ends doing wedding planning ‘chores’. We found our venue after 2 week-ends of searching and our vendors fell in place shortly afterwards.

When we started looking for a new home, we spent several week-ends doing open homes and meeting with our real estate agent. Luckily we found a home fairly quickly and within 2 months of looking we were closed on a house.

Baby shopping on the other hand is not following suit with a quick few trips to the store. We have now spent 4 unique week-end visits to a number of different stores and are little further ahead than where we started from. The first three visits were mostly for shock relief … for me! Once you realize what equipment babies are recommended to have, its like being released on a hill of hay asked to find a few needles. Ok, I’m exaggerating a little, but I did have a few minor freak-outs: hence the “store won’t bite” trips. There are SO many choices, and when you add the cost of each item, I swear I was hearing a cashier ring in my head. I don’t think Babies “R” Us sells anything under $300: car-seat… $300, stroller… $300, crib… $300, pacifier… $300. Ok, ok, I’m exaggerating again… but it sure feels like it!

So today we finally made a list of all the items WE feel we need. I may look at this list (and post) in a year from now and just laugh myself as to how little we use some of these items, but hey… it’s a starting point. From here we divide and conquer.

Today was all about cribs. We went to 3 stores (4 if you count the BRU trip yesterday) and looked at all the cribs we could stand. Tall ones, short ones, full sized, mini, drop-sides, non-drop-sides, with curves, without curves, $100 models, and $1400 models (I kid you not). From this we’ve compiled a short list. It’s especially short because S and I don’t really like the same look. So with this list in hand we are now fully prepared to throw it all away when something reasonable (in look, price and safety) comes up for sale on Craigslist!

I think the next “big item” after that to decide on will be a stroller. I’m actually trying hard to figure out when we will actually be using a stroller. If we were jogging people, or had a pedestrian lifestyle our needs of a stroller would be very specific. I just need to understand what features will be important to us, not knowing how we’ll use it yet. I’m kinda thinking that as long as we have a good infant carrier/car seat, and a carrier sling we should be OK for the first month or so. Then we can figure out what we do with the baby and what kind of stroller we’ll need. Is this an unreasonable thought?

Ok, all you parents can now stop snickering and shaking your head. You were naive and inexperienced once too.

I leave you with this belly update.