Sunday, July 6, 2008

Baby Gear, Beach, & Going Green

As the knowledge settles in that we are really and truly going to be parents, the list of things we need begins to grow. Car seats, strollers, crib, bedding, diapers, development toys, etc. But which ones? Cloth vs. disposable diapers? Which crib? Do we need a conversion kit? What color to paint the nursery? Regular paint or environmentally friendly? Organic or regular baby food? Heck, why not just make our own? Will she even eat baby food when we get her?? Many questions we have pondered while at the beach this week. Fun questions. Happy, excited, and anticipating questions!

It was a wonderful and relaxing week, spent with Jeff's parents. They are really happy about this little girl and will be wonderful Grandparents. Look at their faces as they saw their grandaughter's picture and video for the first time! It was really sweet. Of course, I was there with camera in hand to capture this magical moment for our daughter's book!

We brought our Parents Magazine and Adoption mags with us and happily chatted about our girl all week long. The weather was great, too, and the beach not too crowded. Bethany Beach, DE is a quiet, family beach and Jeff's family has been going there since he was a kid. We really enjoy it now more than ever as we look forward to taking our girl there next summer. Wow, next summer. Can you imagine?

Hit the Rehobeth outlet stores on the way home and let me tell you, there are some AMAZING deals to be had!! The Children's Place had a sale rack with gorgeous sweaters for $1.99 each! Of course we bought 2 of them! And don't even get me started on Gymboree...LOVE that place and the outlet prices were terrific! Did I mention there is no sales tax in DE? Really great, great deals down there! We took a chance and got a few smaller sizes that we hope will fit her at the time we go to Thailand. Up until now we have been buying things bigger. However, they were such a good deal that if they are too small, we will just donate them to the orphanage. We were planning on buying clothes and things for the children anyway.

By the time we got home (and did some research on the net) we had made some decisions about how we would precede. We are going GREEN! First of all, we are going with cloth diapers. Yes, I know some of you think I am crazy, but the benefits to the baby and environment FAR outway a small bit of convenience. Disposables are LOADED with chemicals that can leave a gel and a nasty rash on the babies bottom. Not to mention they take forever to breakdown and fill more landfills then you can imagine. I will deal with the cleaning of poopy diapers and pick up a few packs of TenderCare or Seventh Generation disposables for road trips.

Secondly, I am going to dust off the food procceser and make my own baby food. I welcome any recepies you have out there!! Still researching the whole earth friendly/baby friendly paint thing. Haven't narrowed down the best one yet, but will definitely go for a less odor, less harmful variety.

And finally, we bought the nursery! And when I say we bought the nursery, I do mean the WHOLE nursery! Drove all the way to Lancaster, PA yesterday (2 hours drive) to hit the Pottery Barn Kids Outlet. Well, there were deals to be had, but I think a lot of people hit the sale early on because it was all pretty much picked over by the time we got there at 3 pm. The set I saw months ago was not online anymore and so I hoped it would be at the outlet. All gone. So just by chance, we hit the regular Pottery Barn Kids store on the way home. Low and behold, there it was. The one we both loved...ON SALE and CHEAPER than the outlet! Only a few pieces left so we didn't even bother to register for it. Just brought it on home. Got the crib with conversion kit, the bedding, pillows, and a few misc. accessories. Baby has a room and it is all pink and green and yellow and girly! Or at least it will be very soon! Will post pics when it's done. 

Wishing all of you parents-to-be a fun filled summer with joy and anticipation and growth while you wait for the news of your precious child. All the trappings and gear help to make it real for us. She is coming home. We are going to be this beautiful little girl's parents and are forever grateful! Of course, we want to give her the world, but also be as prepared as possible. It's so fun shopping for all the pretty girly things, but make no mistake. The only thing we REALLY want and need is to have her home. The other stuff is just the icing on the cake. God gave us the most amazing gift and it is more than anything we could ever dream of.

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