- David and I had an amazing time in SoCal. We stayed in the cutest little beach bungalow in San Clemente. We went to a live taping of The Big Bang Theory, and also made it on camera for The Late Late Show with James Corden. We had a chance to meet up with his sweet cousin, Katie, and her husband, Brad.
- My friends (coworkers) are so sweet to be planning me a Baby Shower in early May. While I am excited for this, it also meant I was asked to come up with a Baby Registry, which I have been dreading completing. I spent the past week or so asking friends/family for suggestions and then weighing all the different options available. Let me tell you, there are so many options for every little thing, and there are so many things that people tell you you need (or don't need)! I ended up making an Excel spreadsheet with categories and listed different things that were suggested to me (supplemented by a few helpful lists: Baby Registry Checklist, Must-Have Registry Check List, Ultimate Registry Check List). I am now able to cross off the things I've registered for or have purchased myself.
- Speaking of purchases...David and I spent the entire day yesterday shopping for baby gear. I had the most anxiety over the stroller/carseat combo, but after doing a lot of research (and listening to a lot of opinions), my friend suggested the best thing I could do was go test them out and take a look at them in person. First, we went to IKEA, where we purchased a crib, dresser, bookcases, and high chair. (We seriously spent 4 hours there). Then we went to Babies"R"Us to take a look at some other things, including strollers. I am so glad we went with the IKEA crib, because I found the ones at Babies"R"Us to be too bulky/heavy for my taste. (I have had several friends recommend their IKEA cribs to me.) We took a look at infant bath tubs, and then took a look at some of the strollers and carseats. David and I both really liked the Baby Jogger City Mini GT for its smooth ride, maneuverability, and small size when folded up, but the price tag is a little hefty for us. There is one other stroller/carrier combo I really want to see, the Graco Aire4 XT Travel System, but unfortunately, I can't find a store with a display to check it out in person. The Graco Aire4 XT Travel System includes an infant car seat, stroller, and base for the same price as the Baby Jogger City Mini GT alone. (If we added on the infant car seat, base, adapter, and other accessories, we'd be spending an additional $200-$300!) On a side note, a few friends recommended I get a copy of Baby Bargains, which was really helpful in affirming my registry items. The funny thing is I totally read the Bridal Bargains book when we were planning our wedding!
- Another source of anxiety has been planning the layout of the nursery. We are turning our guest bedroom/office into the nursery. This means David moved his office into his Man Cave, and I moved my office into the office nook off of our great room. This also means we had to sell our queen guest bed and try to come up with a different guest room solution. After debating many options (including a murphy bed and air mattress), we have decided to get a daybed with pull-out trundle. After speaking to several new moms, I found that they all appreciated having a bed to rest on in between feedings (or when baby is sick). The bed will also serve as a guest bed (such as when my mom comes) and then hopefully baby will move to the bed after outgrowing the crib!
Now that I know what I want/need, and now that we've purchased a few of the big ticket items, I am feeling a lot better about being "ready" for the baby. I still need to clean out and organize the room, but once that's done, I can't wait to start decorating!
