Our first baby shower gift!!

Yesterday I came home to a delivery on our front porch from Babies R' Us. We received out first shower gift!! It was the Maclaren Quest Sport stroller that we register for! Wow, what a generous gift. It was from my co-worker who is also co-hosting my work shower this Sunday. I am just so surprised that she would get us such a generous gift. I registered for about 8 items that were over $100 and didn't really think that anyone would purchase them for us. We were putting money aside for those larger purchases.

On top of that, Grandma Bear (my mother-in-law) told us that she wants to get us our jogging stroller. I registered for the BOB Revolution. I love this all-terrain stroller and jogger and it was the most expensive item on our registry. I was actually planning on go out this weekend and buy it with some extra money I had made. Plus, Chick's Sporting Goods is going out of business and has them on clearance for a pretty good deal. Now I can use the extra money for other essential baby items on our registry list.

We also received a $50 gift card from a friend for Babies R' Us. I am just in awe of the generosity of people. I am very excited for our first baby shower on Sunday. I am not expecting any large gifts from co-workers, but I am excited to celebrate with them.

First baby purchase

I finally broke down and bought some baby stuff. I changed my mind on the bedding for Baby Bear. Originally I had registered for this:

The colors were perfect with what I wanted. The monkey theme is really cute but I decided that I wasn't into a monkey themed nursery. Even though Baby Bear is a girl, I just do not want a pink and frilly nursery, that just doesn't appeal to me. I still want to use brown and sage green (my plan is to paint the walls a mocha color). Looking around online and in stores, I hadn't found a crib bedding set that I really loved. They all seemed so pricey and all the girl crib sets were all pink. So I decided to do my own mix and matching. I found this crib skirt at Target:


I really like the polka dots, it is neutral yet adds a little bit of femininity. You would think that my first purchase for Baby Bear would either be clothes or something more practical. Instead, I bought her a crib skirt. A little odd, but I am not registered at Target and this crib skirt was on sale (along with a matching bumper. But I am debating on whether I will use a bumper or not. I will get into that in another post, as I do more research on the controversy of bumpers).

I registered for sheets that are sage green and brown (along with the matching blanket):



My plan is to go for a similar look to this:

I wasn't too keen on the inclusion of yellow in this particular crib bedding set, which is why I went with the other sheets. I know I am a little picky, but I hope that it will work out when you put it all together. If not, I will get some plain sage green sheets. I really like the traditional look of the brown and white polka dots coupled with the modern looking dots. I hope it works.

I also have an art project that I am starting for the walls that will incorporate the colors. Stay tuned.

Papa Bear recommends a Moby Wrap

Last night, Papa Bear was telling me that his friend's cousin came by his job site with her baby and she was carrying him in a thing called a "Moby." He said that the mom really liked it and that the baby look really comfortable. Papa Bear thought it was really cool and thought that we might want to get one for our Baby Bear. It is so nice of him to think of these things!!

(Of course, I had already registered for one and was planning to get one for us. But it is great to hear of first-hand recommendations from other moms and it is good to know that he is looking out for these kinds of things too!)

Strollers

So many strollers, so many choices. I've been doing some research online and asking various mommy friends about strollers. It is no easy task to make a choice when you have no clue. We have plenty of time to decide upon a stroller. In the beginning, we plan on using a car seat frame, so we probably won't need a stroller until Baby Bear is 6 months. Some say you won't really know what stroller works for you until you have the baby and give the stroller a test drive. Nevertheless, I am a little obsessed with finding the right stroller. I have narrowed them down to a few. We have yet to try out strollers, that will be the determining factor.

Peg Perego Pliko P3

I have heard positive reviews from some friends and I have seen many positive reviews online by other parents and by experts. This one is kind of pricey, but it is lightweight and easy to fold and put in the trunk of your car. I have a big SUV so space is not really an issue, but I do think I would like something lighter rather than heavier in the long run. I like that it has a snack bar for the baby, you can also put your car seat onto it to use as a travel system if you want. It also looks really stylish, a plus but not a requirement. From what I hear everyone pretty much loves their Pegs and this model is well recommended.

BOB Revolution

This one is an all-terrain stroller and jogger. It has 3 wheels that are air filled for better suspension and better ride for Baby Bear. The front wheel swivels so it is easy to maneuver for regular use and it can also be fixed making it a great option for jogging as well. I like the fact that it is all-terrain and a jogger. It is pricier than the Peg Perego but then I wouldn't have to purchase a separate jogger. So this would serve many purposes for our family. We can pretty much take it anywhere. It is heavier than the Peg Perego and a little weighty to be lugging in and out of the car for everyday use. But I am strong, so I might be able to handle it. I will have to try it out to see how heavy it is.

Maclaren Quest Sport

This is a lightweight umbrella stroller that has very positive reviews. People seem to really love Maclaren strollers, they are supposedly the best umbrella strollers. This one weighs less than the Peg that I am considering. It is less expensive than both options above. Unlike the Peg it does not have a snack bar for Baby Bear, I don't know if that is important to me or not. That is something to think about. I also hear that umbrella strollers have a tendency to tip.

It is kind of hard to compare the 3 since they are different strollers in different classes to serve different purposes. I have not really had the chance to see any of these strollers in person. I will have to check them out and really think about what will be best for our lifestyle. Knowing me, I will probably change my mine next week and have other strollers on my consideration list. I guess many people have more than one stroller, but with out limited space and budget I would like to keep strollers to a minimum if possible. One all purpose stroller would be ideal, but I don't know if this is realistic.

More on registry

I reviewed my registry to look at what I still have to add. There are a lot of stuff on my registry!! Yikes! On the other hand, I have items at various price points (there are quite a bit of items under $10). This way, family and friends have a lot of choices and price points so that they can feel comfortable in spending within their means. I just hope I don't seem so greedy when they see how many items are on my registry. As I registered with my mommy friends, I thought of the registry as more of a shopping list for things we will need in the first year of Baby Bear's life. I, obviously, do not expect to get all those items at my shower and we will not need everything right away (but eventually).

My mommy friends suggested that I put everything that we will need and eventually need in the first year because you never know what people will buy. Plus, in the end I get a 10% completion coupon that we can use for things that were not purchased off the registry. I don't have any clothes on my registry except for onsies in every size and some socks since I figure people will get me clothes anyways. Some of the items are not things we will use in the beginning but will eventually need (at least according to my mommy friends) such as training spoons. Just looking at the list make me realize that babies go through a lot of stuff in the first year of life. Life is definitely going to change.

Registry with a little help from some friends

I started my registery at Babies R Us with a couple of good friends. It was extremely helpful for me. There were a lot of little things that I would never have even have thought to put on my registry at all.

I found a bedding set that I really love. I hadn't planned on a bedding set, I knew that I wanted chocolate brown and sage green. This set just happened to fit that color scheme and was so adorable with the monkey.



Some receiving blankets to match:



Graco pack and play. This is great; it has a bassinet and a changing station. This is perfect for us since we are not planning on getting a bassinet or changing table.



We have yet to make a final decision on a stroller, baby seat, and a few other items. Those are decisions that Papa Bear and I will have to make together. Registering was exhausting. It took us 2 and half hours to to go through the store. Whew! Babies need stuff!

Registering Tips

Registering for baby gear can be an overwhelming task. There are so many choices and so many things that I am clueless about. Just walking into Babies R Us is intimidating. So what do you do as a new, clueless parent? Before you walk into Babies R Us or where ever you decide to register, here are a few things you can do to help the process run smoothly:

Enlist the help of mommy friends

Who else to give you advice on what to register for and what gadgets are actually useless pieces of junk than other mothers. I brought two of my closest friends who have 5 children between them. Their experience with breast pumps, feeding accessories, bottle warmers, etc. was invaluable. Each had different experiences with different items and some different opinions on some things, so it was definitely nice to have to information as I attempted to make my decisions. (I will have to bring Papa Bear to the store in a few weeks to look at bigger items to make sure they also work out for him. But he really wouldn't have been very helpful when it came to something like breast pads, bottles, or layettes, nor would he have cared.)

Do your research beforehand

If you don't have any mommy friends yet (remember I also have a close group of girlfriends where I will be the first to have a baby) this is where the research comes in really handy. Research is key (says the researcher) whether or not you have mommy friends. For many things you will want to research for safety ratings (i.e., infant car seats and stroller). Research any recalls of cribs and other baby gear. There are many forums and websites that give you reviews by experts and other mothers. Websites like ConsumerSearch (provides great reviews for many items beyond baby gear) and Babies R Us (you will find parent reviews for most items they sell) have been very helpful.

Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on baby furniture, gear, clothes, toys, maternity wear and much more! by Denise and Alan Fields is a great book to have as a resource. The book reviews a ton of baby gear brands and even grades them. They give helpful information on what they believe to be wastes of money. Whether or not it will help you to save money is yet to be determined for me, but the reviews and advice is extremely helpful as you look at the plethora of choices in each category. This is a great book for first time parents to make sure you are spending your money (and the money of family and friends who are showering you with gifts) on quality and necessities vs. frivolities. For me, this has been a great place to look at reviews for baby gear. Parents want the best for their babies and also the best bang for their buck. This book helps you to make decisions about where you need to spend a little more and where you can save.

I'll post some of my registry items later.