last minute chaos!

Thank you all for bearing with me as I am not able to blog everyday and life is crazy! (not to mention we don't have internet at our place as of yet)...Just to warn you this is a wordy post about my ups and downs as of lately...


My mom has been in town for about the last week and we have had a BLAST!! We did lots of eating, shopping, working on the nursery/house, and she was even able to come to a doc apt with me on Monday for my 37 week check up (which I have yet to blog... oh my! so sorry! I'll get to work on that!).  I thank her and applaud her (and my hubby too) for putting up with my more-than-normal emotional/cranky self. The smallest thing/comment/ or advice can set me completely off... I seem to be a lot moodier as the time draws near and I TOTALLY blame the hormones this time and the stress of all things to come.  Lets not forget that I am absolutely, completely, head-over-heels excited to meet our baby girl and no matter what I am so so happy that she is nearly here!! :) (no rush, Raleigh Grace!)


Last week I FINALLY decided to order RG's bedding and stroller.  When I went to order the stroller that goes with her car seat I found that literally EVERY site I looked at it was out of stock! I was getting really frustrated and then when I went to one site (I don't remember which one) it listed that my stroller was cancelled by the manufacturer! Whaaa?! It matches the car seat that I already have! I still figured I would contact Graco and try to see if maybe, just maybe, they were redesigning and I would be able to grab a "new" one sometime soon. Moving on for the time being, putting the stroller on the semi-back burner...

the stroller I wanted... RIP :( ha

Bedding-- Considering I am now 37 weeks I guess NOW would be a good time to order the bedding... I have been stalking it online for weeks months debating whether or not I wanted this one or that and if it was really what I wanted for the price (it was a little more than I wanted to spend realistically...).
So ultimately I bite the bullet and say, lets go! I click on the crib bedding I want only to find that the one I finally decided on was on BACK ORDER!!!!!!!!!!! {insert pregnant lady screaming with anger almost forcing herself into labor- okay maybe not that intense but I was mad mad mad to say the least!-- even though this was my fault and could have been avoided if I wasn't so indecisive... blah blah blah.) I immediately pick up the phone to find out when this item on back order would in fact be available and if I need to again try to pick a different bedding.  Grr.  The people at Restoration Hardware were soo nice and told me that really the set was not on back order, only the crib skirt- and that it should arrive early October (um, I'm due Oct. 8th...).  I hang up with her frustrated that unfortunately I think that is pushing it a LITTLE too close.  I start thinking... and then I call them back just to see if I get a different answer and if maybe they can work a miracle for me there are any other options.  When I get them on the phone I have a bright idea and ask them if I can get all of the items except for the skirt now and just have them send the skirt when it is available... luckily, the lady I spoke with was super helpful and agreed! Wahoo- she also told me that I should expect the skirt late September (which if you ask me is now but definitely better than October ha!)  I also had created a baby registry there so I was able to get 10% off of  my order :) yay! That sort of made it worth the hassle. Bedding Ordered- CHECK! :) (pics from Restoration Hardware)

Long story short-- the bedding came TODAY and I LOVE it!! It is sooo beautiful and I am so happy I went with it rather than the others! :) (more on that in another post :) )
& I got an email today that the skirt should ship on the 23rd which means maybe I will have it next week! yes, yes, yes!! 


And back to the stroller dilemma... my mom and I made a trip to Buy Buy Baby to look at all things baby and decided to ask the girl working there about my issue.  She told me that she wasn't sure but she would find out for me (if the stroller was discontinued for good or if it had been recalled and was coming back or what?).  She came back a few minutes later with some not so good news-- Graco had discontinued the stroller in the pattern I wanted and it was gone for good.  Basically speaking, if I still wanted it I would have to find a used on on ebay or craigslist or somewhere like that. UGH!  So now, what to do? Do I take my car seat back and start completely over with a new product so  I can have the matching stroller? Or keep the car seat I have and just buy a plain stroller frame (that is much cheaper than the other stroller) that will work with the infant carrier (basically until RG is a year old) and then buy whatever stroller I feel like since I will also be buying a toddler car seat at that point. Wheph- lots to think about and no, I did not make a decision that night ha!  I ended up coming home, thinking about it for a few days, realizing how much I loved my car seat, not wanting to change things up completely.  I emailed Graco asking about my stroller and they told me that they would be coming out with a new stroller in my pattern next year (um does that mean January or a year from now? I still don't know).  So I figure if in a year I still want that pattern I can get it then but for now we will just be using the light weight infant frame and I'm sure it will be perfect. 

Raleigh Grace's car seat :)

frame

frame in use (not the infant carrier we have or want)

I have now been trying to decide on a sleeping place for our sweet girl in our room until she moves to the crib in her room... I had planned on using a beautiful wood cradle that my uncle made me when I was a tot but with the move it is in storage and I figured it might just be easier to use a "pack-n-play" that has a changing table, place to keep diapers and wipes, and a bassinet.  I have narrowed my search down to about 3 different ones.  Originally, I had picked out the one that matches my car seat but I have come to realize there might be some out there that have more of the functions that I am looking for (ex: an actual infant sleeper seat instead of just the "bassinet" which in the pack-n-plays tends to mean the mattress is just moved higher up in the bed so  you don't have to reach down as far.)
Check out some of the options:

this one has a rocking infant seat where baby can sleep and is also removable (on left), a changing table (right) and a diaper/wipe compartment (far right) I'm "eh" about the pattern but the colors are gender neutral and it would match our brown/blue master bedroom where it would be most in the beginining.

very similar to the above.  the infant sleeper does not rock on this one and isn't removed and placed somewhere else as easily (if  at all...  I can't remember off the top of my head right now)

the pattern I LOVE and that matches my car seat-- it has the changing table but no infant seat.  It has the "bassinet" feature I was explaining which basically means the mattress is raised from the original position for easier access.

So there you have it... I still do not know what to do and I need to make up my mind pretty soon considering Little Miss could make her debut any. day. now. gasp! :) I'm 37 weeks 5 days... that's almost  38 ya'll!!! :)