But how can you wash the baby while she is still inside her belly?

Says my friend's 3 year old when her mom told her we were having a baby shower. Poignant no? The baby shower was a lot of fun. My friends clearly put a lot of work into it and they were wicked clever. The theme was Dr. Seuss, which is my nursery theme. The best part was the green deviled eggs...yum delicious. Though I may have said in front of my friend who made them that they were really good but not as good as our other friends' not realized that it was the first friend who had made them. Ok there is no may about it. I said it. That being said, I think I ate 20. People tell me there was other really good food. I wouldn't know. I only ate green eggs, oh I did have a cake pop and that is the food of the actual devil.

Moving on. Let me applaud my friends for three things. First, I only got like one item of clothing that was below 6 months....This is awesome. People love to buy the really little cute clothes. I know this because I did and now have too many and I REALLY REALLY didn't need any more. In fact 90% of what I got I really needed (like destine and bottle nipples) and the other 10% was really cute and fun. Second, there was massive amounts of cleverness. Every time I think my crafting skills are awesome I get showed up by the church ladies. The winner of the craftiness award goes to Kristen who made me a growth chart out of canvas so I can write on it and make notations and it had her name with with Cat in the Hat themed letters. She received extra points for being even more pregnant then I am. There were many many runners up and honorable mentions. It would take forever to thank everyone. I would end up like those people at the academy awards that they turn the music on and usher them off the stage as they are still thanking the caterer. So I will just say you're all awesome. Third, every one seemed to have a genuinely good time and I think I needed that as much as anything else. I am so tired of being a burden on people it was really nice to see people smiling and laughing and to not feel like a leper.

My house now looks like there was a bomb that went off in Babies'R'Us. Tissue paper and bottles and tiny clothes and diapers are everywhere. Unfortunately, Pat is in the process of painting the nursery so we can't put anything away in there. I have been having nightmares that I am going to fall and trip over all the stuff with the baby and break her. Now that I actually have some of this stuff in my house I will continue to revise my thoughts on baby products.

Play yards: There is no denying the quality of of the Chicco. It was really easy to set up, very very sturdy and the perfect red color for my living room. It also has a light/music/vibrator feature with a remote that is great and has a cover that goes over the mesh sides to block out light. The Baby trend on the other hand was really confusing, took twice as long to assemble (Pat says it is never coming apart again until it is going away forever) and it is no where near as sturdy. I will reiterate though that it doesn't have to hold him up it has to hold the baby. I think it is shorter too, which doesn't make him happy. All that being said I would buy 10 of the Baby Trend and none of the Chicco if it were up to me (and at $85 and $170 I could at least buy 2). I see this over and over again with baby products: great features on the cheaper items and all the quality on the expensive ones. Graco always seems to be in the middle with neither really good features or really good quality. For $170 why can't the Chicco be more like the Baby Trend? We got the two that we did because we wanted a play yard that had a changing table that folded over rather then having to be put on and off every time. This eliminated the Graco. Here is where the Chicco went wrong. The storage bag for diapers and other stuff hangs on the side where the table folds over so it won't go down all the way. Also it only has a place for a travel size wipe case (good thing I make pretty ones) and the diaper caddy is really not useful at all and the other bags it has for storage are big and inconvenient. So anyway you really have to leave the thing up. Pat likes that it has snaps so it is really secure while it is up there but still folds over. But it also has a seat belt. Now I don't know about you, but I am not snapping the baby in every time and the belt is really in the way. One more problem, it has a very cute mobile but it can not be attached when the changing pad is up?!? You have to take it off and it is big and bulky. Also it seems it would be a pain to get the baby in and out when it is up. What a waste. The problems with the Chicco became lessened at my baby shower when I discovered that my friend (the one whose daughter was concerned with the whole showering the baby business) made me diaper changing caddy's for all the floors in my house (in red black and white no less!). The Baby Trend on the other hand has a cute mobile that is always up, a nice caddy on the side, easily movable changing table and the straps on the table aren't nearly as intrusive, but they were all a pain to get on. Pat also feels the fabric on the bed isn't soft enough and got sheets for them. We also got pads for the changing table because Pat says they aren't soft either but they aren't fitted they just sit on top and Amazon and BRU don't rate them well so we'll see.

Highchair: the Joovy high chair is awesome. I think I originally said that the t-bar was attached to the chair and it isn't but the fact that the tray is so far out you could easily pull out baby and the one handed removal of the swinging tray makes it easy to hold the baby at the same time. But that is it's only fault. The tray easily fits in the dishwasher and it folds up one handed too. Also the faux leather looks great, easily comes off for the washing machine. Pat gave it a big two thumbs up.

Changing pad: I registered for the BRU and it is the standard 34"x16". It was too long to fit on the dresser. I looked around and finally found that the LA Baby Countour was only 30". It is still a tight fit with the Diaper Caddy I bought on Etsy, which I adore and am not giving up.

Bottles: My friend bought me more bottles then I register believing I was underestimating how many I needed. She was right but oddly she doesn't children. The Dr. Brown's have soooooooo many parts but everyone who used them love them and they have really good reviews and are supposed to retain more nutrients. I don't think I will be able to prove this so I will have to take their word on it. The Dr. Brown's bottle warmer is great because it stores water so you don't have to refill it every time and I found I could never get the right amount of water with the first years one. It is more expensive but I got it on ebay. Also Wal-mart has a great deal on a Dr. Brown's starter kit that would cost you twice as much to buy individually anywhere else.

Other stuff: So I got some really cool stuff that I would never think of getting. Every heard of a baby briefcase? It has a place to keep all of baby's important documents like birth certificate, immunization records, etc. I also got this picture frame the perfect size for a sonogram picture and it says "love at first sight." It made me cry, having seen many sonogram pictures. My favorite outfit she got says something about my dad being the "paparazzi." Pat recently sold a bunch of video games so he could buy a tripod to take pictures of the baby. Oh how times have changed.

That is all for now. There is still a lot of stuff still in boxes. Updates to come.

Update on Baby Stuff

First some addendum to make:

1. The cheapest way to buy diapers is an Amazon subscription. Pampers has the best deal. Basically you get 30% off by subscribing, meaning they ship them to your house, no shipping fees, at any interval you wish. They email you before they ship them so you can change the size and you can cancel at any time. Target's brand, which people seem to love, is around the same price depending on the size. However, the Target is 20 min from my house and my front door is two steps, 10 if I am upstairs. Gas is about 4.00/gallon these days so I like those numbers. Wipes are about the same deal. Target brand is about the same price as the subscription but we have determined I am lazy and want to save on gas.

2. Formula is hella expensive. Too bad I can't breast feed but I can't so there is no use in crying over spilt milk (no pun intended Super Pat). The word is that store brand is exactly the same as the name brand. Target, Walmart, and Costco all run about $0.50/oz (for powder and it takes one scoops of powder to make 2 oz of milk) and the name brands are $1/oz. Holy crap that is a big difference. They say you can get a ton of coupons for the name brands but if you don't have one...seems like a no brainer. I'd prefer to use Costco's. You can buy it in bulk in the store and the store is 5 min away. But reviews say it is foamy when you first mix it and have to let it settle. Sounds like a lot of work to me. Wal-Mart's brand has mostly really good reviews, but a few people say it smells, stains clothes, and sometimes the powders is chunky. But Wal-Mart is so close and we have a Super Wal-Mart and that is where we grocery shop. Maybe I'll ask Pat what he thinks about it (novel idea, no?). I know lots of people who use Target's and they all seem fine. But again it is 20 min away and I don't go there often. You can buy it online in bulk with free shipping. But Target has a terrible return policy. Not that I plan on doing a lot of returning in the formula department but formula is one of those things that some babies have problems with certain brands. Target's is supposed to be the same as Enfamil and Wal-Mart is supposed to be the same as Similac. So maybe I will buy a few of the individual cans at Target and if it is a problem I will return them and try Wal-Marts...or maybe I should do it the other way around. Oh and one more thing, it does not pay to buy formula in bulk. No Amazon subscription. Which leads one to believe that formula is very expensive to make and the profit margin is not very large. Alas.

3. Trip says he likes the diaper warmer. He has like a two week old and says cold bottoms at 3 Am are not cool (again with the pun). But I am not convinced.

4. I checked out my friend's Graco Meal Time High Chair. She seems to like it and the tray does not seem too difficult to get on and off. But she def puts him in and pulls him out without removing the tray. She likes it becuase the cover is machine washable and it folds up nicely. However, the seat is in permanently reclined back slightly, good younger babies, bad for older ones. Its also $70, $60 less then the one I chose. I could almost buy two for that price, but it only comes in brown, green, baby blue, and pink. I still like the Joovy better.

Now some updates on my baby stuff acquisitions:

I have been hitting up the yard sales pretty hard. If any one knows of some coming up, holler. I have acquired the following: 3 baby bouncers ranging from $5-15 in price, a glider for $25 (the padding has taken a beating and the fabric is worn but these retail at $150, so at $25 it is both extraordinarily comfortable and pretty), two jersey sheets for $5, 3 receiving blankets for $4, a brand new Dr. Brown's microwave sterilizer with two bottles for $5!!!, formula mixing pitcher for $3, a car bottle warmer (none of these work well so I am glad I got one cheap) for $3, and a bunch of clothes...oh the clothes.

When I got the test results back that she didn't have a major genetic disorder I went shopping. It was therapeutic and made me feel excited to be pregnant for the first time. I got a bunch of cute outfits from the Carter's outlet. Big mistake. At yard sales you can get basically all baby clothes for $0.25 a piece. Little babies only wear clothes for such a short period of time that they don't destroy them. Now I have too many and have to skip over this fabulous part of yard sales. Consignment stores and big Mom2Mom sales have clothes ranging from $4-8. Not a great deal but I admit I have bought some of these too. Early on I also bought some used clothes on ebay. Why did I do this? They averaged out to be about $1 each, including shipping and handling but I threw out 3 or 4 becuase of the condition. That is what you get for not seeing the product first. In addition to the clothes I bought. Mike gave me a huge box of hand-me-downs he got from some friend of his. In a million years she could not wear all of them. BTW all of these clothes are 0-6. That could conceivably only last 3 months. I'm hoping to get some more hand-me-downs in the larger sizes. Oh and I will surely get more tiny clothes at my shower.

I have also gotten some cool toys. I don't want a million toys. I have one closet and two storage cubs she can keep them in. Any more then that will go straight to grandmas. I bought this cool dinosaur ball thing for $10. I don't really know how to explain it. You put a ball in one of the holes it lights up, makes noises and then rolls down its neck or tail or through the leg. Sounds kind of creepy but it is really cool. My pekingese agrees. I also got this cool vtech toy, which retail for ridiculous prices, that has 3 parts. First its got this piano/car dashboard (weird combo right?) that makes noises and has buttons and leavers. The baby can play with this on the floor. Then when she is bigger it has a stand so she can stand up and play with it. Finally that stand has wheels so she can push it around. Another $10. Good stuff. She now needs no more toys.

I have also "won" some stuff on ebay (I am including shipping prices). A breathable bumper for $20 which retails at $30. I found out the next week I could have borrowed a friends. I got an itzbeen for $15, retails for $25-30, a Dr. Brown's bottle warmer for $20, retails $40, a boppy for $10, and a softer cover for $10, together retail would be $40+. Ugh I admit I got into a bidding war today for 3 8oz Playtex Drop-In bottles, two new (no box) and 1 used. I paid $11.95, new 12.99. What a shame. I have tried several times to get a Moby wrap but I am only willing to go up to $30 since they retail for $40. I keep loosing to people who seem to be willing to go up to $35 plus shipping...?

Once Upon a Time is a great second hand store with two locations near me. I got a really nice Carter's Swing for $55, retails at $175. It is in perfect condition. I also got one of those leapfrog interactive tables for like $15 which the kids at church seem to love so that is exciting. They also have a lot of new clothes at discount prices. I also got a swaddle me, its pink leopard print. Pat rolled his eyes.

One day I was managing my registry and noticed that Amazon had a Rainforest Activity Mat for $35, plus $8 shipping. I immediately bought it since they retail at $70. After I bought it I realized the vendor had a terrible rating. Upon investigating this person was reviewed as selling not new items. Sure enough mine came in this terrible packaging, without the original box and it was slightly stained, one of the leaves won't come off and had fur on it. I contacted the seller. I got no response. I filed a claim. Yay Amazon, they refunded all of my money. I'd have been really pissed if they hadn't though. When one buys a new item from Amazon they expect it to be new. They seem to know this. Upon rating the seller (Paradise Yardie, DO NOT BUY). She emailed me saying if you thought the thing was so terrible why didn't you return it. Well for one she never contacted me saying to return it and two it would have cost me $30 to ship it back properly. So all in all I am pleased. I got the thing for free.

So far I have gotten a bathtub and a walker lent to me. I still think I am going to get a bumbo, a Bjorn, and a bassinet lent to me as well. We are making great progress.