Babies Cost Lots of Money

I've been very good about not buying anything. Up until last week. But what are you supposed to do when you find out you are having a girl?! Or boy, I think I'd have spent just as much on a boy.

I refused to buy any clothes until I found out what I was having. I didn't want to buy girl clothes, then find out I was having a boy and just have them sit and take up space in the closet till we finally had a girl, or the other way around which would be the case now.

This has been my baby stuff purchasing journey so far:

October 2008

My mom came over to Rexburg for Mothers week and took me and my Sister in Law Stephanie to J.C. Penny's to get her some stuff since she had just found out she was having a boy. While there my mom said, "Whitney, you get to pick out a boy and girl outfit, too!" I was so excited. But sad, too, because this was while I was crying almost daily because I wanted a kid so bad and Jaren wasn't ready. I put the outfits in a bag and shoved them in the bottom of my closet. I pulled them out after I found out I wasn't pregnant in January - BIG MISTAKE. I cried and cried and cried and cried some more. So I haven't touched them until just a few days ago. I found just bunch of onsies that I liked the colors of for the boy. But went a little crazy for the girl.
Here is the girl outfit. Long sleeved onsie (she will be wearing this during the winter) with super cute jean dress! I couldn't stop there, I bought tights and socks. Well, my mom bought them. Thanks mom! You technically bought her her first outfit! Wait a second.. I bought a little dress last summer and handed it to Vic for Claire to wear since she fit into it then. So... you bought the second one! Thanks mommy!

June 2009

This is what I came back from Boise with. The blue plaid dress is the first thing I bought the day I found out what I was having. I got it at Target. It's 18 months.. so two years from this summer she can wear it! I love all of these.

These are my buying conditions: nothing under 6 months (because I figure that's what you will get at a baby shower) and nothing that I absolutly don't adore. That should weed out the justs "that's cute!" as opposed to the, "Oh my, that is beautiful!" My favorite thing here? Ummm.. between the brown skirt and the white onsie with super cute sleeves!! And I also love the sliver/grey dress with a hood. The brown onsie is 24 months! So weird to look at that and picture a little girl waddling around in it....
Here is a close up of the beautifulness of the skirt that I love. I really like things that are girly but not super pink and frills girly. More classy girly? Is that how to describe it? So I love this skirt and how it's brown striped and has that little detail of toole and sparkly thread. Next summer she'll be crawling around in this!

Here is the reason I love this one. The sleeves are beautiful. I think it would be so cute with a jean skirt or pants. Can you tell I love details? Again, this is frilly girly, but without the frills. I really hope I am making sense.

This is a close up of the grey dress. I love the color. How it's not just grey, it's sparkly. And the sleeves and dress isn't flat. I'm no good and describing things... I don't how else to explain it. And the little bits of pink - love that.

Here is the outfit that cost me 45 bucks. That's right... a dress, hat and shoes. I died when I saw it. How could I not?! I vowed this was the only thing that I would spend that much on and justified it by saying it was because I just found out it was a girl. And I loved it. And it's not a onsie, so if she doesn't get too round around the middle and neck she might be able to pull that off for longer than the 6-9 months. It could be a shirt with a pair of jeans (Jaren suggested that :) so proud!) And the shoes! They match, and can be worn with more than just this. And the hat! That matches too and can also be worn with more than just this.
Here is the dress by itself. Uhhh, I love tutu's. So girly, but the kind of girly I like and it's such a beautiful tutu!

Detail

The fabric under the tutu layer toole, thing. It's the same as the hat and bow in the above picture. I love it. LOVE. IT.
Onto the next dilemma. A stroller. Now, what I want is something that I can maneuver around a crowd of people easily, but also something that I can go jog with. I'm going to buy an infant car seat and an adapter for whatever I buy. I want something that will last for more than one or two or three or four kids. I do realize I might have to get a double with two, but I don't have to worry about that yet.

So, here is my first option. A B.O.B. I like it because it has the same name as my Dad. That's the whole reason I'm buying it. Kidding. I'm kidding. But really, my dad's name is Bob. What I like about this? Cheaper than my other option. Nice shocks and amazing reviews. Great maneuverability.
Second option: Baby Jogger. The store I went to called this the Cadillac of strollers. Can't argue with that. But it's another 50-60 bucks more than the BOB. I like the color better. Also, this has an adjustable handle which is great since I'm not even 5'4" and Jaren is 6'. I love all the view flaps that have magnets to hold them open. And closing this thing? AMAZING. Right where the harness is is a handle. You grab that and pull and wall-la! Folded stroller. The BOB has two things you have to do. You need both hands, you pinch two levers on each side of the handle and then behind the seat is a handle like that of the baby jogger's and you pull then it's folded. Both steer great. And both front wheels lock so you can go strait which is what you want for jogging. Oh, AND, where the kids legs fall on the Baby Jogger, that raises up and gives you access to the storage basket and can raise your kids legs if they want when you recline them so they can sleep.

Both of these are great and the price difference... well, it will help with the decision, but if I absolutly love the Baby Jogger then that wont stop me. I'm just having a hard time deciding. I'm reading wonderful reviews with both. The only thing that is pulling be more towards the BOB is that it is a more rugged stroller. And I live in the country and will be taking jogs on dirty roads. I might need the suspension and larger wheels it offers. And the price difference helps. Anyone have any experience with either of these? Advice? (Victoria, I know you just got a Bob... tell me all about it!)

Onto the most amazing wonderful find. While in Boise Lena took me to a baby botique so I could look at all of their strollers. Babies R Us didn't have the particular stroller I had been researching online. I still really like it, but it's too expensive, and you have to buy a car seat seperate and their car seats ONLY work with their strollers and vice versa. So, no option to buy a cheaper carseat even if I wanted that stroller. And, it isn't made to be jogged with. So I dismissed that right away and moved onto these two that I can't decide between.

But while we were there I walked past a crib with a beautiful bedding set. I looked and said, "WOW, that is beautiful!" Stared for a minute, then went and looked at everything else I was there to see. Then Lena and I walked around the store and looked at everything else. Oh, so beautiful. And so pricey! But I kept coming back to this bedding set. It's so pretty. I love everything about it. I started the drive home struggling. Thinking about it and imagining it and going over the pro's and con's. The only con? It's more expensive than we had bargained for for a crib set. I called my sister in law, Vicki and she looked at it and said what I knew and needed to hear. That it's beautiful and wonderful and that I should do it. And that we could make a lot of stuff to match it for the room.

I came home and talked to Jaren about it. Showed it to him, but he is a boy. And took my word for it. He said I can! I'm so excited. SO EXCITED. It will be used for every girl and the wall color will be a brown so it will be easy to change when we have a boy. This is the only thing I'm getting that is gender specific. Bedding. Everything else; carseat, bouncer, swing and high chair will be good for both boy and girl. When we have a boy the only thing we will need to buy is bedding and some clothes.

Well... feast your eyes. It's so beautiful! I just stare and stare. I go to the website and just sit there with it on. I'm on the hunt for the cheapest set. I've found it for 50 bucks cheaper than the store in Boise so that is comforting so far. But I'd like to find it for 100 bucks cheaper. We'll see.

Really, this picture doesn't do the details justice. It's absolutly amazing. Stunning.

I look at stuff all day! If anyone has any advice on anything baby, go ahead and give it. Things you wish you had known. Things you wish you had, things you wish you hadn't bought becuase you could go without. But also let me know what you think of all this stuff!