baby business

Hello, third trimester!

(and hello, Christmas boots!)

As we get closer to D-Day, the nester in me is ready to get going on our nursery and just baby world in general.  I really like 'nesting' and don't need a baby as an excuse - you should've seen how excited I was about the sheets I found on clearance for our bedroom!  Having a whole room to completely transform is quite fun for me.  The room is really tiny, just over 10x7 feet, so it is manageable and does not need much to feel full!  We'll also only be here for another year and a half, so I feel the freedom to make choices without having to worry about if our kid will like it in the future . . . because in the future we'll be long gone.  That being said, we're only here for another 18 months and don't need to go all out.  A coat of paint and some window treatments will be our biggest jobs.

We just started Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class at our church last night, and we watched a session where Ramsey talks about the differences in shopping styles between men and women.  He said that men go straight to what they want and negotiate for it, while women hunt around for the best deal.  I laughed at this, because I have been hunting for what feels like AGES for the 'perfect' baby bedding.  I'm sure if you looked at what I picked, you'd be rather unimpressed, but I have certain hopes and dreams for this little space and this little set seems to reflect that.  I'm also hoping to make my own crib skirt so that we can adjust it to hide whatever we store under the crib, but I'm leaving the rest to Pottery Barn.  :)

After finally picking the all-important room scheme, I had to get cracking on the old Target baby registry.  Oh, my.  For such little things, they need a lot of stuff.  I've been talking to some varsity moms about what gear is best and slowly building a list.  Because I have some other friends who are approaching this stage as well, I thought I'd share some resources:
A spreadsheet of recommended baby items
A list of everything used by one mom in the first two months
I don't actually know the girls who wrote these up but I do appreciate the ideas and thought others might, too.  I am still trying to get a handle on what we need and what is not necessary.  Our baby room is tiny and I don't want to be left with swings and bouncers and walkers strewn about the house!  Thankfully a friend here will lend us some of those items as we need them.  I still have to measure to see what kind of storage bins and containers we want, but I was loving my time in the basket aisle of Target today!

So, varsity moms, what baby gear do you love and hate?