Deep cleansing breaths...

James is teaching a summer class on Monday-Thursday evenings, which means he has Fridays off. So, for the next few weeks, guess what my day off will be? Anyway, on Friday we headed up to Lynchburg to a shop called Mother Goose to order nursery furniture. We had picked out the collection (Young America by Stanley) and finish (Serenity) that we wanted and knew what the prices were going to be. We decided to get the "Built to Grow" crib and a four-drawer dresser that can double as a changing table. Of course when we added the crib mattress (Colgate Classica I foam) and toddler/full bed conversion rails, it was a little bit more than we were expecting. But, as we keep telling ourselves, this is high-quality stuff that should last for years.

After a brief break at home to nap and let "the boys" out, we headed to Greensboro to Babies R Us to look for a glider (Lynchburg doesn't have a Babies R Us, and the shop we got the furniture from doesn't sell them). The good news: we found a comfy glider that we both like (important since James is 14" taller than me) and they're having a big sale (20% off). The bad news: the glider is "a little bit more" than expected and we'd have to special order it in order to get one in a matching finish. And of course, the sale price doesn't extend to special orders. Nor does it apply to ottomans. I'm debating between going ahead, saving the money, and getting the glider in a "sale" finish OR going for broke and special ordering the glider in a finish and fabric that will match the nursery. The sale ends tomorrow, so I need to decide soon.

This baby thing is expensive...and we haven't bought any "gear" (car seat, Pack n Play, bathtub, changing pad, diaper bag) yet. My cousin Lieu gave me some stuff (stroller, breast pump, exersaucer, etc) which definitely helps. And of course, some things we won't need right away...we can wait several months to buy a high chair, baby gate, solid feeding stuff, etc. I'm currently scouring yard sales and secondhand shops in the hopes of finding gently-used items. However, it's amazing what people will charge for clothes with stains on them, filthy/ancient bassinets or high chairs, etc.

I still have 10-14 weeks! At least Susanna has someplace to sleep, a place for her clothes, and (soon) a glider to be rocked in.