You'd Think We'd Have Everything That We Need for Tiny Ford

Tiny Ford is not scheduled to arrive until the end of February, but I want to be able to focus on the holidays in between so I'm trying to get ready now. You'd think since we've already had a baby, and another boy at that, that we'd have most of what we need, but you'd be wrong. We knew we'd be moving a year after having Creed, plus, let's be honest, we were on a budget, so we borrowed everything that we could. Bouncy seat, swing, baby gym, exersaucer, bassinet: all borrowed from wonderful friends. And we inherited a stroller/car seat combo in great condition, but were in a car accident so the car seat had to go and we upgraded Creed to a bigger size, and then the handle broke off the stroller just before we moved and it couldn't be repaired so that didn't make the move either.

We're still planning to borrow a few items, but it's been fun to pick out some new things just for Tiny Ford. This probably seems like a materialistic post, but I love the idea of our kids being able to look back on this someday and compare it to what they will buy their kids. Plus, so much of my mind is filled with excitement for this new baby and I feel like this is one way to document that.

Even though we don't really NEED it, I couldn't resist this Baby Gym at Ikea. I love that you can take the toys off and rotate them with others.

And my mom bought us this Dwell Bouncy seat from Target, which just arrived yesterday. It has an Ipod dock, which I think is silly, but I had a really hard time finding one that could vibrate (essential as far as I'm concerned), wasn't covered in bright characters, and wasn't too expensive. I think this one is a happy medium and I really love it. Thanks so much, Mom and Dad!
And last, but not least, we had to have a stroller and an infant car seat for this baby. Creed REFUSES to ride in strollers so we didn't need a double (although I am sort of afraid that once the baby is being pushed in the stroller, he will want to be in the stroller too). All the strollers that I would love to have were WAY out of my price range so I've been watching the classified ads on KSL. After a few weeks I saw someone selling a Quinny Buzz. I did some research to find out how good of a deal it really was for a used stroller and came across an even better deal for a brand new one. It seemed like the price was way too good to be true, but the retailer just had one old color that they wouldn't be carrying anymore on super clearance so now Tiny Ford has an incredibly nice stroller for less that what I would have spent for one at Target. It has a memory foam seat that can recline or face backwards or forwards or can be completely removed to attach a car seat or bassinet. Larry loves that the handle easily extends so it's even comfortable for him to push. Creed has been taking his stuffed animal for walks in it. I have to admit though, that I feel a little weird walking around with it and having other moms look at me and thinking I would pay $600 for a stroller. Would you be self-conscious?
There are still a few things I'd like to get: a wrap to carry Tiny around (although I think I can probably make one), a swing (which we'll try to borrow), a bassinet of some kind since the baby will have to fit into the two foot space around our bed for the first few months somehow (which I would also love to borrow), new bottles (I tossed ours because they were made with BPA), a crib mattress (but that can wait until we move and this baby has a room). But overall, I'm feeling a bit more prepared.