One major order completed...
This afternoon we spent a couple of hours finalizing our order for some of the nursery furniture. The funny thing was that we went in with intentions to purchase something that we had already decided on and we thought we were going to walk in pull out our check card pay for it and leave. We arrived at the store and ended up seeing some new items and other items that came out after our visit back in the fall. It was so much to see and so many nice things.
We ended up ordering something totally different than our initial plan. I am so glad that our person was so patient with us. She knew that we were there to do business today and she remembered us from before. Finally after about two hours circling and going back and forth we made a decision and placed the orders for the items that we wanted. We ended up paying for 95% of the total so that we would only have a small amount to pay when it returned and the delivery fee.
We were informed that our items should be in within 6-8 weeks since the majority of them are in stock. That was definitely great news to hear. We feel so much better knowing that we will at least have some of the major pieces for the nursery in our home within 8 weeks. I am definitely type A and I was beginning to stress a little bit. I talked and texted some of my girlfriends this weekend and told them that we were finally going to order the furniture and they reassured me that we were definitely doing the right thing by being proactive.
My biggest fear was to get caught off guard without anything in the nursery. I have heard so many stories where people had to go out and spend thousands of dollars in a weekend ordering everything and purchasing basic necessities because they were not prepared, even a little. I do not want to be in that boat! We can never be 100% prepared for a child, but we can do our best to prepare as much as possible.
We still have more items to order for the nursery but at a different store. Our next decision is a nursery rocker and fabric. We found the rocker but have not decided on a fabric. We plan on placing that order within the next week or so. This rocker is also a gift from my parents. The rockers and ottomans take about 8-10 weeks to come in as well. Maybe we will luck up and it will be on the earlier end of the delivery time.
We will post pictures of the nursery furniture when the nursery is complete or about complete (hopefully, I can hold out).
I will definitely post pictures of the nursery updates under construction as things continue to change. However, hubby wants the furniture to be kind of a surprise! So, with that, I am posting just pictures of him today at the store. He also got a chance to test out a stroller that is on our list. This store had the collection in there. I have a picture posted of him playing around with it.
I am so glad that we have taken care of this major project.
Next items on our to do list:
- Finalize paint colors for room
- Order rocker and ottoman (Finalize fabric) (8-10 weeks to delivery)
- Order bedding (6-8 weeks to delivery/completion)
- Custom work to room
- Order area rug for room
- Select Lighting
- Window Treatments
- Coordinating Shower Curtain and Rugs for bathroom
- Additional decorative items (art, lamps, pillows, small items etc)
14 comments:
wow
feels good to have this marked off the list.
wait until you get it home, hubby will not rest until he grants your wishes and sets it up.
This is a very exciting time and I say plan, (b/c I am a planner too) as much as you can b/c those stories are real when folks get caught off guard and not even the babies crib is set up.
so happy for you!!!
Hey Celeste,
Thanks. It does feel really good because I was really become antsy because we had not placed the order for the crib and other pieces. Time creeps up on you really quick.
I can tell you are a planner and type A--your daughter's nursery was completed in advance! That is what I am talking about.
Yes, he is the type that when we get something he wants it together that night. When I wake up, whatever we purchased is put together. Like a kid waking up on Christmas morning! He will stay up however long it takes to put it together.
Luckily, 2 of the pieces come fully assembled and the delivery will put the crib together, so we are saved by the delivery company this time.
I have heard of at least 5 stories where the parents had not designated a room, moved furniture out of the existing room, purchased anything and the baby came and they had to stress out and just go get something.
A close friend of mine told me that they had about 10 days to prepare their sons room during the 10 day waiting period after he was born, he was in care until parents rights were fully terminated. She said she and her mother went out and literally went to BRUs and with two buggies and just bought, bought, and bought to set up his room.
Plus, their new home was not finished being built and they were temporarily living with her mother because their previous home sold quickly here!
She advised me to go get some things in advance but it the placement was unexpected in their case. She told me to stop buying and save some stuff for the showers so that people could get things for me after she found out what we had!
I told her that I know that we will be blessed by showers, but I will not depend on them to supply everything that we want and need. I mean, look at the economy now. So, I know God will provide, but he also provides us with wisdom to do what we need to do in advance.
My close girl friend here had both of her rooms set up for her children before she received them and she had no idea but she was claiming 2. She received two within one month apart. Her rooms were already finished and furnished. She had one for a toddler boy and one that was yellow with a nursery just in case she didn't know the gender. So, she has been my ace through all of this encouraging me to shop and buy a little at a time so it will not be too much of a stress when the baby and or babies arrive! She and her husband were our role models because they had their stuff together and believe it or not they kept rolling well with a newborn and a 11 month old placement a month a part.
Our friend is coming over today to finalize the design for the closet built ins. I wasn't here the last time that he came for measurements and he and hubby are not fooling with me like that! They want my approval on this one before he does it!
I think that the only thing worries me a little is the bedding turn around. We are working hard on confirming colors so that we can get something ordered custom to fit the room that is not too gender specific. We can add in gender colored items afterwards.
Yes, my husband is very into designing and decorating with me. He loves to paint and try new tasks, especially since he has close friends that are carpenters and he has done some projects of his own. He has a great eye for color because he is artsy and we are very eclectic. He has taught me to be more creative and not just rely on a whole set together. We work well together with our projects. He is trying to see what my vision is now because he wants to make sure that it has not changed so that we will not bump heads with the remainder of the design!
Well, let me get to working on a final project for my class. I have a powerpoint assignment to post. I have not completed it, so I am staying in most of today completing it.
I will post updates on the nursery as things are coming along!
Kristy,
Thanks for your comment on my blog. I couldn't agree more about your hair comments. It's a HUGE thing and our agency made a big deal about educating caucasian parents that were adopting AA children. And, believe me I get stopped ALL THE TIME in public by people wanting to know what I put on their hair. It's just a normal thing for us now to talk about product...and I love it! I take great pride in their hair.
I love what you said about making our children proud of their heritage and they will not be crushed by others comments. I want them to be strong, like we are, about this. We could not be more proud of our children, their heritage, and their stories.
I too agree about making sure that our kids are around other AA people. We can't do a lot about their family...they are kind of stuck with a bunch of us! But, it's one reason we want lots of kids, so that they can have each other. We are so blessed to have a diverse church, but it still is majority caucasian, so we wonder if we should consider visiting other churches that are majority AA. We also are blessed to have a diverse neighborhood and city, but yet again...still majority caucasian. We picked their Mother's Day Out program at a school that is a beautiful mix of cultures. It's just so hard to know how much to change without making it all about race, you know?
You asked about Sadie's cheeks. I have been searching high and low for cream or lotion for them because they get so dry. I have had several things recommended to me and have tried what seems to be just about everything. The latest were Aveeno and now I am on to Aquafor. It seems to be doing better, but today and yesterday they have just been so rosey. She is a belly sleeper, is drooling tons and has a cold, so I know that's not helping. But, if you have any other suggestions to try, please let me know! My email is mollykshockley@hotmail.com
I love seeing you all prepare for your baby. It is so exciting! We had plenty of prep time for our boys (5 weeks and 8 weeks) but only had 3 hours for little miss! With all 3 we got ready ahead of time. I am like you and hate being caught unprepared. It just takes away from the joy of bringing your baby home to not be ready.
I love that you are adopting domestically, especially since you are a Christian family and can love on your baby's birth family.
I want to also ask about infant ear piercing. I see it all the time on AA baby girls and have searched online to see if it's a cultural norm or not. Got any insight?
Okay, could go on and on here. Sorry to ramble! What I wouldn't give to just sit and talk with you!
Molly
Hi Molly,
Thanks for stopping by. Chassidy put a nice plug for your blog in her post! So, I visited your blog after reading the post. I love reading your story and seeing that you always knew that you wanted to have "brown babies". That was so neat.
The skin! People of color skin can be so fickle. Many times we really have to see a dermatologist that really understands skin of color due to the complexities. I am familiar with the product that you are using now. If it doesn't clear, I would probably call a dermatologist office or see if you can contact a dermatologist that specializes in skin of color, even if they are not AA. It may be something simple that they can give you to clear it up so the chapping doesn't leave discoloration.
I can email you a name of a dermatologist here that is considered very well known in the dermatologist field. I have been told that she has been in featured in big magazines talking about skin of color etc and many people use her from regular folks to people in the entertainment business.
I am actually trying to make an appointment with her office to look at a dry scalp issue for myself that I have developed. Sometimes it is a product that causes it and sometimes not. So, I will go to the expert to let her figure it out.
Maybe you can get a referral for a dermatologist in your area if you have not connected with one.
I actually thought she had rosey cheeks!
Ear piercing:
My mother had my ears pierced at 4 months I believe. It might have been 3 months. She has the original receits in my baby book with the costs and the ear ring discription. Most of the people that I know get their daughters ears pierced as soon as they are finished with their 8 weeks shots and receive clearance from their pediatrician. Some of the Pediatricians pierce ears as well.
I believe the earlier the better because their ear lobes are thinner and the pain will be less when they are younger versus waiting and their ear lobes are larger. Plus, the earlier the better because they will become accustomed to having the earrings in their ear and will not mess with them as much as a young baby while they are healing.
In addition, see if you can find out if your daughters birth family has a history of keloids or senstive skin. If so, steer away from cosmetic jewelry (fake ear rings) that breaks the skin out and stuff and truly monitor the cleaning and care for her ear rings.
We found out very early that I could not wear play play jewelry. I would itch and itch and break out so bad.
I had my battles with keloid skin on my ear as a teenager due to a third hole that I wanted to get in high school that was higher up on my lobe.
I had to have surgery and low dosage radiation to keep the scar from returning. It took two surgeries and switching doctors before I had it resolved over a period of 7 years. I didnt get my ears repeirced until 2003 because I was scared. I got them pierced where my original whole was and it was not where the scar was from the plastic surgeries. I have not had any problems since then because that tissues was killed by the low dosage radiation. I had an excellent doctor the last time that was familiar with black skin and techniques although he was caucasian. No one can ever tell that I had minor surgery on the back of my ears due to the scar tissue.
So, I would go ahead and pierce her ears as long as you get clearance from her pediatrician.
Email me if you need a dermatologist name to refer you to someone in your area.
You can email me anytime!
Wow you only had 5 weeks and 8 weeks to prepare. That is something. Here I am panicking because we did not have the furniture or anything. I just want to have things already in place. At least you already had some things from the birth of your boys that could get you started with your daughter.
The Church:
I don't think that you have to switch churches. I think that you can connect with some moms at some local AA churches sometime through different church activities so your children can interact with others. If you go to a diverse church that is great. I know it may be difficult to do such things if you are in an area where there is a limited amount of AA's living there. I believe that having a connection with some AA mom's at a different church (if you do not have any at yours) would be a start. Maybe, check with larger churches to see if they have vacation bible school programs, family day events or something where you can connect. If the church is larger they may have a website with information posted on it where you can determine what you might want to attend.
Does your agency have any contacts for you?
I think that it is good for the kids to connect with all cultures, but it is great for them to see mommy and daddy interact with people that have faces that look like theirs too. They will look back and recall these things when they get older. It makes a difference!
Email me if need to. I am here. I should have emailed this. I am so long winded on my responses.
Take Care,
Kristy
The nursery by far was the most fun to put together. It does take a while for the furniture to get in so it's a good thing you already placed your order and paid for most of it. Nice stroller, what brand is that one?
Kristy-
Can't wait to see the nursery pics! Looks like ya'll have had a lot of fun planning.
Start stocking up on size 1 and 2 diapers now! You will go through those SO fast!
Alisa,
It is by Bugaboo. They have website that you can check out. The cool thing is about the stroller is that the baby can face you and you can change the stroller around with different options available. It is not the cheapest one around, but it has been on our favorite list. We only have two strollers now. With advice from close friends and my experiences we purchased the travel system and I found the Peg Perego Pliko 3 discounted at a spot that I frequent back in November. I have two Sorors that have the Pliko 3 and they love it. You can place a seat on top of it too and it turns well and my husband likes the arm length. The travel system we purchased back in the fall for me while shopping, and basically as a back up stroller to our other ones.
Laurie,
We did have fun after we made a decision. It was really kind of stressful once we changed our minds in the store after seeing some other cribs and things. Everything worked out well and the turn around time was better than we thought. One set we looked at was 14 weeks - 16 weeks, but we didn't care for the crib, but I loved the dresser. So, we ended up going with selection. I am excited about the selection, and I will be more excited once we have it and can start making that room look like a nursery.
Thanks for the heads up on the pampers. We have not stocked up on pampers. I think I only purchased one small bag of new born swaddlers and that was it. Thanks for the size suggestions!
We are looking forward to pulling everything together so that we will at least have a room ready when or on order, on the way!
I feel so much better now knowing that we have ordered major pieces.
I can't wait to see pictures of the nursery! I'm sure it will be gorgeous!
I am SO GLAD you visited Molly's blog..I loved reading your comments to one another! I love your insight on AA friends, churches, skin! You're awesome!
Whew...you have been busy haven't you? :-) I can't wait to see how all the things come together. I also love all of the advice you are giving. :-)
Chassidy,
Thanks for referencing Molly's blog in your post. It is really neat how you all have created a special friendship while going through the adoption process.
I will be sure to update you on the nursery completions. Did you work on Turners early, or did you wait until he arrived? I can not remember from your blog.
Tami,
I am glad to see you back girl! Yes, we have been a little busy. In more than one way! Things are well and we have been trying to finish up the unfinished adoption business so that we can just wait. We have done well in a period of just 4 months, but we were not trying to rush either. The whole process is humbling.
Thanks for the compliment, I try to speak my heart and keep it real when responding to others blog posts when they ask for advice in any case. I do not believe it fudging things! If I feel like I have to do that then I will not say anything at all!
I love the pieces that you have purchased for your baby to come.
Keep being strong!
I was the same way. I only had a few larger gear items on our registry since we had accumulated most of it during our wait. I wanted to be prepared and it's a good thing I was.
If someone offers to give you a baby shower before you are matched, do it. I regretted waiting until after because we did have to go buy so much of the small things. You can always have a gender party later when you know and ask everyone to bring an outfit or something.
Debbie,
I never really considered having a shower prior to the placement. One reason is because I have heard of people doing that and the placements have failed and it was really tough. I personally preferred to have a shower after the placement, like when the baby is a few weeks old, but not bring the baby to the shower. Yes, friends have discussed having a shower, but we felt more comfortable doing it after the placement for reasons that deal with the stability of adoptions and TPR etc.
That is a good suggestion, but I have not become that comfortable yet to have a shower without the baby being in our care. I will be sure to let you know if I have a change of heart. I think that I would have definitely allowed a shower to take place if we were still adopting from ET, but domestically, it can get unpredictable down to the end. I have my faith in God, and I know that everything will be okay, but I am not for sure if I can step out on faith and have a shower before!
Am I a chicken or what?
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