Adding to the stash

Maggie, Joshua's teaching partner, has already given us a ton of toys and a Pack n' Play for Squirrel... and she continues to find things that her two children have outgrown and pass them along to us. Thanks to her we have a few more toys, a tension rod baby gate and an umbrella stroller.

Also, on the first day of school, one of Joshua's former students, Kylemock (all one word) came up to say hello/goodbye before leaving for college in New York. He was sent with this from his mom to give to Mr. Heerssen.

Mrs. Mock is apparently a crazy-mad knitting/crocheting machine. She produced these in one weekend!

This child is loved and spoiled beyond words... and so are we. I really don't know how to express my thanks enough. Truly.

I'm going to be a big crying soppy mess at the shower!

Showing off the stash...

No, not the lovely red mustache that has become a permanent fixture on my face... my baby gear stash!

This kid is spoiled for clothes. No really, she already has 112 pieces of clothing and some of those are 2 piece outfits. Yikes! So far we have amassed the following items for Squirrel, mostly through gifts and hand-me-downs:

• A pack n' play (gift)
• An infant-to-toddler bathtub (gift)
• Crib bedding, diaper stacker, valence and matching changing pad cover ($150 on Amazon)
• A dresser (freecycle, plus $18 for paint)
• An activity mat with a musical mobile (gift)
• 4 penguin-themed children's books (Daddy gift from London, £20)
• 3 FuzziBunz cloth diapers ($13 resale)
• A red wrap-style baby carrier ($40 from BabyEtte on etsy)
• 2 handmade burp cloths (gifts)
• A swanky handmade nursing cover (gift, laying on the pack n' play in the pic)
• A polka-dot swaddler from a craigslist lot of winter baby girl clothing ($30 for over 60 pieces of various sizes listed below)
• A pink Halo sleep sack (from craigslist winter lot)
• 19 Newborn outfits (5 gifts, 14 from craigslist winter lot)
• 50 size 0-3 outfits (16 gifts, 34 from craigslist winter lot)
• 11 size 3-6 outfits (2 I couldn't resist, $6 at Carter's, 9 from craigslist winter lot)
• 20 size 6-9 outfits (all gifts)
• 2 size 12+ outfits (all from freecycle)
• 11 size 18+ outfits (all from freecycle)
• 19 size 24+ outfits (from freecycle & gifts)
• 12 toys including a penguin stroller clip-on thing that shakes! (all gifts)
• A vintage red pleather bag, heretofore re-purposed as a diaper bag! (already had it!)
• 8 bibs (all gifts)
• A super soft pink polka-dot blanket (gift)

I love, love, LOVE the gorgeous nursing cover and the bedding because neither of them are pink and they match any room of our house!!

We're so very lucky to have so many great friends and family members sending us baby love... Squirrel is off to a good start I think! If she were here tomorrow all we'd really scramble for is a car seat, a boppy, a pack of newborn diapers and some baby wash.

The painting of her room will hopefully happen soon. We're going with a light greeny-sage color called Wasabi Powder (Behr color UL200-16 if you're really curious). A fitting name, as the mobile I'll be making is origami! Can't wait to really get started!

The baby hoarding has begun...

Now that we know we're having a girl, I've been shopping... and I'm not buying anything else.

So far, from gifts and from the 4 things I bought this weekend, we have... a dresser for free, a pack n' play and a bunch of toys for free from Joshua's teaching partner Maggie, lots of outlet covers and more toys from my sister-in-law Karen, 3 footed newborn-sized pajamas and a robe from Joshua's mom, several 0-3 sized outfits, 2 size 6 outfits, 4 footless gowns, one pack of 9 month onesies, and one Darth Vader toddler t-shirt (thanks Julia!) From what I hear about how fast she'll grow out of them, hoping for no more newborn-sized stuff... but we'll see.

Reeses, inspecting the pack n' play. All of the cats were pretty concerned about this particular piece of furniture.

Boba Fett and the toys.

I'll be trying very hard to keep her in neutral colors, like blue, red and green, that are still distinctly "girl." I've never been a pink person so I don't want too much that looks like a floral shop threw up all over her. But I know that's going to be hard to combat, given the choices out there and given the fact that people think girl and think pink. Gag me.

As far as my registries are concerned, I really think I've added everything I can that is absolutely essential. Mom is helping me decide what crib bedding I like. The nursery plan is neutral colors, green, brown and blue, with really fun artwork and accents all over the room.

Cloth diapers are going to be a whole different animal. I'll probably just get those on my own.

I'll be ramping up my knitting in the coming months, totally to stereotype, and learning how to make little hats. Because seriously, who doesn't love a baby girl in a cute little headband or hat. I'd rather her be super girly with the little hats. People who wear hats have character.