More conspicuous consumption

On Friday we got a call from the children's superstore in London where we placed an order for a double stroller several weeks ago. It's in! - and none too soon, as we're heading to London this weekend, and may not be back again for some time. The arrival of this last major piece of equipment required to transition from one kiddo to two has me thinking about everything else we need to accomplish in the next month. We are mostly set to go: we have a pack of disposable newborn diapers and a bin full of freshly laundered cloth diapers, the dresser is stocked with enough clothes to get us through at least the first few weeks, and at least we know where the infant car seat and bassinette are, even if they're not yet dusted off and ready to be put to use again.

With the bare necessities covered - I hope - I am trying to think of what just-to-make-our-lives-better items we're missing. On the weekend I took advantage of some free time to hit a dollar store and pick up a few new things for Liam, to keep him occupied at the hospital and/or at home for the first few weeks. I finally did order those prints for Little Miss's room, and FedEx promises to deliver them today; I also decided to make do with the lamp already in the nursery, and found a more girly shade to replace the blue one that's currently there. Being in the home stretch now, it is time to fish or cut bait with any more purchases that I've been debating for the past little while. Browsing some of the online baby goods sources (and a Pregnancy Buyer's Guide Chad stuck in my stocking for Christmas), I am once again amazed at just what is out there. Unfortunately, it is too late in the game for us to drop $200 on the Baby Plus Prenatal System, which is essentially a set of lessons on tape and some headphones you strap onto your belly to brainwash your captive gestating child (starting when they are just a clump of cells) into being the next Einstein. I guess the price we'll pay for being so lazy now is that we'll have to push the academics much harder later on. Like, once the kid is actually here.Luckily though, we still have time to pick this up, if we so choose: What is it? Why, an iCrib, of course. So Little Miss can jam out to the iPod while in her crib. What better sign of the times could there be?

I must be getting that nesting urge now, because suddenly I am thinking that hitting the fabric store for some pink and white gingham, so I can sew 8 new basket liners for the nursery, sounds like a pretty good idea. I also found some pink miniblinds for a great price in a catalog the other day, but alas, they seem to be discontinued. I'm hoping the basket liners alone will satisfy the urge, because tackling new blinds on top of it all still seems like a daunting task.

And - oh, yeah - aren't these pretty? I may have to invest in a couple, one pink and one blue, once we know for sure that Little Miss really is a Little Miss.