Getting ready for the shower

I can't believe its happening so fast! It seems like just yesterday I was peeing on a stick and now its time for what...a baby shower? Crazy!

As I mentioned before, we have been truly blessed with our circle of friends and family who have passed along sooo much of what we need to prepare for our first foray into parenthood. I don't think we had any clue of the scope of things that these little ones need!

So, since there really is no Emily Post way to tell people what you still need, I figure spilling it all out on my blog where there is already a ton of inappropriate sharing is as good a place as any.

Here is our getting ready for "Peanut" and parenthood wish list:

The Goodnight Room:
This store is absolutely adorable and ended up being where we ordered our glider from. We still have half to go before we take it home and start to rock n roll with it into the wee hours. And yes, we bought one that was comfortable for dad too so he can be a part of the wonderful round the clock feedings. We expect this to be our one big purchase...that is...until she wants a car and college right ;-)

IKEA:
Ahhh....Ikea. Thank God for the over-crowded, over-stimulating, full of screaming children just like yours shopping experience! We struggled with our nursery furniture for months; finding the wrong sizes at the right price or perfectly sized but NOT perfectly priced changing table and wardrobe for our tiny, yet oddly shaped nursery. It almost became a joke between Willie and I until Ikea introduced their new 2010 nursery line and we found just what we were looking for. Now, if we could only pronounce it we would be set!

Dream Dinners:
Everyone tells us how hard it is to squeeze in time to shower in those first few weeks much less find the time and energy to cook a healthy meal. So we hope to stock up our chest freezer with some hearty, healthy, quick-fix meals that wont tax the brain and give us some leftovers. We have used Dream Dinners before and really enjoyed their meals and convenience.
The Sunnyside store is great and they issue gift certificates:
Phone (day) 503-558-8260 * Phone (evening) 503-558-8260
SunnysideVillageOR@dreamdinners.com
*We would also love your own home-made freezer-to-table contributions.

Tidee Didee diaper service:
We know everyone has an opinion on the cloth vs disposable diapers subject. We have polled our friends and family, talked with experts, know the inconveniences and the benefits and have made a decision to give it a whole hearted try. Now, does that mean we are never going to use disposables? Puh-leez! We know that we will find times when that is just a better option. But today's cloth diaper services are not your mommas old school cloth diapers...nope, now they have all sorts of new fangled bells and whistles! Velcro closures, extra absorption, different sizing, no rinsing, adorable little accessories, delivery and pick up and...a little less guilt. Plus, we know the owners and they are wonderful people.

Nursery Artwork:
We saw this on Etsy and fell in love even before we discovered it was the boyfriend of a friend of ours here in Portland. We love the whimsy of these paintings, the bright colors and pseudo circus animal theme. Plus, it makes us feel good that he's local and know who he is! We like Disco Inferno Chickens and Snail on Display.

NW Women's Fitness Club...or...losing the baby fat.
There comes a time in every new mom's life where she just needs to get out and spend a little time away from baby and take a deep breath. They say moms who take time out to take care of themselves are better moms and set good examples for their little ones. I want to be THAT mom! Plus, I have a few really great girlfriends that attend this gym, the atmosphere is safe and comfortable, close to home, not over-crowded and they offer some superb classes to shed that baby weight fast! Ummm....did I mention they also offer daycare?

Amazon.com
We don't own a camera. I know. I know.

Your favorite new-parent/baby necessity:
We know we are in for the learning curve of our lives! For those who have done this before, or know you have just the thing for us or our new bundle...I have no doubt we will thank you for it over and over and over!

Nursery Colors: *Turquoise * Orange * Lime Green * Dark Pink (Think rainbow sherbert)

So, there you have it. Emily Post be damned.

Again, thank you to everyone who has passed along to us tons of amazing baby gear. We are very blessed to have such great friends and family starting us off on the right path to parenthood.

The Smith Family.