New Beginnings: Shopping Has Never Been So Fun

Shopping for a baby is SO MUCH FUN. I will be forever grateful for baby shopping because it has led me to my greatest discovery in recent years: consignment stores. Obviously I knew about consignment stores before getting pregnant, but I didn't realize how awesome they were until I started shopping there for baby items. You can find some amazing deals on just about anything you need for baby, and load up on stuff without spending a lot of money. My best find thus far has been a Synergy Mesh Baby Bjorn, which retails at Babies R Us for $179.00. My mom and I picked one up for $30.00. I was really excited about finding this, because Jordan has been talking about wanting a Baby Bjorn since I first got pregnant.

Jordan testing out the Baby Bjorn

Other supplies we have gotten through consignment stores include a Bobby/playmat, a bathtub, baby books, nursing apron, and a LOT of clothes, gloves, socks, hats, jackets and such. My mom got a pack-n-play and a travel system for her house at a consignment sale, they are both in GREAT condition and were awesome deals. She also had a friend at work sell us a really nice baby swing and baby seat for $50.

Our living room after arriving home from a consignment sale at the fairgrounds, this was only some of the stuff.

My favorite thing to shop for at consignment stores are clothes. A lot of the clothes, especially newborn stuff, still have the tags on because kids don't even get the chance to wear them before they grow out of them. We got Cora the cutest christmas dress for $2.00, and several other cute outfits for $2.00-$4.00. Between the things we have picked up consignment shopping, and the cute outfits that we have gotten as gifts from friends and family, we already have a nice little collection of clothes started. After previewing some of my mom's baby shower purchases I think that Cora is not only going to be beautiful, but also a very well dressed baby.

Fur trimmed dress that I purchased for $4.00

Scottie dogs, $4.00

Cora's First Christmas Dress, $2.00

While I love consignment stores, the fact that we live about 5 minutes away from Southpoint, which entails Target, Old Navy, Babies R Us, Nordstrom and numerous other stores means that I visit them frequently. I had been pretty reasonable with all my expenses until I walked into Pottery Barn Kids. After shopping around at Target and Babies R Us, I still hadn't found any bedding that I was crazy about. This led me to online shopping at Pottery Barn Kids, where I found bedding that I LOVED. I decided that I would go there, purchase the bedding, and immediately leave the store so that I didn't get tempted to buy other things. That place is like heaven on earth, and despite the ridiculous prices, everything is set up in such an adorable way that you think it might actually be worth the money. Thank goodness Jordan was with me the first time I went in, because kept me from grabbing up everything I saw. The first time we went in we just bought the quilt for the bedding, and a giant pink stuff rabbit that is incredibly soft. Recently I went back and purchased the rest of the set, and now we have all of our bedding. It is the Hayley theme and it is precious. I found a designer on Etsy that makes these custom letters to hang on the wall, and she is designing them based on the bedding, so I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Samples of previous letters done to coordinate with Hayley bedding from the Etsy shop I ordered from (so cute!)

Pictures of the nursery bedding, taken from the Pottery Barn website

The nursery has been a work in progress, and we finally have the room cleaned out so we can start organzing all of our baby stuff. Some of my favorite decorations we have for the nursery so far are a picture and a pillow that we picked up in Wisconsin, they are both so cute and sweet that they make me want to cry.

So cute

"I love you to the moon and back" pillow that is similar to the picture. Also pictured are a changing pad, cover, and sweet dolly that my grandma bought for Cora :)

Jordan wanted to get me something that I really wanted for my birthday last month, and that ended up being a diaper bag. Well, originally it was a new purse, then I remembered I am having a baby and decided a diaper bag would be more suitable to my needs. After a couple weeks of looking around, I found two that I couldn't decide between, and Jordan surprised me by getting both. One of them is a Petunia Pickle Bottom bag and the other is made by Storksak. They look nothing alike, which is nice, and I know I will get a lot of use out of both of them.

The Petunia Pickle Bottom bag

The best feature of the bag... it converts into a backpack!

And the Storksak bag, which is really cute and looks more like a purse than a diaper bag

Jordan's birthday is coming up at the end of August. He will be 30, so I have been trying to think of a memorable present for him. When I asked him what he wanted, he told me he wanted new pots and pans to cook with. I doubt many people know this, but Jordan is an amazing cook, and he does most of the cooking in our house. I am trying to learn how to be a better cook, but I would probably eat the same 3 meals over and over if I didn't have him to show me how to make new things. Anyways, the point is that getting him a new set of cookware is basically like getting a present for myself, because I love to eat the food that he cooks. I went ahead and bought him a set and gave it to him, and I am still on the prowl for the perfect birthday gift.