Saturday, September 27, 2008

Change of season means more baby clothes

So, fall is officially here. Yay! I love fall. The autumn season has always been a favorite of mine. It used to be that fall was something I associated with starting a new year of school, going back, something new, something fresh. But since 2000, I have happily associated fall with the beginning of my relationship with my husband, Daniel. We went on our first date on August 16th, 2000, but because he was leaving the area for his first year of college, I didn't see him after August 22nd, not again until mid-September. The following year I took tour buses and trains out to Pittsburgh to visit him, and the year after that I moved with him to Pittsburgh. Oh, and two years after that our daughter was born. And lastly, the year after THAT we conceived our son. For those still playing along, that's 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. ;)

Alyssa is all ready for the fall. She really hasn't grown too much since last year (just upwards!), so all of her pants from last year fit her just fine. She inherited my short legs, so at least this year most of her jeans won't be dragging the ground. I seriously have to roll up the cuffs on 90% of her pants. It's ridiculous!

Ryan, on the other hand, not so ready.... he has new shirts, about ten of them. But he needs pants. I wasn't sure what size pants he had leftover from last year, so I decided to wait on buying new ones until I checked out his drawers. Well, I went through them yesterday, and he's down to one pair of jeans and two pairs of cargo pants. Ridiculous! That kid grows too much. He was wearing 24mo/2T in the summer of 2007, here we are in the fall of 2008 and 5T fits him now. In comparison, Alyssa is wearing 5T loosely, and she's almost two years older than him. Well, that's my chunky baby.

So guess who has to go shopping for more baby clothes. Or should I say toddler clothes, since there's nothing really BABY about a whopping 5 in toddler sizes!

Psst... anyone else who has a horse-sized toddler like mine, check out eBay for onesies. I found a bunch (new! in packaging!) by Gerber that are 4T! I'm stoked!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Baby shopping is time consuming and expensive!

I think one of the most exciting things to shop for is a new pet or a new baby. I recently got a pug (four months old, female, beautiful, very well behaved and well mannered), and shopping for her was a lot of fun. But there's only so much to shop for for a dog. A baby, on the other hand, requires a lot of preparation! Baby furniture is just the tip of the iceberg, and even that is a lot. Cribs, playpens, strollers, car seats, high chairs... then there are the optional things like slings, baby swings, cradles, bassinets. But the fun stuff, the REALLY fun stuff, are the baby clothes, diapers, bibs, towels, and accessories like pacifiers, diaper bags and diapering essentials, breastfeeding supplies, toys and musical CDs.

When you think about it, it's amazing that there are literally thousands of items to buy for a new baby. I know we spent a decent chunk of change and time on new baby things for Alyssa. With our second child, we didn't have to get the big things, but we needed a lot of new baby clothes and childrens clothing, since we were having a boy, and obviously he wouldn't look too good in pink or purple. ;)

What was your favorite baby purchase?

Friday, September 19, 2008

An Angel in White

I attended an official baptism of one of girlfriend's baby girl. I had no idea what went into this ceremony. From the baby dressed immaculately in a white christening baby gown in white with lace, she looked like an angel. I felt so overwhelmed with emotion to see something so beautiful and, pure. All I heard was the little whimpers of this tiny little baby when they sprinkled the holy water on her head. I think the husband's family was so into this ceremony. I had really no idea what was going on. Even though I think I was baptised, I wasn't familiar with the whole process. I just know that everyone was so solemn standing up there dressed in their best, as the priest read his prayer. I was relieved when we hit the reception. Not so serious, and, the baby slept through the whole thing in my arms, so precious!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Fall in Love With These Baby Clothes!

I'm always on the look out for good deals. Especially when it comes to dressing my kids. I want them to look good, and, get the clothes that are more high quality. I have found that designer baby clothes deliver much better fabric, and craftsmanship. I tend to do look for these qualities over the less expensive brands. Not that the kid's don't have enough to wear, but, these type of clothes will still look good when they grow out of them and, someone else can wear them in the family! I found yet another favorite store that I will no doubt be visiting again! Estella-nyc.com has classic pieces that will surely go with everything else in my kid's closets! They have some original finds from all over the world that I truly appreciate! Check out their children's clothes selection and, I'm sure you'll fall in love like I did!

Monday, September 1, 2008

Go Steelers!

Go Steelers! My husband and I lived in Pittsburgh for a little under two years. Actually, he lived there for three and a half years -- he moved there for college in August of 2000, and I joined him in August of 2002. We moved back home a year and a half later, just a few days before Christmas (yes, driving a uhaul from one end of the state to the other during the mad last minute holiday rush was INSANE. I promise we'll never repeat it!).

I loved Pittsburgh. It's going on five years since we left that city, and I still miss it. City life is a pain and expensive, but it's convenient and it's definitely quaint. Of course, I think I reflect more upon my memories of my husband and I together more than I do about the city, but it's still very special to me, and I would like to go back to visit.

One thing that really got me about Pittsburgh was the borderline RABIDNESS people had in terms of enthusiasm for football and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Pittsburgh Pirates got some attention, but NOTHING like what the Steelers got. You would think it was an official holiday, the way people would dress up in nfl jerseys. The freakin' stores would even decorate, and employees (I worked at a K-Mart and a Target) would be strongly encouraged to wear the team colors (black and yellow).

Football never has been my thing, nor will it ever be. My husband enjoys it somewhat, so I'm thinking of getting him some kind of official jersey. I might even get a youth NFL jersey for our son, so they can dress up and be all GO TEAM! together.

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