Saturday, August 1, 2009

A Big Step

I have not purchased a single baby item since Beta Day when I bought Sean the onesie and bib. I haven't been afraid to, I just haven't been motivated to do much baby shopping. Being Team Green makes it a little easier to show restraint & I know our families are going to go crazy with the gifts. I figure once I start shopping, I won't stop for the next 18 years or so!

That all changed on Thursday because we ordered the nursery furniture! Holy moly! I can't believe I ordered a crib for my house. It is a little surreal.

Sean took the day off and we planned to head to Great Beginnings near Washington, DC for the day. It is a pretty awesome baby store and a HUGE baby/child/teen furniture showroom. They had every furniture line I knew I was interested in, so off we went on our adventure!

Let me just say, my poor husband deserves a medal because even though I knew walking in the door which crib I loved, it still took me nearly 4 hours to commit to a decision. Our salesman was great, but even he gave up on us after a few hours. Part of the problem was that I have an antique armoire that we are using in the nursery and I was trying to find a crib and dresser that balanced out the piece in both style and finish and it was harder than I anticipated. I brought a drawer and a photo with me and that only seemed to complicate the issue. I am an over analyzer and a perfectionist so I was having a hard time finding the right combination and I kept second guessing myself.

This was all complicated by the fact that I wasn't convinced that I wanted a lifetime crib - I like the look of them as cribs, but I am not sure we will ever convert it to the full size bed. When the time comes, it will depend on many factors - space, condition of the furniture, how many children we have etc... We did not order the conversion kit yet because of my indecision on that issue. In addition, even though Bab.y Bargains, gave my first choice furniture an "A" rating, it has gotten mixed reviews online in regards to the finish holding up over time and that concerned me a little. The store reassured me that this line in their number one seller and has been for a few years and they have very little complaints about the brand.

In the long run, we settled on the crib that I had my eye for almost 2 months now and was the leading favorite when we walked through the door. I wish I could have saved myself three and half hours and a great deal of anxiety by just trusting my gut in the first place! You will not be surprised to hear that I am like this about all major purchases in my life. When I was looking at wedding invitations, I fell in love with the "one" in the first book, but I had to look at every book in the store before I could commit. I have issues!

The manager was wonderful and even honored our 15% BRU coupon even though he technically wasn't supposed to because BRU doesn't sell this line. I think he just felt sorry for Sean! All the sales people were laughing at us. They couldn't believe I finally made a decision and they weren't surprised to hear that I went with my first choice.

I couldn't even bring myself to think about gliders while we were there because the fabric choices alone would have paralyzed me for a few more hours and we were both DONE at that point! I hope to decide on that in the next few weeks though. We have it narrowed down to 3 chairs and have an idea of what kind of fabric we want, so it shouldn't be too agonizing of a decision for me. Yea, right!

So, without further ado, here is a photo of our new crib!

It is a Munire Newport crib in Classic Chestnut. We also ordered the six drawer dresser which is not shown in this photo. We love the bookcase and nightstand, but can always add to collection later.

I am thrilled with our purchase and cannot wait until it arrives! Too bad it will take 10-14 weeks. Oh well, that should give me and my neuroses plenty of time to make other nursery decisions - paint, bedding, decor...Eeek!!!

12 comments:

sprogblogger said...

Oh it looks gorgeous! So happy that you're enjoying the shopping portion of this process, (though perhaps "enjoy" is too strong a word for what it sounds like you went through!)

Can't wait to see the nursery.

And the paint.

And everything else!

sweetpeanme said...

LOL...you are too cute...you gotta get what you want though...and if it takes you four hours to decide what you want well then so be it!!! Its absolutely gorgeous!!

A said...

I am exactly like that too when I make purchases!!!! My mom and friends think Im crazy but its crazy stressful to try to make those decisions!! Dont worry!- youre not alone! :) I love the Set and I think you made a great choice!! :)

bella1021 said...

LOVE it! We have the ESSEX style :) Nick and I are going to go and start our registry on Monday- that is exactly how I will be! I will have what I want in mind.. but have to look at everything!

'Murgdan' said...

:-) So exciting! It's beautiful...can't wait to see the little person who will be IN it soon.

Wes and Dani said...

I don't blame you for taking so long! It's a big decision!

Dani

ttcconnections.blogspot.com
and
craftrookie.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Beautiful crib! I am glad you took your time - no regrets!!! I cannot wait to see all things baby!

Kristen said...

What an exciting step!!! :-) And a beautiful crib!!!

Christi said...

I love it! they make beauiful furniture!!

Mo said...

Love the crib! Congrats! It's beautiful!

As for your birth plan/birthing center, sounds great! We're seeing a high risk OB and will have a hospital birth but are planning to use a doula and avoid as many procedures as we can. may have to do continuous monitoring but trying to avoid induction, epidural, episiotomy, etc. Assuming we get that far!

Look forward to watching the nursery progress!

Mo

Barefoot said...

Congrats on the crib purchase! We're leaning towards a Munire as well, but won't make our decision until this weekend or next weekend.

And hey, I agree with the other commenters -- Lord knows you've waited long enough to enjoy this process!!

Amber said...

Thanks for sharing your crib brand! I looked at their website and really like some of their options!!