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!!!