Tag: babies r us

New Kicks.

Published on by Darlene Dee10 Comments

Babystar is a dirty little hippie.

What did I expect, dressing her like this?

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This little hippie has learned to walk and wants to run around everywhere. BAREFOOT.

This is mostly fine with me and I am definitely the mom with the barefoot toddler almost everywhere. Library story time. Grocery store. Basically, anywhere with a roof. Or a floor. One or the other. But she has to wear shoes outside for safety and stuff. I know this because I get mean looks at the park and I only let her on the swings where her feet ARE IN THE AIR. And ok, maybe on the slide too but I am holding her the whole time and she barely gets sand on her toes and ok yes I get it she needs to wear shoes.

We tried to try on shoes three different times. She screams when I put them on her feet. I learned that sandals are a definite no. There is NO WAY IN HELL anything can go between her toes. Or over her toes. Or near her toes. I have to first trick her with socks, and then she still mildly protested the tennis shoes. But at least she didn’t scream. She’s almost out of a size 3 but the size 4 is still too big. But she didn’t like could not stand walking in the size 4 so I had to get the 3 too. We have a ‘shoes needed’ adventure coming up soon. Babies R Us had ‘buy one, get one half off’ so I bought a size 3 and a size 4, for a total of $27.01. She will probably outgrow the size threes by the time I finish this paragraph.

They cute tho.

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Does anyone have any shoe recommendations? Or perhaps just coping mechanisms? Or maybe even just a nice wine recommendation for afterwards?

(What wine pairs best with whining?)

Babystar has fat fat adorable delicious fat fat feet. And she hates anything touching her toes. Or her heels. Or her soles. Who makes that shoe? Or can she just be barefoot forever? Maybe she will be the next Shailene Woodley?

RAISING BABYSTAR: $10,729.56

 

 

Baby Proofing is a Lie.

Published on by Darlene Dee4 Comments

The only way to completely baby proof our house would be to move to a Soft Play Room. Also, that sounds kind of amazing. Imagine: bean bags and giant foam blocks in lieu of furniture. Pizza and birthday cake every meal. A ball pit.

(Just checked. There aren’t any homes like that on Zillow.)

So we do the best we can and try to keep an eye on the baby.

I have awkwardly shaped stairs, so I brought home a few different (freaking expensive) baby gates to try from Babies R Us. None worked. I’m using this $14.99 Munchkin baby gate from Target and it works ok. For now. My almost 3-year-old niece was here recently and took the gate down in under ten seconds. But I’m hoping Babystar will have fully mastered stairs by the time she is almost-three. (Though I don’t know how because I never let her practice.)

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We also added outlet plugs to all the low-riding outlets. ($3.99 for a pack of 36.) I probably need to get some more.

I’ve locked up select drawers and cabinets with these oddly shaped ‘appliance locks’. Some cabinets are open for business. And some she just hasn’t found yet. ($3.99 for a pack of two. I bought two packs.)

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I also bought a furniture anchor for the dresser in her bedroom. She hasn’t tried to climb it yet but I’m sure she will soon. But I have not installed it yet because I am a very tired, very bad mother. ($4.99.)

I have piled throw pillows around the brick in front of the fireplace since she could move. I guess I will just leave them there. Forever.

We moved all our books from the lower two shelves of the bookcases and replaced them with her board books and other things she can’t break. Husband’s two NFL helmets. My yoga blocks. That wooden mannequin thing from Ikea that everyone has.

How do you baby proof?

RAISING BABYSTAR: $7,453.85

 

 

Hell is Choosing a Car Seat.

Published on by Darlene Dee1 Comment

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I read several car seat reviews online.

I studied the car seats in the store every time I went to Target.

I posted questions in two different Facebook groups dedicated to car seats.

I read a hundred more car seat reviews online.

I went to the Baby Guy’s seminar at MommyCon.

I asked the opinions of the sales associates at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby.

I read approximately one thousand car seat reviews online.

AND I COULD NOT FREAKING DECIDE WHICH CAR SEAT TO BUY SO I PICKED THE PRETTY BLUE ONE. It has polka dots.

I bought a Chicco NextFit Zip Convertible Car Seat. The Chicco seats were always near the top of the millions of Car Seat Comparison Charts that I read. I love that the cover zips off so I can easily clean the inevitable baby messes. And I had a 20% off coupon for Babies R Us that was expiring THAT DAY so I had to finally make a decision.

The car seat was $349.99 before the discount.

OMG. Now I have to install it.

I also bought another car mirror because I was tired of switching the one that we had from one vehicle to the other. And of course I kept forgetting.

And we bought the Sensory Balls like they have at the library. Grand total at Babies R Us was $326.45.

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RAISING BABYSTAR: $7,248.26

 

 

 

 

Strolling with the Homies.

Published on by Darlene Dee3 Comments

Crap. Are the peeps at Babies R Us now MY HOMIES?! Yes, I guess so. Crapcrapcrap.

Whatever. My homies are on fleek.

We were gifted the smooth riding but very gigantic BOB Revolution Jogging Stroller at one of our million baby showers last year. P.S. No one in this house jogs. But it’s still a sweet ride plus it’s like the official stroller of Arlington so we look like we belong. We love it for (not) jogging around the neighborhood.

However. When we travel, I have to decide whether to bring the stroller or our suitcases. The stroller or the diaper bag. The stroller or the baby. It takes up all of the storage space in the VW, and most of the storage space in the minivan. So I have been reading reviews of smaller lightweight strollers for like three months trying to decide which one to buy.

I almost bought that new GB Pockit but it doesn’t recline. Babystar likes to nap during long walks. Travel = long walks. We need the recline. I wish we didn’t but we do so I had to pick a different stroller.

Do you know how many stroller comparison charts are on the internet?

No. You cannot know. The number is infinite.

I finally decided on the GB Zuzu. It was even on sale! $125.99 marked down from $179.99. Yay! But my local Babies R Us was out of stock. Booo. But then they said they would sell me the floor model (which was already assembled!). Yay! AND they would give me 50% off of the sale price!! $62.99!! OMG. YES.

Come along and ride stroll on a fantastic voyage.

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Babies R Us also had Babyganics products on sale. Buy one, get one half off. I also bought two packs of disposable diapers, a bottle of non-toxic toy and high chair cleaner, and a small bottle of baby bath. The total at Babies R Us was $95.48.

RAISING BABYSTAR: $6,801.68

 

Riding in her Pink Cadillac.

Published on by Darlene Dee1 Comment

Cruising down the street.

Waving to the girls. (And boys. And dogs.)

Feeling outta sight.

Spending all my money on a Saturday night. (And every night. And every day. Basically just spending all of the money all of the time.)

Babystar loved riding in the car down in Florida so much that we got one for home. $49.99 on sale at Babies R Us. Warning: CUTENESS OVERLOAD.

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Now we just need to get a matching one for Mama, right?

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RAISING  BABYSTAR: $6,505.17