Wednesday, September 29, 2004

$$

17 Weeks –

I had to go into Babies R Us yesterday in order to buy a baby shower gift for a friend as I have many times before in the past. However, this time, as I looked over the giant list of things she had registered for, it began to dawn on me. I, too, am having a baby – and babies need things. LOTS OF THINGS. Diapers, cribs, strollers, bottles, high chairs, swings, bedding, special soaps, powders, little clothes… the list goes on and on and on! It’s mind boggling! How are we going to buy all of these things? (And not only that, where are we going to PUT all of these things in our tiny two bedroom house that’s already at its bursting point?) I had to quickly buy something and run out of the store before I melted into a quivering puddle of panic in the middle of a Graco stroller display.

Have I mentioned that we also need to buy a new car before the baby is born? Otherwise we’ll be taking our newborn home from the hospital strapped to the roof of my VW Bug and I doubt that will win us any parenting points. And to think that we eventually want to buy a house, too? In CALIFORNIA! HA! Where on earth will all this money come from? As my father always said, money doesn’t grow on trees (even though I’ve fervently begun to pray that it will). Everything I think about now as far as the baby is concerned has dollar signs attached to it and to be quite honest, it’s really starting to FREAK ME OUT.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Martha's right. Also you'll find that you don't necessarily need all the stuff you think you need. People raise children all the time without most of what we've come to depend on. In retrospect, I think the fewer apparatus you have to buy, store, schlep etc. the easier things are. Another great resource are consignment stores for baby stuff. Everything's in good shape, clean and about 1/3 the price you'd pay new. Also you can sell your stuff to these stores later on. It is daunting though. And the stuff gets more expensive as they get older. Sam's Christmas list has gone from legos and video games to a computer and real musical instruments. Yikes!