You know when you find out a friend is pregnant with her first baby? And you want to share everything you know but don’t want to overwhelm her or be the one who tells her to sleep now because she won’t sleep again for years? I had that dilemma recently. I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s no point trying to convey what having a baby is like to someone who hasn’t had one, because you really, truly can’t know what it’s like until you get there.
Luckily in this case, my friend wanted to talk baby stuff — strollers, cribs, nursery decor — instead of sleep or the frequency with which babies poop. And that’s all stuff I can talk about with great enthusiasm.
I have grand ideas about “doing” our house, but I’ve never done it. Not in any really deliberate way. But when it came to putting together baby rooms I was all over it. (And Rich was too.) There’s just something about having a room specially designed for the baby you’re about to welcome. When we did Connor’s room it was a little less deliberate – we had everything we wanted and needed except stuff for the walls, but I bought jungle decals in a panic a couple of weeks before he was born. Because there was NO WAY I could bring my baby home to a room that had nothing on the walls. (Never mind the fact that he slept in our room for the first six weeks.) 
We had a ton of fun doing Ethan’s room too. We weren’t starting from scratch because, while we got rid of a lot of our baby stuff before we moved, we did keep the crib and changing table/dresser, which are two pieces we really like. And I was also smart enough this time not to buy a whole set including stuff we’ll never use (like crib bumpers).
So that’s what we talked about with my friend. We did a tour of Ethan’s room and talked about the wall decals. We gave our perspective on the changing table/dresser combo compared to the standalone change table option. We whipped out the stroller and talked about why we like ours.
Between that conversation and the recent sort I had to do on Ethan’s clothes (because the little bugger is growing out of stuff – why do they have to grow so fast?!) I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic for the newborn phase. Especially, it must be said, because when he was a newborn he slept whereas now we’re having an increasing number of visits during the night. But I digress…
I guess that’s the nice thing about having friends who are having babies. As another friend of mine said, I don’t actually want another baby but I do want friends to have babies I can snuggle (and not at 3 am, preferably).
Do you miss the newborn phase?
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This is the last month of the ambassador program with Sears The Baby’s Room and from March 22 to April 4 they’re having the Newborn Nesting Event at Sears locations across Canada. Having a baby (or know someone who is)? Here’s the deal:
If you buy $250 (before tax) worth of nursery must-haves (including cribs, furniture, gliders, and nursery decor/bedding like in the image above, which I think is SO cute) you’ll receive 15% back on a cash card. This cash card works similarly to a gift card, so you can come back to The Baby’s Room for any last-minute additions to your nursery until May 31. (And if you happen to be shopping in Edmonton you’ll receive 15% off at the point of purchase instead of a cash card.)
If you’re the fancy-dress type, Sears The Baby’s Room also has Easter dress wear (both traditional frilly dresses, which I probably would buy if I had a girl, and more casual cotton styles) for $19.97.
Disclosure: I am part of the Sears Canada The Baby’s Room Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
