It's Never Too Early: Planning for #3

This post may appear that I am nesting, but I am not.  Though I am not pregnant now, we do plan on trying this year.  This is me, getting ready before I need to.

(The start of many lists to come)

When we first had Evelyn, we thought that it would be so great to have the changing table built right into the crib.  Plus, this changing table laid the baby straight out in front of me, instead of causing me to twist awkwardly to change the baby...every day...at least 10 times a day.

Below, is the model we picked and my parents bought for us.  Delta, model Dakota.  This was back in 2010, this specific one is no longer made, but similar styles are still out there.

We were in a two bedroom apartment when we first had this crib; we occupied one room, Evelyn had the other for all her things.  It fit snuggly next to a white cabinet on one wall.  It took up more than half a wall.  With one child that was not a problem.

When we had Raven, we were in a three bedroom house with slightly larger bedrooms than the apartment.  While Evelyn had her own room, with a queen sized mattress, we put the crib into our room.  I wanted to have Raven sleeping in her own crib, so we had it in our room.  We still had enough room for us.  With two children, it was still not a problem.

Now that Tom is in full swing of school, we know that we will only be in apartments, or small houses, and we will also be growing.  Evelyn will be six and Raven will be two this summer, and they will only need more space as they get older. 

Another problem I had with this crib, is the height.  The changing table is high for me, I'm 5'2", and my husband, at 6'2", whenever he would change the baby, his belt buckle hit that bar you see at the feet, causing it to wear and chip.  The crib part was difficult for me when it was on the lowest setting, so much so, that I kept a step stool at the crib.  It was a pain.

In our grand plan, trying for a baby would be happening this year.  So I've been looking at things on Pinterest, of course, and mentally reviewing what we have, what I wanted to get, but hadn't, and what we will need if our next will be a boy, not a girl.  I dreaded, even thinking, how we would handle our mammoth crib.  It still sits, put together, at my mother in laws house, which was the house we had been renting previous to now.

I was asking about bunk beds at a furniture store and the man asked what kind I wanted.  I told him that one with stairs would be ideal, but we needed one with just a plain latter to conserve space.  I told him how I regretted the larger crib now because of not having the options of separation.  At that moment, I had a great awakening, and I realized, we could sell our current crib and buy a smaller one!  Why I had not thought of it before, I wasn't sure yet.

Later that day, I went on Craigslist, and was actually searching for old plastic ride on toys, like the Cozy Coupe or Radio Flyer, to redo.  I checked toys and found none, then checked baby, and I found this...

Okay, I didn't actually see this, but in my mind it looked this way.

I saw an ad for a white Jenny Lind crib by DaVinci.

 It was being sold for $50.  That's right, only $50!  I immediately text the seller and tried to get her to hold it since she was in the city over.  Only 45 minutes, but with schedules, it would be complicated to get to her quickly.  She said she wouldn't hold.  I convinced Tom to go with me the next day.  He thought it wasn't a deal we should pass up, and agreed.  I text the woman back, letting her know that I would be coming for the crib the next day.  She told me about the mattress for an extra $25 and that she would throw in the mesh bumper.  She told me she also had a chair.

Also for $50.  A glider is something I desperately searched for when we were preparing for Raven, but I was unable to find a price low enough for our budget.  I told her that I wasn't sure.  She said we could change our minds later, she didn't mind, she was just trying to get rid of all the baby stuff.  When we arrived at her house, the next day, she and her husband told us that we could take it all for $100 flat; crib, mattress, and glider.  They let us talk, and we eventually gave it all to them.  The glider was loving used, a small tear and dirty at the seat, but still cozy and smooth.  Raven loved it so much.  She loves bright colors and things that stand out, and if this chair does anything, it stands out.

Tom told me that this would be added onto my Valentine's gift.  I love practical gifts, so I was perfectly content to say that it was.  After all, it is pink!

Now, since we don't know if we will have a girl or boy next, in the future, I may have to recover the chair or use a slipcover on it.  If it's a girl and we have it in our room, Tom still may have me do that.  It is bright and he gets migraines.

To me, it is never too early to plan, and I think my mass of notepads, notebooks, and lists show that clearly.  I do this so I don't miss any details and kick myself later.  Self-preservation, in a good way.

I hope to get back here soon and tell you more of what is happening in my life!