Fall is here, time to shop!

So, fall is officially here. Yay! I love fall. The autumn season has always been a favorite of mine. It used to be that fall was something I associated with starting a new year of school, going back, something new, something fresh. But since 2000, I have happily associated fall with the beginning of my relationship with my husband, Daniel. We went on our first date on August 16th, 2000, but because he was leaving the area for his first year of college, I didn't see him after August 22nd, not again until mid-September. The following year I took tour buses and trains out to Pittsburgh to visit him, and the year after that I moved with him to Pittsburgh. Oh, and two years after that our daughter was born. And lastly, the year after THAT we conceived our son. For those still playing along, that's 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. ;)

Alyssa is all ready for the fall. She really hasn't grown too much since last year (just upwards!), so all of her pants from last year fit her just fine. She inherited my short legs, so at least this year most of her jeans won't be dragging the ground. I seriously have to roll up the cuffs on 90% of her pants. It's ridiculous!

Ryan, on the other hand, not so ready.... he has new shirts, about ten of them. But he needs pants. I wasn't sure what size pants he had leftover from last year, so I decided to wait on buying new ones until I checked out his drawers. Well, I went through them yesterday, and he's down to one pair of jeans and two pairs of cargo pants. Ridiculous! That kid grows too much. He was wearing 24mo/2T in the summer of 2007, here we are in the fall of 2008 and 5T fits him now. In comparison, Alyssa is wearing 5T loosely, and she's almost two years older than him. Well, that's my chunky baby.

So guess who has to go shopping for more baby clothes. Or should I say toddler clothes, since there's nothing really BABY about a whopping 5 in toddler sizes!

Psst... anyone else who has a horse-sized toddler like mine, check out eBay for onesies. I found a bunch (new! in packaging!) by Gerber that are 4T! I'm stoked!

Shopping for baby stuff is fun

I think one of the most exciting things to shop for is a new pet or a new baby. I recently got a pug (four months old, female, beautiful, very well behaved and well mannered), and shopping for her was a lot of fun. But there's only so much to shop for for a dog. A baby, on the other hand, requires a lot of preparation! Baby furniture is just the tip of the iceberg, and even that is a lot. Cribs, playpens, strollers, car seats, high chairs... then there are the optional things like slings, baby swings, cradles, bassinets. But the fun stuff, the REALLY fun stuff, are the baby clothes, diapers, bibs, towels, and accessories like pacifiers, diaper bags and diapering essentials, breastfeeding supplies, toys and musical CDs.

When you think about it, it's amazing that there are literally thousands of items to buy for a new baby. I know we spent a decent chunk of change and time on new baby things for Alyssa. With our second child, we didn't have to get the big things, but we needed a lot of new boys clothes, since we were having a boy, and obviously he wouldn't look too good in pink or purple. ;)

What was your favorite baby purchase?

Not enough hours in a day

I am sleepy. It's only 11pm, but I could totally crash right now. A week ago that wouldn't have been the case. That just goes to show you how much can change in just a few days time. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday were exhausting for me. I got a full night's sleep last night, but tonight I'm not sure how things will pan out, because I have a lot of work to do.

In addition to work, I have laundry to finish up, and a desk to organize. I was going to fix my old laptop for Dan (weird driver issue), but Jason is over and is taking care of that for me (thanks Jason!). I also need to go through Alyssa's drawers. She has a lot of fall and winter clothing in them from last year, and I want to try everything on her and weed out what doesn't fit. Ryan has a bottom drawer filled with clean and in good condition baby clothes that I need to donate, but I'm waiting until I get Alyssa's clothes sorted out. Then I'll run everything over to a local shelter at once.

Cute & Cozy Baby Shoes

These Designer baby shoes are one of the most comfortable shoes for your babies delicate feet. The Jack and Lilly baby shoes are made of lamb touch leather and have a snug-yet-flexible fit. With skid resistant suede sole and elasticized ankle support makes these shoes one of the best you can buy. These little shoes stay put and are easy to slip on and off! With attention to detail and design make these one of my favorite for baby! The classic Jack & Lily shoe in pink & fuchsia and, detailed with stitched antennae and tail. A set of the cute and, cozy shoes completes all look of all the designer baby clothes that Sandboxcouture.com has to offer! Also, available in handsome boy designs!

Affordable Christening Gowns for Baby

When it comes time to choosing that perfect gown for baptism of your child, choosing the one that fits your style and taste, is important Christeningbabygown.com , has an amazing selection. I looked at this site the other day and, would have to say they have the best selection of Christening gowns that are not only beautiful but, affordable. My brother needed some help picking out a baby Christening gown for his daughter. I found this traditional looking gown with matching bonnet at a very good price. This is something she will only wear once so, he didn't want to spend a fortune but, look as he did. So, this will be perfect!
My niece is going to look gorgeous! I can't wait to try out my new camera! I think I'm going to do some nice black and, white pictures of her and, frame them as a gift.

Baby bassinets

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I decided that I wanted to have a bassinet for her. I thought cribs were too big, bulky and overwhelming for such a tiny baby. Furthermore, a crib couldn't exactly be squeezed into a small bedroom, or put alongside a bed. I thought bassinets were the perfect choice, because they're small and often portable, thanks to most of them being equipped with wheels.

Well, we were both working low paying jobs at the time, had the expenses of moving and buying the more necessary baby furniture (car seat, stroller, high chair), and so we didn't have room in our budget for a bassinet, let alone the small and often expensive baby bedding that we would need to outfit it.

Imagine my surprise when my husband's grandmother invited us to her house when I was nine months pregnant with our daughter. She gifted us with a bassinet that was filled to the brim with baby clothes, small baby toys and baby books.

I wound up giving away the bassinet to a pregnant co-worker a year later, which coincidentally was just a few weeks shy of me getting pregnant with our son, but it worked out for the best because we were able to borrow a cradle for the first few months of his life.

Now all of the baby things are gone, including cribs, bassinets, cradles and baby bedding. My daughter is turning four in October, and my son just turned two in July. Needless to say, they're both in regular beds - twin beds!

Biscotti Dresses For the Season

The latest Biscotti dresses have arrived for Fall! This designer baby clothes line includes the new Fall line of little girls dresses for the upcoming Holiday season and, special occasions! The beautiful dresses with ruffles, cap sleeves, and, beautiful prints are something that every little girl will fall in love with! Always innovative designs, this years colors include shades of browns and, pinks. View this Biscotti dresses at, Sandboxcouture.com!

An Exciting Baby Clothes Store!

When looking for Inspiration in designer baby clothes, Estella-nyc.com is it! You will find high-end baby clothing with European flair. From gorgeous designer baby clothing that is selected for its classic beauty , not just by brand. The latest and, well designed products from around the world can be seen throughout this store. Items like the Bugaboo strollers, Oeuf baby furniture, designs just for Estella is what keeps this baby clothes store so exciting!

I need to buy an NFL jersey

Go Steelers! My husband and I lived in Pittsburgh for a little under two years. Actually, he lived there for three and a half years -- he moved there for college in August of 2000, and I joined him in August of 2002. We moved back home a year and a half later, just a few days before Christmas (yes, driving a uhaul from one end of the state to the other during the mad last minute holiday rush was INSANE. I promise we'll never repeat it!).

I loved Pittsburgh. It's going on five years since we left that city, and I still miss it. City life is a pain and expensive, but it's convenient and it's definitely quaint. Of course, I think I reflect more upon my memories of my husband and I together more than I do about the city, but it's still very special to me, and I would like to go back to visit.

One thing that really got me about Pittsburgh was the borderline RABIDNESS people had in terms of enthusiasm for football and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Pittsburgh Pirates got some attention, but NOTHING like what the Steelers got. You would think it was an official holiday, the way people would dress up in nfl jerseys. The freakin' stores would even decorate, and employees (I worked at a K-Mart and a Target) would be strongly encouraged to wear the team colors (black and yellow).

Football never has been my thing, nor will it ever be. My husband enjoys it somewhat, so I'm thinking of getting him some kind of official jersey. I might even get a youth NFL jersey for our son, so they can dress up and be all GO TEAM! together.