Pregnant and Selling a House

As you may all know, I am 8 months pregnant, we are in the midst of an international adoption for a daughter, and we have listed our house with a realtor. I know it sounds crazy, but it is actually well thought out. Tomorrow, I plan to talk more about out pregnancy and adoption timing, but today I'll tell you about the real estate craziness NOW!

This morning we made a nice TO DO list that would help us prepare for Sunday's Open House. As Jeff was Vacuuming, I was emailing our realtors about tomorrow's details. Low and behold the phone rings. It was from a realtor who wanted to show our house to a couple from Brooklyn for the second time. THE SECOND TIME. I can't say no, but I did panic slightly. Instead of finishing the TO DO list, we assessed and readjusted.

Jeff and I are a great team, so we started going into instant house showing mode. With 4 minutes to spare, we left a beautifully, staged house. Jeff went off to the gym and I hid out with the two Beagles at my next store neighbors house. Now we live in a townhouse. We have Beagles. That equals some noise, so in order to keep Penny and Snoopy quiet, I had to raid my neighbors "treat" closet.

The couple stayed for 20 minutes. I am thinking very positive.
The beagles and I shot back home, and now I am waiting to see if they throw up.
You don't know how many treats you have to give a Beagle to keep him quiet!
Right now, I am resting on the couch. Rushing, cleaning and 2 dogs don't mix well with pregnancy, but I think all will be well.

Wish us luck. Open House tomorrow.

Mattresses

Choosing a mattress can be a daunting job. It seems like it should be quite easy, but with the scare of SIDS, it is a very important purchase. I really liked the selection at BUYBUYBABY. It's important to feel the mattress for the firmness. After choosing a few, we did follow up research on Consumer Reports. Some of the helpful suggestions were:

1. Be sure you can't fit more then two fingers between the crib and the mattress
2. If it feels too firm for you, it's best for baby
3. A water-proof cover is a good idea

I was going to order off the internet, but I have decided to go back to the store and check our top picks. Once we compare them to our research, we'll be ready to purchase. I strongly suggest that you also should do extensive research when buying expensive and important items such as cribs, bassinets, mattresses and car seats. After the we buy the mattress, I'll be sure to update you with the final decision.

Soon on our store, we'll be selling bed rails for your toddler if you are pst cribs and unto beds:)
Little Baby Headquarters

Preparing for Baby

For all of you where I am in their pregnancy, it is time to really begin getting ready for baby. This weekend, we began with closets. We bought organization products so we could begin making extra space for all the adorable clothes and new products still sitting in bags and boxes. We also filled six Hefty bags of clothes that are in excellent condition, but we just don't want or they just don't fit. Those clothes are going to Salvation Army. I could have sold them for a lot on my eBay store Little Baby Headquarters. We chose to donate them for two reasons, it's a great tax right off and I have supplied needy people with absolutely beautiful clothing. It all worked out.

As for organization...Take 10% off any order at GetOrganized, no coupon necessary. Your discount will be reflected at Check Out.
We have minimized our clothes to what we like and wear. We are consolidating so clothes are easily accessible and more room is made for all of the baby clothes and items. The hard part is waiting a little longer to totally get the room set up. After all closets are finished, we need to start arranging the nursery. So what products are necessary if timing is an issue?

This is what's top on my list:
Make room in closets
Set up bassinet
Pick up glider/rocker (my parents bought our, it's beautiful)
Clean and hang clothing
Find a place changing table

When baby is born, I would be happy that these items were ready to go.
So I must go, it's time to get cleaning, get organizing, and get ready.

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Don't Forget to read Take Your Leap

Take Your Leap

To all my loyal readers, please don't forget about the new change. All of you wanting information on pregnancy, adoption and baby products, read this blog.

For those who are ready to straddle their W2 job with their own business or who just want new information on investing in real estate and businesses, please go to Take Your Leap.
Take Your Leap will give you more information than you ever wanted to know. It will help you improve your life, earn more money and work for yourself!

Choosing Jog Strollers

Today, Jeff and I went to choose our jog stroller, which my overly generous sister has asked to buy for us. This type of stroller was important to us because we love being outdoors with our Beagles, and soon with baby. I know we will be going to the park a lot, and we will be at mom's at the beach a lot. Because of this, we needed something durable that folded quickly and easily. We are mountain bikers, but aren't fans of jogging, so we didn't need the absolute best suspension. Down the road we will need a top of the line bike trailer, but for now, we need a jog stroller that allows for light hiking, speed walking and days at the beach.

We did our research on consumer reports and have tried out many jog strollers in the past. Today we went with the intention of buying the BOB.

With consumer reports, I have to be cautious because items that are high priced don't get reviewed or don't perform well. Believe it or not, we chose the Baby Jogger but not the performance series which is reviewed on Consumer Reports. We chose the newest line, City Elite.
It was a tough choice, but I feel secure in our decision. Here is what we liked most about the City Elite. It had an adjustable handle bar, three-compartment console, adjustable and storable foot rest, swivel front wheel that can be locked into place, and one step folding feature.

Our second choice was the BOB revolution and it was slightly cheaper. It had top-notch suspension which we didn't need right now. On the side bar of this blog, there is a discount text link for the BOB. Help yourself.

I think either jog stroller is a great purchase. Good luck with your jog stroller purchase.

Organic vs. Conventional Cotton

Today, we have so many decisions to make on our children's behalf. We are constantly looking for healthier foods to feed our toddlers, and now we must decide if the clothes we buy could be healthier.

Conventional cotton is chemically treated with insecticides and pesticides. It is known to be said that cotton is one of the most chemically dependent crops grown in the US. Besides the cotton being contaminated with these chemicals, we should also be concerned that while treated the crops, the atmosphere is being "treated" with the same chemicals. Bad for our bodies, bad for our environment. Quite a dilemma.

The alternative? Organic, unbleached, home-grown cotton. Since the 1990's there has been an increase in the treatment of cotton crops with chemicals. On a positive note, there has also been an increase in the number of organically grown cotton crops.
Also, organic cotton is grown in such a way to help sustain the land it grows on, the people who grow and harvest it, and the planet in general.

The advantage of buying these products for your child are many. First, we know for sure that an organically produced piece of clothing does not contain insecticides and pesticides, or other chemicals, so we don't run the risk of absorbing these through our skin into our bodies. Secondly, through anecdotal notation, we have come to learn that organically grown clothing products tend to be much more comfortable. Lastly, by supporting the growth of this cotton, we are sending a message as a nation that we want to be responsible about the condition of the planet.

Now on Little Baby Headquarters, we are selling some of the most adorable baby onesies and toddler tees Made in the USA from organically grown, unbleached cotton. The logos couldn't be cuter, but I am blown away by the quality. I placed a big order for the store. After the order arrived, I decided to immediately place another order because these were of the highest quality. I know these will go quickly. Below, see some of eco-friendly onesies. Let's be responsible and buy organic from Little Baby Headquarters.

Checking in

Hi,
I am off to work this morning, but I will be posting a new blog tonight. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check out the new organic onesies at Little Baby Headquarters