Strollers, Gift Cards and Registries - Oh My!

A somewhat long, but funny story.
Due to popular demand I am putting up Matthew and my most recent experience at Babies R Us. Enjoy!

December 27, 2010:

While Matthew and I were visiting in Colorado we decided to take advantage of being able to shop at Babies R Us seeing as we don’t have one in Great Falls or actually anywhere in MT. We set out for the baby store with anticipation and excitement. “We are going to finish our baby shopping!!” we thought “what fun!”

We walk into the store and head straight for the strollers, then on to bedding, mattress pads, baby clothes and four hours later our final stop at bottles where at this point we have to call my mom for advice on which nipple size and brand to get. By the time we finally get to the cash register Matthew has one foot out the door and I am so completely exhausted that I stand at the counter looking stupidly at the attendant who with a very genuine smile asks how I am, starts reaching over the counter and pulling our items out of the cart. “Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!” I say as I quickly start helping her empty our basket.

The last item to be rung in is of course our stroller which she then asks if we would like to buy a two year insurance policy on. “ummm… “I say looking at Matthew who is shaking his head. “Umm… I’m sorry what was the question? How much is the insurance?” She politely answers my questions and assures me it is a very good idea to get insurance on a big purchase like a stroller. Looking over at Matthew who is still shaking his head and myself being entirely too tired to understand what decision I am actually making replies, “no thank you” and we move on.

Next question, “would you like to close your registry at Babies R Us today? It will save you 10%” “Close my registry? No, I still have items on my registry.” “ are you sure, you have an awful lot here and it will save you 10%” “ yes I am sure, please do not close my registry” I say in a zombie like voice, baffled at why I would ever want to close my registry when it is not quite finished. Next question, “do you have your Babies R Us membership card?” Oh yes! My membership card, I have one of those. I go digging through my wallet trying to find what I did with the shiny silver card. It is nowhere to be found. We try looking up our phone number, nope, our last name, nope. Finally I decide that the easiest way to get the number is to call my mom who also has a card and write down the number.

Five minutes later we have our purchases registered on our Babies R Us card, paid the bill and are walking dumbfounded out the door with our massive receipt. Suddenly as I am looking over our purchases it dawns on me, “10%! We could have saved 10%!” I turn to Matthew with tears in my eyes as he is about to leave the parking lot and tell him what I have just discovered. Clearly sensing that his overly pregnant overly emotional wife is about to lose it, he turns around and offers to go back into the store and see what can be done. When he is out of range I sit in the front seat of the truck and start bawling. Once I get myself together it occurs to me that Matthew has been gone quite a while. I pull out my cell phone and text him to see what is going on. “They have to return all the items and re-ring them and then it looks like they will have to put the saved money on a gift card.” What! A gift card, but we just bought everything we need and we are closing our registry! Before I can text him back he comes walking out of the store and luckily I can see cash in his hand. As he gets into the car he smiles and hands me the money, “here is your $4.10 honey, don’t spend it all at one time.” “$4.10? What do you mean?” “Well, we only get 10% back on the items we bought that were already on the registry, which was about two things. They were going to put it on a gift card, but I asked if there was any way I could get that in cash and they nicely made an exception…”

January 7, 2011

Chapters - 2011

Happy New Year!

As 2011 begins and I think about the new chapter that will soon be beginning in my life I am so excited! However, I also can’t help but think about the one that is ending. It is a chapter that I have truly loved. Matthew and I returned Monday from our Christmas trip to Colorado. It was a wonderful, relaxing and much needed vacation and I tried to savor every moment that Matthew and I spent doing what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it, just the two of us. It is thrilling and frightening to me that the drive home to Colorado will never be the same, powering through a twelve hour trip that will never be just a twelve hour trip again. It is thrilling and frightening that we will no longer be able to lie in bed the two of us on a Saturday morning till ten with nothing to do but cuddle and talk (at least not for a very long time), and it is thrilling and frightening that in just a couple weeks we will be responsible for another little life twenty four hours a day seven days a week. I am scared of change, and I know this new chapter will not just be a change in my life but will also change me. But I also know that just like the life changing chapter that I began with Matthew two and a half years ago it will be an unbelievably wonderful change. Therefore, I suppose that instead of change I should call this chapter a new adventure because adventures are something you begin with eager anticipation and hope. Adventures sound like a fun and exciting unknown with a little scary thrown in. So, although I will miss the chapter of my life that is just two of us, “Bring on this new ADVENTURE that is three!”

January 7, 2011



It's A Start...

I am trying to wrap my head around the fact that this baby is coming!!! I think this has become even more of a reality because one of my friends (who is only a few weeks ahead of me) has been put on bed rest because of contractions, that baby wanted out! What if Ace comes early?! We are not quite ready, but we are getting there. Matthew and I put up the crib and changing table, we have decided on a nursery theme, and we have our childbirth prep class scheduled for early December. Ace is kicking up a storm and all I can say is don’t kick too hard little baby! You need to grow a lot more before you make your grand entrance.

What A Gift!!

I went pumpkin carving with some friends  a couple nights ago and met a new friend who is 12 weeks pregnant with her second child.  We exchanged pleasantries and I asked how she was feeling and how things were going with her pregnancy.  She smiled happily and said that she only gets sick once a day in the morning, “that’s great!” I say sincerely and then we both started laughing, to the astonished looks of the ladies around us (all without kids).  Clearly pregnancy is not all it is cracked up to be. I want to say this in a very positive way, somehow through everything I am still loving being pregnant.  My point is, no one tells you all the bad things about being a mother to be until you’re already pregnant, slightly unfair? Yes, but I think you just forget somehow.  And, somehow it is really not as bad as it sounds when everything is listed out.  I am only 26 weeks along and already the memory is fading of how awful it was to be throwing up every hour for the first 18 weeks of my pregnancy.  It is amazing! God has given women the huge gift of forgetfulness; I can only hope that this trend continues and that this great gift is also given to my wonderful husband.

November 1, 2010

Our Baby Boy

Although we did want to find out if we were having a boy or girl, Matthew and I decided we did not want to find out the gender of our baby in the actual ultrasound room.  We wanted to have a special moment just the two of us, unrushed and personal.  We did watch the rest of the ultrasound and had the screen turned off when they went “that way”.  We had the ultrasound tech put the gender of the baby in a card and we went out to dinner at a Mongolian BBQ restaurant called 3D. After we finished eating, we gave the sealed card to the waitress and asked her to please open the card and write what the gender of our baby was in Chocolate on the dessert plate.  She was very happy and excited to help. She had us close our eyes so we would both find out and the same time.  When we opened our eyes Voila! It’s a Boy!  Unfortunately we did not remember to bring our camera to the restaurant, but we did take some pictures with our cell phones. Enjoy! Also included are a couple of the ultra sound pictures of Ace  (that is what we have been calling the baby because we are not telling what name we are choosing and I don’t like calling Ace “it” or “the baby”)

October 30, 2010



A Baby Story

It is incredible that my little bundle of joy is going to be here in just three and a half months. As I watch the show A Baby Story, slight panic always sets in. I don’t know about this whole “labor” thing. As far as pain goes I can have a pretty high tolerance, but only when that pain is coming from a punch in the face or a kick to the stomach as my martial arts background has given me opportunity to experience. When the pain comes from cramps, a stubbed toe and the like, I am not so tough. Therefore, pain for hours on end, hooked up to machines and having a doctor “check me” every twenty minutes, only allowed to have ice chips as a consolation prize, not such a great image. Already I have my mind set on getting the wonderful sounding epidural, however, the thought that I will be in so much pain that a huge needle going into my back is a welcome sight does not give much comfort. My only encouragement comes from the fact that millions of women have been giving birth (many with no epidural) for thousands of years, and I have to be stronger and tougher then some of them, right? So, for now I suppose I will continue to watch A Baby Story convincing myself that I am going to handle labor like a champ and surely much better than the current mom on the show. :) I will also continue to watch babies be delivered and cry like it is my own for the next ten minutes. Oh the emotional ups and downs of pregnancy.

 October 26, 2010

Everything's Changing...

Here we are in October and I have not updated our blog in months!  I am sorry dear friends; I think I got overwhelmed with so many great things happening this summer.  It is now fall: our younger sisters are happily married, both with amazing husbands and incredible, beautiful wedding days to take with them into the bright and shining future.   

As for Matthew and me?  June 3, 2010, we found out we are expecting our first baby, due February 6, 2011, Super Bowl Sunday of course, (what a perfect baby alreadyJ)!  Furthermore, we just found out on September 28 that we are going to have a BOY!  I am still trying to get my head around this because I was positive it was a girl. Oops!  We are beyond  thrilled with the news that we are going to have a son as our firstborn, and I can’t wait to start picking out little football jerseys and decorating the nursery (don’t worry, I don’t think I am going to go with a sports theme).  This will be made a lot easier due to the fact that we now actually have a nursery.  Just four weeks ago, we were offered one of the brand new houses on base!  This is a huge answer to prayer as the old house had a mold problem (and it was old) that was making my allergies go crazy on top of having super bad morning (all day) sickness.  We found out on Friday and by Monday night we were all moved in! Matthew was Super Man!!  He basically moved the whole house by himself while I was asleep on our new carpet sick as a dog with a horrible cold that had me going through, no joke, four boxes of Kleenex a day. YUCK!   We love our new house!   Life is great.  I have now been sickness free for over three weeks and can enjoy getting ready for our little boy. Matthew’s work schedule has slowed down a bit, the dogs are happy and healthy, and I am hoping that now things are “normal” I will be able to keep up with blogging too! Until then, ta ta for now.

Below are some pictures for your enjoyment