What the Henkel, Padawan?

I always seem to post at the end of the month, so I’ll mix things up and write mid-month!

One of the fun parts about being a parent, at least for me, is being able to buy adorable baby outfits. There are millions of cool things out there to buy. I’ve been trying to control myself, since at this age, she will outgrow some outfits in a matter of weeks. So, like any obsessed first-time parent, I’ve been hoarding bigger sizes of clothes for when she’s older. Some of my favourite brands are: Tea Collection, Po.P (Polarn och Pyret), me&i, Old Navy, Baby Gap, and H&M. Most of the sizes that I have are 12-18 months and 18-24months. I’m so excited that Adrienne is starting to fit in many of those outfits.

It’s not just name brands that I’m interested in. I’m also addicted to Etsy, where you can find an enormous amount of handmade kids’ clothes. Recently, I purchased the sweetest little lounge set (pictured below, on the right). It has a japanese theme but, what is the most appealing to me, is how comfortable it looks. I wish they sold them in my size too, I’d definitely buy a set for myself! I wish I could sew well enough to make lounge sets myself, but I think it might be a little too advanced for me right now. Until I can, I will continue to scour Etsy for more adorable clothes.

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned on my blog (CreaDiem) that I am looking some Amy Butler fabric. Not only would I like to use it in my art journal/mixed media pieces, but for some sweet kids clothes too. My good friend, Cyndi, is an expert seamstress and makes amazing clothes! She made Adrienne a gorgeous jumper dress (pictured above on the left). I would love to try to make one of those, or even a pinafore dress, on my own. I think the dresses would be easier to make than a lounge set, so I will try them first. I haven’t sewn for years!

I’m even having fun dressing her in little Eeyore halloween costumes and bunny ears for Easter. So far, she’s very patient and tolerant of her overly fanatical mother.

In other news, Adrienne and I went to the local “öppna förskola” (open daycare) today. I didn’t think she was going to like it since she’s been pretty shy and more clingy than usual lately, but she loved it. She started playing with all the toys as soon as I put her down on the floor. She even watched a couple of other babies playing, waved at them and even laughed when their toys made noise. We’ll definitely be visiting there again.

It’s so convenient to have such a place only 3 minutes away from our apartment. The lady who runs it was a little surprised that this was our first visit to a daycare. I guess a lot of Swedish parents introduce this type of establishment to their children to help prepare them for “real” daycare. Most children in Sweden join a daycare, whether it be on a part-time or full-time basis, at around 1.5 years.

When you’re walking around town with your new baby, everyone knows it’s all about the accessories. This is another one of the decisions I’m trying to make. I know it’s not an earth shattering or necessary one, but when you’re obsessed with bags like my cousin Sarah and I are, it’s a pretty fun one to make.

There are three bags that I have my eye on and they range from expensive to ridiculously expensive. Well, it depends really on where I would buy the bag. In Canada, the prices are ridiculous, whereas they aren’t bad compared to other things in Sweden. It’s hard to picture which one will best match the stroller since I’m working with memory and internet pics. What do you think?

Here is a picture of the stroller we’ve ordered:

and here are the bag alternatives:

One major piece of baby gear that we still have to buy is a car seat. I’ve been searching for the best one for MONTHS. I finally found the one I want in Canada, instead of Sweden. The reason I’ve decided to buy it there is the difference in cost and quality. Once I found the model I wanted, it took me forever to decide on the colour. When I finally found that particular one at a store that I could buy it from (many onlines stores were out of stock or weren’t willing to ship), I found one more obstacle…online shopping security.
Usually, I would be impressed with the attempt at higher security, but not when I am trying to buy something in a hurry. The same thing happened to me when I was buying a gazillion things online for my wedding. Sears wants anyone who buys something online to show the same card used for the purchase when they pick it up. That’s excellent! It just doesn’t help me right now. So, I have to send my Canadian shopping scout (hi mom!) out to find the same exact model and colour in the store or get my father to purchase it online (good luck with that!)
The plan is to have my parents bring it over when they come in June. It better be one amazing car seat after all the hours being put into getting it here. It has the base that stays in the car and will accomodate the baby until she hits 30lbs. Sounds pretty sweet to me. Here it is, the Graco Safeseat in Portica: