The Third Child

The third living child sure gets the shaft.

Many of my embryo adoption friends are pregnant with their first baby(ies). I see them excitedly beginning to build their registeries and feel a little guilty that Violet's entrance into the world will have far less consumer fanfare.  My bank account thanks me, of course.

Granted, it doesn't help that Violet will be born in a comparable season as her older siblings (late May in Texas vs. July in Virginia).

I have saved almost everything from the twins:  clothes, cribs, bouncy seats, swing, pack n play with bassinet...  My list of things to buy is so short, I feel no rush to buy anything.

Before Violet is born, I will need to buy only a minimal number of items:

1.  Diapers (usually still have wipes on hand)
.
.
.


Actually, that's all I NEED to buy. :-)



I 'd like to also buy a few more items before she (or he!) makes a debut, but if we were in a bind, I could manage without:

1.  Bassinet sheets. The twins went straight into a shared crib when they were born so we didn't really use the bassinet feature of the pack n play much with them.  I plan on having Violet sleep there at my bedside for a while.
2.  Miracle swaddling blankets
3. Batteries for the swing and bouncy seat.
4.  Wubbanubs for pacifiers.  Actually, I think these may be Birth Day gifts from the twins to Violet.
5. Violet's gifts for the twins, whatever small items we decide upon



And, eventually, I'll need to buy a few more items:

1. A crib mattress and maybe new sheets
2. A single stroller.  We loved our Baby Jogger double stroller, so maybe a single from the same brand?
3.  An additional baby carrier.  I'm leaning towards a Lillebaby carrier as they can be less hot in Texas summers than other carriers, but we'll see.  I already have a Baby K'Tan for the first few weeks. Who knows if we'll even like babywearing!  Helpful hint:  You can use a 20% off coupon to a certain bedding and bath store and buy this carrier online.
4.  Maybe a water sling or some sort of water-safe baby wearing item for the pool.  Again, we'll see how things temperaments play out with babywearing.


Of course, there may be some frivolous purchases after the baby is born. Like when I walk through a certain red spot store and spy an adorable baby outfit on clearance...

I'm really gravitating towards elephants for a nursery theme. Not that I am decorating any time soon.   It's a rental and Violet won't even be in that bedroom right away.  And, depending on when we get orders for our next move, I may not decorate at all.  Anyway, Grandma quilts so I've been spending time on Pinterest looking at elephant baby quilts.  And daydreaming. You know how Pinterest can prompt that.

So that's that!  The ultra-simplified, pack rat, slightly more experienced parent wish list. 


The third child, surrounded by far fewer items than "first child" contemporaries.


The third child, surrounded by an increased number of arms waiting to envelope her in loving embraces.