It's Christmas Everyday

This time before the twins arrive is like the time before our wedding; moments of mad chaos, excited anticipation, uncertainty, stringent budgeting, and a singular focus on things we had never before researched or discussed...

We have a delivery from Amazon.com or BabiesRUs (the two places we're registered) waiting on our doorstep about 2-3 times a week. It's fun to come home, peek through the packaging and play with whatever toys or "equipment" (as Steve calls it) we've purchased for the babies.

Today we received our PackNPlay and my Vera Bradley diaper bag!!!! We may not be experienced parents, but we are certainly bargaining beasts. We've saved over $350 on our cribs, $80 on the breast pump, $50 on the PackNPlay, $20 on each of the car seats, $300 on the stroller....all in all, we've SAVED around $1200 just by prioritizing, hunting, and cutting coupons for the best deals!

Recently, one site that's been helpful for things like diapers and Aveeno baby care products has been http://www.coupons.com. You can print manufacturer's coupons right from the site and use multiple coupons per purchase. We saved $15 in diapers just today.

One of the best things we've done (as far as coupons are concerned) is buy a pack of 20 BabiesRUs 20% off coupons from Ebay. This has been extremely helpful.

Having twins is certainly expensive and they're not even here yet. Thank you again to those who have sent encouraging cards and gifts. It really means the world to us. We keep every card, knowing that we'll look back on this time and be thankful for you all over again.

I'm particularly enamored with baby blankets. The softer, the better. It is soooooo hard for me not to buy tons of them. We've purchased 1 special one for each of them as well as ultra large and soft swaddling blankets.

You're probably getting tired about reading all our recent posts about baby stuff...especially if you aren't intricately involved or interested in this journey of ours. All I can say is that this blog is as much for me as it is for anyone. I don't want to forget our quiet evenings of research on the best breast pumps, or sitting in the middle of the nursery watching Steve put together the cribs, or touching baby clothes on racks in the store and realizing that this is actually happening to you and that even though this outfit will only truly look cute for a minute or two before it gets pooped on, it was worth the splurge.

And on a final note, I've learned these two important lessons that can only be learned by being on both sides of line:

Always RSVP on time; it's courteous and professional

and

If you don't have anything nice to say about a pregnant woman, keep your big mouth closed!