An almost pink baby registry

the colors of our little mermaid's cabin

For those who do not know it's a girl!
We are very happy (but sex did not really mattered) and I'm on a pink cloud nine to finally know! Planning is going to be a little easier! So I was finally able to finish creating a baby registry, the information will be in that post for those interested.

But first a word : it was a lot ok work! Add to that we live on a boat, so it can not take too much space. That leaves a whole bunch of gadgets that we might have succumbed to off the list (Ah! This helmet is put on the belly :). Charlotte Kaufman from Rebel Heart, our reference in terms of a Mom on a boat (with the amenities of a marina) wrote a post about what is necessary for the arrival of a newborn. This includes 6-8 outfits per age.

My favourite Mamina's outfit

My Mum, aka "Mamina" for the grand kids, has already knitted half of that for the 0 to 3 month range and she is starting the 3 to 6 months with a lot of delight because now she knows it's a girl. To add to the uncertainity, after April we do not know yet where we will be because we have come to the end of our visa for New Zealand and we don't want to be at sea on long passages with a newborn. If we find a job we stay, then this is the fall and winter, if we leave the area and we visit our family it is spring during which you don't really need the same clothes and accessories! It makes things a little complicated!

But, finally I made a list! I just had the impression of being a fascist to have to say what, where, how. Seeing my list you will understand that I am not a great enthusiast of the absolute pink (with some exceptions) and the blue, green, yellow are definatly on! If you like something that is not on the list and that you love, I say: 'go' as long as you keep in mind that the entire "baby's room" is a little smaller than a single bed. We will have the equivalent of two small toy boxes for storage of the baby's stuff (this includes clothing, books and toys). Items that you used for your children and and don't need anymore are great, it is economic, ecological, and you have loved it, so it gives them lots of good points!



Here are other handmade clothing from Mamina, yes I'm very proud!
My Mom began knitting and makes us a lot of pretty things! She will also assemble us a teddy bear too cute! Ryan's Mom offered to make us a quilt and I put her on a mermaid doll with a tutorial found on the net. But she couldn't resist the cutness contest with Mamina, and found that wonderful yellow rainjacket!

Gramie's shopping

The price of the shipping from France is prohibitive and when it arrives there are taxes on it in New Zealand, so it's not the most convenient but I do have a little list on amazon.fr under my maiden name Alexandra Lette. And yes there are always things that are not found elsewhere as small books in French or playthings form Moulin Roti (one big toy brand which still produces its products in France and therefore priced accordingly ... :/). There are also young French designers like Karine who was at school with me, she makes clothes for children, when I know a little more about where we'll be and when, I'll add something from her brand "Puce qui Pique"! http://www.pucequipique.fr/eshop/

For my part I had not bought much yet because I was waiting to know the sex of the baby! But it's been a week that we know it's a girl and that reality is changing! So far we have unisex bodysuits three months long sleeves, a small bib, soft overalls for the birth, mottled dress ... A small bassinet for which I knitted a gray alpaca blanket. Finally I have also purchased from France a cute mouse named Valentine and Little Red Riding Hood from Moulin Roti, suddenly my Amazon Wishlist in France just shrink a bit!
I also started sewing, here is my first dress made from an old pair of jeans and love, it's not perfect but I'm kind of proud! Free patterns taken from http://www.petitcitron.com a French website that I'm going to use a lot
Meanwhile, Daddy dreams of our little one's toolbox . He started before we knew what we were expecting and a girl or a boy it did not change anything! This includes a small leather case which he has been using, so our little fish can "inherit" something that comes from him. If she is a little bit like us she will enjoy it. I remember with happiness the hours spent in the garage with my sister Claire to "work" with Dad, the construction of wooden planes and our wonder at our Papa who looked like he could do everything.

All this means that I have listed items on the New Zealand sites. For our American friends, we should come some time after birth so if you can wait ... For our French friends, we're getting closer but any job offer could change plans ...

Finally, back on topic! We create a baby registry in www.myregistry.com you can search in both our names. I tried to reorganize to make it easier to browse by category, but the site does not cooperate so be brave!
Above you will find a short description of the selected items and the reasons for these choices.

- Baby wrap. We choose a Merino, too cute with the hat option, both colors are nice, and a batch of flannel one's.

- A small mobile with the sea theme

- A slep positionner, perhaps even more necessary if we are anchored!

- Some toys
A Captain Calamari, it was hard to say no! Gramie could not it seems, it is en route to its new home!
Books in fabric or cardstock
Sophie the Giraffe (classic French) with her house that can be folded flat for storage and reused as a doll house later
A small kiwi Well yes we had to!
Hello Kitty, still a classic Japanese this time!
Tissue cubes not to be used for navigation baby could get a bit frustrated
The ugly dolls, I find these gyus funny and they can be matched with the colors of the room (which I will share with you when I know what we're doing!)

- To change baby mattress / cover

- For diapers, after seeing the incredible amount of waste it produces, we decided that we would not go with regular ones. I once thought about reusable diapers but between the laundry, the products to use before you can make an almost full load (to limit water use), the storage problem and use of the dryer, it doesn't work for the environment or for us on a practical side. Of course I could hand wash it as we use it but I'm doubting that my 'green-eco-conscience',will resist for long the lack of sleep, not feeling like it and yuck "I think I'll feed the trash again". So, I finally opted for biodegradable diapers it is not cheap but I think we can do something for our wonderful planet.

- For the bath, we will use a large bowl so nothing too big for toys, I still put a boat and its accessories that can be introduced gradually. As for the big boat, well, we'll use it at the beach!
Why not a baby soap that respects ecological and nature?
There is also the Mustella mega pack, a well known brand but it is more expensive! It is also possible to choose among different products sold by the unit.
A small hooded towel from Strawberry Jam a small company New Zealander who should be encouraged (it also sells the change mat which is on the list).
Cream with arnica for minor injuries!

- For meals, we hope to use Mom's milk as long as possible (even if Mom would like to eat cheese, drink some wine and eat eggs not over cooked!). But here are a few things that might be helpful .
I'm not too much for the use of plastic, but with no washing machine on board and because my godaughter had one in the same spirit and it was great, I put a link to a plastic bib which can be cleaned with a quick sponge!
Fabric bibs

- Clothing: The little girl is due in March, early fall in NZ for the 0-3 months and we do not know if we stay here or if we introduce the lady to the U.S. and France. If this is what you want to offer, I recommend you to wait a little so that we know what our needs are in terms of where we will be.
But there are a few items to use right away and that will be needed and I fell in love with the Pumpkin Patch brand, they have something other than "pink and that's all." They still have winter items on sale at reasonable prices which should match our needs.
Small leather shoes are adorable in bobux for example, there is something for all styles: the small boat! A Must-have! And more girly shoes with flowers that I like a lot.

- A baby carrier
At first I thought of using a sling. I like the Hoppediz one and I can find here on trademe (NZ version of ebay) so I think we will buy it!

Later on the Tula baby carrier, they are all colors. Our favorite is Ekomama, I selected more choices but Ryan also wants to use it, so we removed the colors which were "too flashy" for his taste.
This is a recommendation of Charlotte already mentioned above. She makes small accessories handy to go with a baby carrier (the site is Australian for delivery in NZ), she also has a shop on Etsy "Red Charlotte", we like the stuff sac to roll and store the carrier and the sucking pads to put on the straps that children tend to chew.

Meaning while, I'm in my 22th week, the spring/summer is here even if it's in NZ's style : one day of sun 2 of rain! Though when it's a beautilful day you really enjoy!