Refurnishing

It is amazing to me that a small three month old baby, now weighing only 15 pounds, needs seemingly several hundred pounds of furniture! I guess I had forgotten how much "stuff" we had when my kids were babies. Besides what my son and daughter-in-law have at their apartment, there is a ever growing array of items at my house. Because I am so lucky to have her visit often, I need quite a few things to keep her happy. We all know it is Grandma duty to see that the grandchildren are always happy. I started with the car seat base and then the "family bassinet" which need some tuning up but provides a great place for changing diapers. I have a case of diapers and one of wipes sitting under it ( sure don't want to run out of those ). Next came the "happy chair" or bouncy seat which vibrates. I'm not exactly sure which prenatal experience that is supposed to replicate, but she does seem happy in it especially with the music playing and the toys swinging overhead. It's great to take out on the deck also so we can get some fresh air. That isn't too large but didn't really supply a good place to nap. So, once again, I did the " go to town to stock up on supplies" run to Babies R Us and purchased a swing. The old one which I had for my kids needed periodic cranking up and caused such a terrible racket that any baby would be wide awake when you were done. The new ones however, are electric ( now why didn't I think of that ) and so I can keep it plugged in and swinging for the entire nap with nature sounds playing softly in the background. The only sounds my children heard was the dog barking. It also has great padding and head support ( no more rolling up blankets ) and is just prettier. So I brought it home and placed that in the living room. It takes up more space than I expected but it is a life-saver. Now, we are transitioning to napping in a crib. So I went to my attic storage area and looked for my children's crib. After speaking with my daughter, a lobbyist for SafeKids Worldwide in Washington DC, (http://www.safekidsworldwide.org/ ) I made sure to measure the slats of the crib to make sure it was safe ( if a soda can fits through, it isn't) and I checked the metal brackets that allow the side to go up and down. Now I just need to find a place it fits! Considering that I refurnished one of my children's room as a guest room, and one as a sewing/scrapbooking room, I have no room for a crib. My family has volunteered to help me rearrange so that it will all fit. I also know that bumpers, toys and blankets are no longer allowed in her crib and that she must be put to sleep on her back. Boy, new grandma's have a lot to learn. Thank God we have our children to teach us!