Put the baby to bed

We had an OVERWHELMINGLY wonderful shower in Detroit and are just flattened by the love and support we are getting from so many people. More on that later with a few fun pictures....

Among our many supporters in the DC area are my dad and his new wife. She is SO excited about this baby that words really don't describe it, and one of the first times we had dinner with them after announcing this pregnancy, she offered (without consulting my dad!) that they would buy us a crib. We looked at different cribs with her online and talked back and forth several times, finally settling on a clean, simple, pretty crib. We had decided we wanted a white crib, because all the other furniture for the room is being passed down from various sources and it's all white (except the painted rocking chair from when I was a baby).

There was a bit of confusion prior to ordering the crib because the world of cribs, my friends, is very weird. There are tons of retailers, tons of manufacturers, and a zillion different models. Many of which are the same players with different names OR the same names on vastly different cribs. My stepmom and dad saw a crib with the right model name at the PX and wanted to know if it was the right one, so we grabbed a link off the 'net and sent it to them to show the crib we wanted. It wasn't, but because of the link, they knew which one we liked and ordered it. (Did you know most crib stores - online AND brick and mortar - take 3 or more MONTHS to get your crib for you?!?!).

To our delight, the online store they used has a remarkably quick turnaround and the crib arrived this weekend, just in time to add to the baby shower bounty (though in DC, thankfully not in Detroit). When we called yesterday to ask my dad if he could pick us and our collossal stack of luggage up at the airport today, he told us the crib was here! There was much rejoicing...

...until he said, "You know, that crib you want only comes in Antique White or French White or something." And I said, "No, it definitely comes in white." And things went downhill from there.

It turns out they ordered the crib using the link we sent them - which was to show the DESIGN of the crib, not the color (since they knew we wanted white). And that store, for some reason, doesn't sell it in white. So the crib that's here is blond wood. It can't be exchanged because they don't sell the white. Furthermore, it turns out, that model has been discontinued, so we can't find it anywhere. AND returning the crib would cost almost $200 between shipping costs, insurance, and the Mafia-like "restocking fee". But this was the one piece of furniture we were getting new for the baby's room, and I really, really had my heart set on white.

We've spent all day 1) trying to sell the beech crib and 2) searching for a white crib that is simple, in the same price range, and IN STOCK, because we'd like the crib here before the kid, and if we have to order it, that's iffy.

The bigger problem is, I feel like such a jerk. My dad and especially my stepmom were just trying to be nice and give something special to the baby. And the easy thing to do would be to keep the crib they bought and not make a fuss. But I know myself and I know I'd be upset at some level every time I saw it. Then I think about all the people in the world that would be grateful to have any crib for their baby to sleep in (or duh, a baby, period) and I feel like an even lousier heel. So in the middle of The Crib Accords, Part 23, I lost it completely and started blubbering in Cait's arms for about 10 minutes.

Clearly, the one who needs the crib - regardless of color - is me.

Where we currently stand is that we were able to find a similar white crib at a local store, and have bought it. We're still trying to sell the beech crib, so if you know anyone in the DC area looking for a pretty, natural wood crib, send 'em our way.

And I still feel like a jerk. But a jerk with a white crib. Now, where's my teddy bear?