Especially if you live in a suburban area like mine. Ours just may be the only house out of 50 that does not have a swing set in its backyard. Except for Rachel and Kedron--but they're having a baby in August, so they'll likely have the playset before us too! Now that our neighbours know I'm pregnant (at the very least across-the-street family, and either-side-of-us families--homes of 2 piano students), I feel like we're being welcomed into this club. You really should see this neighbourhood. We live on a dead-end street off a cul-de-sac (I guess technically we're on the cul-de-sac), and ours is the area where the millions of kids congregate and play after school or on weekends. The parents all stand around and chat, waving as Dave and I creep ever so slowly by in our car on the way to our driveway. There are no "Slow! Children Playing!" signs...it's a given.
I don't mean to sound like the parents have not included us in their socializing before the word got around that we're expecting. I guess it's just been on us. We do stop and chat if we're out on a walk or in our backyard as kids run up to the fence to say hello. But because we don't have kids (and we really are quite busy), we don't really have a reason to just wander over and chat with the dad taking the training wheels off his daughter's bike. The times we do chat, they're all very nice. Now though...their eyes light up and there have even been a few competitive conversations about who gets to give me all their baby stuff.
Yes, that's right. When you're one of the last in your neighbourhood to have a child, there are plenty of hand-me-downs to go around. I was really looking forward to the neighbourhood garage sale, thinking it would be the perfect place to score all sorts of cheap gently-used items. It turns out that moms (and dads) are more eager to just get it out of their house than wait a few weeks for it to *maybe* sell at the sale. This afternoon, one neighbour (one of my student's parents) invited me over to see if I wanted any of her baby stuff. Her youngest (and last *planned*) child is...over a year old now (bad me, I don't know exactly how old), and although it pains her to get rid of the baby things her three boys no longer need (or have space for in their house), she'd rather give it to "a good person" and know that it's being appreciated than sell it for a quick buck at a garage sale. We now have a vibrating bouncy seat, a boppy pillow and accessories (attaching cloth poles that can turn the pillow into an activity center for the baby), a baby bath (complete with newborn netting), and those little bumper things you can nestle your baby in between in the crib. I was also forewarned that if we have a boy, "watch out!" I may never need to buy clothes...
That reminds me, Dave and I bought some onesies (gender neutral) and two little cotton pajamas with footsies. They're both green (that toothpaste mint colour of which I'm fearing I will have nothing but if we don't find out the sex of the baby--likely); one has a lamb saying "Baa Baa" on the front (with matching baby cap), and the other has little orange and green bugs all over it (with matching bib)...hmm...that may not sound cute, but it is!
OK, back to the neighbours. I'm so appreciative of all these hand-me-downs. It will make a huge difference with all the upcoming costs. So, thank you, neighbours! I'll make sure I carry on the pass-it-on tradition.
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My neigbor had 2 boys and as soon as the youngest one grew out of anything it was promptly donated to Ian. Between that and the fact that he is (currently) the only grandchild on both sides, I have not yet needed to buy the child a single solitary item of clothing. (I have though, just because I don't need it, doesn't mean I can resist really cute little outfits)
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