Hello Sweetest Bloggie Friends!
Wow, what a week! There is so much going on here! For starters, Lleyton has worked tirelessly to roll over onto his tummy and finally he did it! Monday, we played in his nursery and he was trying, trying, trying to roll over and just couldn't do it. Then, when I wasn't looking, he did it! I looked at his sweet little self on his play mat and there he was....on his tummy! And he did it just as his Daddy was walking through the door. This Mama had a smile on her face as wide as the Mississippi River! Way to go Lovie!
In other news, Lleyton got his new wheels yesterday! Thanks to his sweet and generous Sydee and Poppie, he is now the proud owner of the Bumbleride Indie stroller. Can I just say that a good stroller makes all the difference! And this one is PERFECT! We took his new wheels on their maiden voyage last night and it was dreamy. No more bumpity, bump where the sidewalk sections join and no more being harnessed in his carrier and uncomfortable....Nope, now he can just relax and ride, as he was such a happy boy on his stroll. He smiled and coo'ed and laughed, which is a big difference from when we would take him in his Snap n Go with his carrier attached.
I knew I wanted a stroller that was well built and had lots of features, relatively light weight, etc...and I found the Bumbleride on line, but the only problem was there was no store even remotely near us to go and try it :( And just as I was about to go out on a limb and order it on line, sight unseen, a local baby boutique took my advice and adde the line to their store! Can we say ahhh...I went and test drove it and it met all my expectations and then some. Highly recommend it and its worth the price. And we are very grateful to his grandparents for the awesome gift!
On other fronts....TARGET SUCKS! Now, I hate the words sucks, but I couldn't come up with a better short word to describe my experience.
DON'T create a BABY registry at TARGET! The return policy is just plain awful! Thinking I was doing a good thing that would be convenient for people we registered at our local Target store. After mulitple showers we received duplicates of many gifts....6 Bumbo seats, 5 Diaper Genies, and the list goes on and on. However, not all of our sweet friends gave us gift receipts and not everyone told the clerk that the items purchased were off of a registry. Thus, let the chaos begin!
For starters, if you return items, the clerk will politely (or maybe not) ask you to print off your registry and then look to see if the item is on it. Then, you will be asked to produce a gift receipt. If you have no gift receipt, you can give them your drivers license and return up to $75 worth of items WITHOUT a receipt...this is a one time thing! After that, if you return items they will only allow you to swap dollar for dollar from the SAME DEPARTMENT, and I don't mean the general baby department, but you have to get it specifically from department 30, etc...who has time for that? Or, who knows the departments and their location? What a nightmare! It took me an hour to return the 6th Diaper Genie and an item that had been recalled! Not to mention I had an item that was purchased by a friend for $40 that the clerk told me was only worth $7 as of today! What? Thanks, but no thanks, I'll keep the item and pass it along to someone who can use it.
In hind sight, I would have registered at Babies R Us, as they were wonderful when it came to returns! And there is always good old Wal Mart, which takes back most everything with ease. At one point I had to laugh when the Target sales clerk suggested I ask the gift givers to produce gift receipts....um, no, that would be a wee bit tacky. So, with that said, I will tell every expectant Mother to NOT do a TARGET BABY REGISTRY or you will be stuck with countless things you don't need or can't use. Or, in our case, we will be donating and passing along to those in need, which isn't necessarily a bad thing :)
As for something positive, while I was waiting to exchange the items and the sweet clerk was working to try to help me, Lleyton started having a meltdown, as it was time for his bottle. A very sweet clerk on her lunch break of all things, started trying to entertain him as I stood and made his bottle. Then, another sweet lady in line behind me asked if she could feed him while completed the transaction...and another precious lady loaded my items into my cart. Angels on Earth is all I can say....and it really does TAKE A VILLAGE!
I hate for this to seem so negative, but I am a stickler for customer service. My clients expect it and I stand on my head to be kind and appreciative of the business that comes my way. And I hate when corporate policies seem to disrespect hard working customers. After all, Target has a sophisticated tracking system that tells them if a product is actually theirs according to the skew number. Enough on that...just learn from my mistake of registering there or be ware of the hurdles if you do :)
Other than that, I'm continuing on my weight loss journey! I am doing the Weight Watchers plan and lost 2 pounds exactly last week, my first week on the program. The plan is easy and I get lots of great things to eat. I started at 138 and am down to 136 and my clothes already feel better having lost such a small amount. And, yesterday, I actually went to the pool and wore a cute swimsuit! Following WW along with working out has totally changed the way I see myself....I'm no longer feeling frumpy and dumpy, but see myself as a work in progress! On the to do list this week is to call my trainer and get her to work with me on Pilates moves to strengthen the core, post C-Section, as training is different for us Mommies who had surgery. Oh, and Kudo's to my friend Jamie over at Forget Me Not O Lord, who lost 3 pounds last week on WW! Woo Hoo Jamie!
Last, but not least, a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to my friend Brie at Two of a Kind Working on a Full House...she is pregnant! I'm beyond thrilled, as she was so sweet to me following the loss of our baby and then supported me through infertility. Big Hugs sweet friend, I'm so happy for you!
Lots of Love and Big Hugs to all....and for those of you out there still struggling with infertility, my heart is with you. Don't give up, just be positive, persevere and be patient. And I will be praying for your miracles.
.jpg)
