So, Babies R' Us

I've decided that BRU is like my own personal hell and I'd love to say that we don't have to go back there again. Unfortunately we most likely will - none of the carseats that I painstakingly researched fit in the back seat of my car. WTF? We bought this car to use as a family vehicle, thinking that the full back seat and hatch would surely come in handy when we had kids. I fell in love with the Chicco Discovery carseat and stroller, but when we checked it out at BRU Charlie was concerned that the stroller wouldn't fit in the trunk. We pulled the car around to check it out, and while we were there I decided to go ahead and stick the carseat in too, just for shits and giggles. Good thing I did. It most definitely did NOT fit. I went home and started the research process over again, only to find that this is a common complaint with European cars - the American carseats are just too big. One of the smallest infant seats out there is the Graco Snugride, so we'll probably be heading back into the fire pit that is BRU to see if it fits.

My co-worker told me about a German brand that they purchased when their son was born (same reasoning, none of the seats they looked at would fit in their car), so if the Graco is a no-go then we'll look into that route. Cross your fingers that it won't come down to that. I like to see and touch what I'm buying.

So we went about our business, trying to figure out what we needed and didn't need, winding through aisles full of pregnant women (who I'm sure were feeling just as bitchy and crabby as I was), ambivalent dads-to-be (scanning random crap just because they could), and screaming children. 1/2 hour in and I wanted it to be over.

Last thing on our list was the crib. That was another freaking fiasco. As we were wandering around the furniture section one of the employees was setting up a new display. It was the perfect crib and dresser at the perfect price. We decided that we wanted it and went to the desk to place our order, only to be told that we couldn't order it because the warehouse didn't have it in stock yet. We asked when it would be available to order, went around in circles for a good 10 minutes, and the conclusion was that even though we were sitting at the desk, money in hand, ready to buy the crib and dresser, someone else could come in tomorrow wanting to buy it and if there happens to be one in stock at that moment they would get it. What a bunch of bull. This was toward the end of the shopping trip and my patience was wearing extremely thin. Luckily Charlie recognized the look in my eyes because he strongly suggested that we leave the store, get some lunch, and call back another day. (unfortunately, lunch sucked too)

I was still severely irritated when we got home so I called to speak with a manager. Supposedly we now have a raincheck for the crib and dresser and will be notified as soon as they are available to order. For their sake, I sincerely hope that's the case.