Greetings all – We’re less than 30 days out from Peru now and the reason you never hear from me is that every spare moment is going into our pack-out preparations. Any advantage I’d have this time around as a veteran is more than mitigated by the fact that we now have a baby. It’s quite the challenge to try and guestimate all of the things she’ll need for the next 2 years.
Most of our purchasing is happening at Target and Costco, but there are a few random items that I’ve had to scout for. One of them was a convertible crib. We’ve been having Nia sleep in a pack ‘n play for the last 6 months but she’ll need to transition to a crib soon since she’s close to pulling up on things. I’ve been scouring Craig’s list day and night for the perfect crib and one finally showed up last Sunday. Based on past experience, I jumped on it right away and sent Nick out with the car to get it home. Per the dimensions, it didn’t appear that it was going to fit in the car, so he went prepared with rope and blankets, ready to secure it to the top of the car. Oh, wouldn’t that have been a sight! Lucky for us, it did somehow fit in the amazing Kia Rondo, so he was saved the effort.
Just look at this beauty… a $600 barely-used crib & mattress set for the steal-of-a-deal price of $125! It’ll last us several years too, since it converts to a toddler bed and then the back side can be used as a kid’s headboard. Nia’s digging it too although she’s had some tough lessons regarding appendages stuck in the slots. I’m sure she’ll learn very quickly though…
Great find! It actually looks a lot like the crib we have that we got secondhand from my sister Jenny! We just converted it to a toddler bed recently and Sylvia loves it for day time naps( she is in our bed at night)
The first picture of Nia is unbelievably adorable!
Libby
P.S. Have I told you that Eric has been to the Galapagos? He is very excited to see your pictures after you go!
Love it! It’s beautiful and a good deal too! I was looking for one of those on craigslist too but before I saw what I wanted I found a really cute toddler bed for $15 at a yard sale and decided we can’t have both (although I agree a convertible crib is much more versatile but oh well). We had a borrowed crib for a while but my son never slept in it, so I gave it back. We got a crib in our temporary housing here in Delhi and it’s actually a nice one. Max is still getting used to it. He sleeps in it part of every night and shares our bed with us the rest. He too has issues getting feet stuck between the slats. He’s just fascinated by them.
I can’t wait to take those pics either! How cool that he’s already been there… we’ll have to compare shots afterwards.
This baby stuff is tricky. I have no idea what to put in air freight vs. HHE. It’s hard to know what she’ll be done with and start in the next 3 months.
It is tricky – for Max, I just put some toys, some books and his inflatable ducky tub. All of his clothes for the next 6 months or so came with us in checked luggage.
Hi Sarah!
I enjoy reading your blog, but don’t comment much. Your post reminded me of something very wise that a young Heather Freidrich said to me while she was getting ready to study abroad in China — she said that packing for such a trip is easier than packing for a wilderness adventure because people have successfully been living in China for thousands of years. You don’t need to pack enough toilet paper and tampons to last the whole time, because the people there have obviously figured out some workable system.
So, this is not to say I think you should go empty-handed! I think your whole family will be more comfortable for all of the thoughtful preparations you are making!
But I have often thought of Heather’s observation in times of packing stress, and it has been calming and helpful for me to remember it.
I wish you all the best in your final 30 US days and the big transitions after that!
Thanks for that reminder darling, very helpful! Sometimes I can get lost in the ‘bigness’ of it all… sending you a big hug!