Moving from a one bedroom, 800 square foot apartment, to a 2,600 square foot home has required us to do a lot of furniture shopping. By 'a lot' I mean basically every piece of furniture one would need for a house. Our place looked bare and we were anticipating about twelve people coming to stay with us for the baby blessing. We felt an urgency to get furniture; especially a couch and a dining table. Once Kensie was three weeks old we started our journey of furniture shopping. Our Friday nights, Saturdays, and sometimes weeknights were consumed by shopping in an attempt to get a table and couch by the time our company came.
Furniture shopping (or shopping in general) wouldn't be so complicated if I didn't have some very annoying shopping quirks. I drive myself crazy (and my husband) for the following reasons:
1) I hate paying full price.
2) I like to see all of my options before I make my final decision.
3) I tend to be very indecisive
4) I frequently experience buyer's remorse and return things
5) I am very picky
We have been to about fifteen different furniture stores all around the city of Las Vegas (reference point #2). Some of which we have been to multiple times (point #3). We returned our couch and re-bought it (reference #4). I wished we hadn't re-bought the couch after returning it (reference #3) We bought and returned two area rugs (point #4). And we currently have an entertainment center that we have paid for but have delayed delivery because I am not sure if I want to keep looking or not (point #1 ,#3, & #4)
So...did we ever get a dining room table and couch in time for our visitors? Yes and no. We finally picked out a dining table and went to order it. We were informed that the table we wanted was on back order for another two months. The couch we bought was supposed to arrive the day before all of our company arrived. And it didn't come. So there we were. After a month of religiously furniture shopping with our newborn baby in an attempt to get a dining room table and couch for our guests we were unsuccessful. Instead, our guests enjoyed eating at a fold-up table and sitting on folding chairs. It didn't end up being all that bad in the end. In fact, it probably ended up being better that we didn't have brand new furniture since we had about ten of our nieces and nephews here.
We have been to about fifteen different furniture stores all around the city of Las Vegas (reference point #2). Some of which we have been to multiple times (point #3). We returned our couch and re-bought it (reference #4). I wished we hadn't re-bought the couch after returning it (reference #3) We bought and returned two area rugs (point #4). And we currently have an entertainment center that we have paid for but have delayed delivery because I am not sure if I want to keep looking or not (point #1 ,#3, & #4)
As if my pickiness and indecisiveness doesn't make furniture shopping hard enough, we have done all of this with little baby Kensie. I have nursed and changed diapers in furniture showrooms numerous times. Below is a story about just one of the many furniture shopping adventures I have had with Kensie.
One day imparticular I decided to brave furniture shopping on my own while Niel was at work. Kensie was about five weeks old. I packed a lunch, armed myself with a fully loaded diaper bag and headed across town. After one store I had to feed Kensie in the car and change her diaper. After being inside the second store no more than fifteen minutes I had a crying baby and had to leave. Since I was already on the complete opposite side of town I was determined to hit up the RC Willey outlet while I was there. After that stop Kensie and I were exhausted. I put her in the car and hoped she would be able to make the 35 minute drive home before having to eat again. Five minutes into the car ride she was screaming at the top of her lungs. I knew I couldn't take that for another half hour so I pulled over to feed her. Just as I was about to put her back in the car seat to head home, she pooped her pants. The thought of doing another diaper change in the car didn't sound too appealing. Especially since she has a tendency to cry, pee, and poop as soon as I open her diaper. I was anticipating her cry as I laid her down awkwardly on the seat of the car and started to change her diaper. I was pleasantly surprised when instead of crying she looked happy that I was changing her diaper! It was a warm, sunny day in Vegas with a breeze and I had the door open. I guess she liked getting her diaper changed in the open air. I was so shocked by her pleasant response to the diaper change I had to take a picture. After returning home from that five hour shopping trip, I vowed to never go furniture shopping again by myself and the baby.
So...did we ever get a dining room table and couch in time for our visitors? Yes and no. We finally picked out a dining table and went to order it. We were informed that the table we wanted was on back order for another two months. The couch we bought was supposed to arrive the day before all of our company arrived. And it didn't come. So there we were. After a month of religiously furniture shopping with our newborn baby in an attempt to get a dining room table and couch for our guests we were unsuccessful. Instead, our guests enjoyed eating at a fold-up table and sitting on folding chairs. It didn't end up being all that bad in the end. In fact, it probably ended up being better that we didn't have brand new furniture since we had about ten of our nieces and nephews here. Lesson learned from this experience: Haste makes waste when furniture shopping.
4 comments:
Sounds stressful, but even so, I'm jealous you have a house of your OWN to furnish. I'm totally the same way when it comes to big purchases--your first paragraph cracked me up.
So funny you thought I might be pregnant!:)
I love, LOVE, LOVE!!! this post. Hahaha! It cracks me up! Especially the paragraph where you reference all your #'s for why you drive Niel crazy shopping. I think it's so funny because I am the EXACT same way! I hate making furniture commitments, because it's a lot of money, you're going to have to live with it for a long time, and the biggest problem is I like to change things up so often that I get bored with furniture or decor pretty easily. Ha!
Such a funny story! I hope you're looking back on it and laughing too...so that I'm laughing WITH you, not AT you! :)
Yikes, what a house to have to fill up! It actually probably was best not to have so much furniture with a big house full of people. Sometimes it's good to have open space instead. Sounds like it turned out ok!
I know exactly what you mean (except for adding thw whole baby element). Two Saturdays before Thanksgiving I was deturmined to get a dining room table. I did it (even with a discount), but I was sure exhausted and decided to take a furniture break for a while.
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