[Yelena]

Just a silly question for fun...

We've known since May '05 that we would be adding another daughter to our family, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy anything baby-related until we had a face and a name...I have issues with jinxing

So, that wonderful moment came on 11/7 when we received our referral (Dulce Maria, whom we've named Juliana Marie) and saw her beautiful face and her sweet little hands (for some reason, I just want to cry when I look at those tiny hands!) for the first time.

The shopping has begun...and the first purchase was the stroller -- we got it last night, and I just love it! I've been waiting 37 years to be a mom, and finally being able to buy stuff for my baby is the BEST!

What was the first thing you bought?

[DesertMom]

The little outfit he's wearing in this photo. I was crying in Old Navy! You can't see it but it has a friendly crocodile on the tummy. He's also holding the first toy we ever bought him. It was his favorite; a little lion.

[deguatmom]

Congratulations on your referral and let the shopping BEGIN!!!

I bought our son a stuffed bear, well actually two of the exact same bear so I could send one and have one here. John has been home since January and everytime he plays with that bear I tear up...

[bekalynn]

that's a fun question!

The first thing we bought was the car seat.

WAY before the referral even.

We knew which seat we wanted...and I just so happened to have found it on line for an amazing deal ...i think $80.00 cheaper than norm and free shipping... so I jumped on it!

[linda512]

I also don't really want to buy stuff until my referral and maybe later, but I did buy 2 stuffed animals. I'm trying to sleep with them now so I can send one to the baby later.

[Laurie5401]

The first thing we bought was an outfit and a stuffed blue elephant to send down to him at his foster mother's. When we picked up the baby last week, the FM had the elephant in his bag of stuff and his little outfit that doesn't fit anymore. He really seems attached to the elephant, so it's good to know she gave it to him to play with and get to know us before he met us (our agency told us to sleep with it a few days before sending so it would have our "scent" on it).

Congrats on your referral!!!

[gravesl]

The first thing I bought for Isabella was a little pink romper before referral. Now that her room has been started crib in place and all she has an entire closet full of clothes literally end to end of varying sizes both gram and great gram have added to this collection! Her daddy say's "no more she'll never wear them all" I say.... OH YES SHE WILL!!

[beachdreams]

We bought two car seats and then a stroller. After that its been clothes, clothes and more clothes. LOL

[kauai2k]

First - congratulations on your referral.

Second - the first personal thing that we have bought our baby is a Christmas Stocking with his name on it. Even though he won't be home this year, he is a part of our family. I, too, have been waiting a long time, and I guess I really should be getting a car seat and a crib!!!
diane

[Kaceysmama]

...before we even had our referral.

(1) TWO Green Lizard of Guatemala T-shirts, and

(2) A 2005 Old Navy American Flag Onesie (hoping that we'd be done and home by year end...still hoping that's the case...

Good thread.

Take care,
KC

[Shay]

First off congratulations!! We bought an outfit...of course we didn't specify a gender but felt certain we would get a boy referral due to it being Russia...the first big purchase was the nursery furniture. We also had the nursery done before the homestudy. I know we are nuts! Couldn't help it...of course then I had to walk past a nursery that was done for months and months with no baby in it...but it all turned out good in the end....

[JohnnaMJH]

I think it was the Peg Perego stroller that I found at a neighborhood garage sale. I had jinxing issues too and after our first adoption took two years, I was really scared of watching it sit there until he outgrew it, but thankfully that didn't happen and we use it all the time now.

[Amykk]

Fun thread. I bought this little ducky outfit right around the time that we first got started and we didn't even know if our referral would be a boy or a girl. It was on sale for like $3 at the Carter's outlet, so I figured why not. I thought my husband was going to have a heart attack - he kept saying "I don't think we should be buying stuff yet".

I think since it is the first thing we bought I feel really attached to this outfit - I brought it home from our visit trip (even though we left most everything else for his fostermother) and I plan on keeping it even though he has long grown out of it.

[myworldisdmb]

The first thing I bought was last Nov. when we seriously started looking at adoption. I bought a little jacket with matching hat and blanket at Gymboree. I absolutely LOVED the set, and it was on clearance....still kind of expensive for us, but I loved it so much my husband said just get it! It sat in a box for almost a whole year and now we have it out in the future babies room along with a whole closet full of things we have bought her so far. We still don't have a referal, infact we switched agencies AND countries and decided to go with Vietnam but for me buying things makes it seem more real-like it for sure is going to happen some day! (plus I have found some WONDERFUL deals at garage sales!!!)

[kandesmurphy]

We had resisted buying anything for a few weeks and then hit the mood to buy something little - a toy or something. So while out at an Octoberfest, we found a stuffed elephant we liked. So that is Jimmy's first toy- we can't wait to give it to him!!


Kathy