Getting there...

Car Seats: check. Glider chair: check. Co-sleeper: check. Changing table: check. Heck, we even tracked down a second-hand "Double Snap And Go" without having to order it from the U.S. That leaves the all-important cribs, which are still unavailable at Ikea at the time of this writing. We'll give the Swedes another week to cough up some actual product before we consider other sources.

What is it with buying retail these days? You can't give your money away. Useless staff, nothing in stock, no rain checks, no help, no nothin'. There's a recession on, geniuses. If you want to stay in business, you might want to offer schlubbs like me a reason to walk in the door, and walk out with something other than a set of tea lights...

The Cold Meatball Platter people did have plenty of cheapie coffee tables in stock. Our old one was, well, old, and just too damned big for our increasingly cramped basement. So for a measly $30 and a few twists of an Allen key, Lidia has a new spot to put her feet up and I've got a bit less real estate for my ever-growing pile of remotes (tenants frequenting our condo's trash room have hit paydirt this week thanks to our generosity--two nice bookshelves, a computer desk, and now, a coffee table).