Stuff

Ok, so I feel uneasy posting this here, but many of you have asked what we need for the kids, and the fact is that Brent and I are on a rapid path toward first time parenthood and are quickly realizing that we are going to have to grow our collection of stuff to accommodate our adorable kiddos.  Not to say that kids need stuff to be happy, but there are some things that will make their lives more comfortable and, of course, will be fun to have.

So, I am writing this post to share what we need (or would like) as we get ready for the kids’ homecoming.  I am DEFINITELY NOT creating this post to guilt you into purchasing anything for Asegre and Elsa.  I am just putting it on the blog because several people have asked and many of those people have access to the blog.  Please only purchase something for the kids if you wish to do so – your love and support of our family is the most important thing you can provide to all of us. 

To make things easier, I hope, I created a “wish list” on amazon.com.  You can access it HERE.  Note that we can add comments by the items.  I have tried to make clear what items are a high priority – in terms of need.  Of course, these are the more practical, less fun items.  You can also access the wish list directly through amazon.com’s website – it is under my name (Dakota Corey).

We are VERY open to used items and/or hand-me-downs; please do not feel bashful about a used gift.

There are 4 categories of things that I did not add to the registry, but that we would very much appreciate to receive:

• Clothes

• Books (minus some adoption and race-specific books listed on the amazon wish list)

• Children’s DVDs: Apparently Asegre loves cartoons, but kid movies/shows would be great too.  We don’t have a TV, but we do have a computer that plays DVDs.  We don’t want to let the kids watch DVDs very often, but have been told by MANY parents that both the kids and us will appreciate the down time once and a while.

• Children’s music

We would be happy to receive any of these items.  From what I can tell by their weights and heights, both of the kids are currently a size 5T or 5 right now.  They will likely grow very quickly once they come home – this is typical of internationally adopted children.

Honestly, as first time parents, we are also very open to suggestions/ideas from people that have parented 5 year olds before. 

A note about toys: The kids have a high chance of being behind developmentally on many different levels (emotionally & physically – size, motor skills).  This is also very common in internationally adopted children.  Certain types of play will help them catch up, and some toys encourage beneficial play more than others.  The kids will benefit from active play (balance, fine and gross motor skills), imaginative play (playing house, dress up, imitating grown up activities, etc.), and play that is stimulating to the senses (think water, sand, taste, art projects, different textures, etc.).  Toys that encourage these types of play will help them develop to their full potential.

A note about marketing: Brent and I are going to try (we know it’s likely a losing battle) to not inundate our children with characters developed mainly as a marketing mechanism targeted at kids (Spiderman, Toy Story, Dora, Bob the Builder, Barbie, etc….).  If you could help us out by trying to purchase more generic toys and clothes that don’t feature these characters we would really appreciate it.  (No judgment toward anyone that doesn’t mind these types of toys and clothes for their kids – it’s just our goal for right now.)

Again, Brent and I would like to reiterate that this is not a solicitation.  We are just putting the information out there for those that have been wanting it.