My First Impulse Purchase

Ryan and I haven't been purchasing too many baby things. It may be a bit of superstition, but 90 percent of what we have for the baby right now is from others.
Not that we haven't roamed around the Babies R Us on a Sunday afternoon. Or, trolled the internet, looking at adorable toys and clothing -- I have accumulated quite the list of bookmarks on my computer, all filed neatly under the folder called, Baby.

This all changed on Wednesday evening when I had my first impulse purchase.

Okay, now for some people who adore shopping, this may not be a huge thing. But, for me...it is a pretty big deal. It was the first time I had wandered through the baby section at the store, honed in on something and had to have it. Right then.

It had started out innocent enough. We had gone to Target to purchase thank you cards and a few other things. Lately, when we go to Target, we also stroll through the baby section, just to look and see what is new. We were just about to move on to the sections of the store we had come to visit, when I asked Ry if we could walk down a newly organized aisle (yes, we walk over there often enough that I could tell there were some new things).

Lining the aisle were rows of swaddling blankets and onesies. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the soon-to-be desired item. It was a flash of orange. A familiar comforting feeling took hold of me. I believe what I just saw was Halloween-related.

So, let's stop here a moment. As long as I can remember, I have been enamored with Halloween. I was proud of the fact that when they asked you in elementary school which holiday was your favorite, I didn't give the Christmas answer others gave. Halloween is just wonderful! It is during my favorite time of the year and it happens to be in the same month as my birthday. Many times my birthday napkins and plates were halloween-themed. On my 21st birthday, friends and family came over for dinner and cake, hanging above us was a giant spider we had attached to the ceiling. I also have a weakness for Halloween-themed clothing - socks, earrings, t-shirts, pajamas, anything. And, I wear them throughout the year, not just in October. Now that you know I am a Halloween fiend...let's continue.

I turned my head toward the onesies and saw them hanging there in the middle of the row. Halloween onesies and caps to match. My heart melted. And, a sound of indeliable fondness was emitted from my throat.

"Awwww. Ryan, we have to get these."

I held the onesies in my hands and you would think I had never seen anything more precious. They were beyond adorable to me and I would not be leaving the store without them. Cute little cartoon bats, black cats, frankenstein monsters, vampires. An orange cap that looked like a jack o'lantern. I ran my fingers over the embroidery and I was bewitched (yes, pun intended). The baby will be a little over a month old when Halloween arrives this year. This would be perfect!

My logical side grabbed hold. What was I doing? This was ridiculous. I hung the items back up on the wall display.

"I really love these, but we don't need them. We can always come back for them after the baby is born."

"Honey, I think we should invoke the Costco Rule. Get it when you see it because it may not be here later. There are only a few left."

With my sweet husband's reassuring sentence, I took them off the wall again and we were on our way. I had a huge smile on my face and was very excited about my purchase. I couldn't stop looking at them and thinking about our child wearing this special outfit on Halloween.

Since Wednesday, the reality that our child will be here very soon has been so much more vivid, so much more tangible. The purchase seemed to trigger within me that I really will be a mother very soon. I have that comforting, happy Halloween feeling. I think I will have a new favorite holiday --a birthday.

So, here is a photo of the onesies and caps I purchased so you can see either how cute they are...or, how insane I must seem in this post. Note: if you think I am a bit crazy, don't tell me. I don't want to know.