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A new baby!

justginger

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 11, 2009
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Not one with fur, either - a real one. But not mine. ::)

My best friend in the WHOLE WORLD is having a baby girl on Monday. I am devastated that I now live in Australia and won't be there for her - in all likelihood I won't even hold the precious bub until she's a year old! ;(

I want to send her a super, mega, crazy awesome gift to help commemorate the special event - she is the first among our group of close friends to have a child and it's a BIG DEAL, you know? I am also very, very close to the father-to-be, having been friends with him since elementary school.

Any ideas for something that will be treasured and convey my incredible happiness for her?
 
I've been giving birthstone pendants to my mom friends on top of the typical baby shower stuff. Not the commercialized stuff with "mom" plastered all over and fake gems, but real jewelry that is more classic.
 
The July birthstone makes my bank account wince - I don't want to give her a filled ruby and a real one of any decent size/color is going to be mega bucks.

I thought perhaps something practical would be getting a personal chef in to make 20 dinners or so? It's not a gift that will last, but perhaps one that they'll both be very appreciative of.
 
justginger|1342093431|3232757 said:
The July birthstone makes my bank account wince - I don't want to give her a filled ruby and a real one of any decent size/color is going to be mega bucks.

I thought perhaps something practical would be getting a personal chef in to make 20 dinners or so? It's not a gift that will last, but perhaps one that they'll both be very appreciative of.

I love this idea! I think that's what most sleep deprived moms would love other than trinkets! Or a few maid visits! :)
 
justginger|1342093431|3232757 said:
The July birthstone makes my bank account wince - I don't want to give her a filled ruby and a real one of any decent size/color is going to be mega bucks.

I thought perhaps something practical would be getting a personal chef in to make 20 dinners or so? It's not a gift that will last, but perhaps one that they'll both be very appreciative of.

Ooohhh...I would have loved this! Our daughter is 9 months old, and my husband and I still groan every time it comes to coming up with dinner ideas, then having to do the grocery shopping, and preparing. How sweet, thoughtful, and generous of you to want to do something wonderful for your friend.
 
Justginger, that is a fantastic idea and any new mom would love it. My other suggestions are cleaning service or mani-pedi as when you are a new mom you put yourself last on the list. I love jewelery as much as the next person but for a new mom, the best type of present (from a friend) is one like you suggest as she gets a break from chores! You are a great friend!!
 
JustGinger--You sound like such an amazing friend! Your friend is lucky to have you.

All of these ideas sound wonderful--the dinners, the house keeping service, the mani/pedi. I think the dinners is my favorite. I imagine having to put an actual dinner together very night is really difficult when you have a new baby at home.

Our baby won't even be born until December and we've already had a house keeper come over TWICE since I've been pregnant! I was just too sick to take care of anything, and DH was too tired picking up all the slack. It was wonderful.

Another idea is one that really depends on your friend and her personality, but I brought a "FINALLY!" gift basket to my oldest friend when I visited her in the hospital after her son was born. She had gestational diabetes, so she couldn't eat her favorite sweets while she was pregnant, so I made her favorite chocolate chip cookies and bought her other favorite sweets, coffee beans, got a couple bottles of her favorite wines, a gift certificate to their favorite local sushi place, etc. We're kind of into food in my circle, so it worked. ::) I made the cookies right before I left for the hospital and kept them in a food warmer, she ate those right away.
 
My mother has always said that food is the BEST gift for new moms! You are super thoughtful.

I was thinking if you wanted to go in the direction of a trinket, maybe a rose gold pendant (pink for a girl) would be nice?
I'm not sure of your budget, but I think the classic Tiffany heart in rose gold is so pretty-- this is the medium sized one
http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item.aspx?sku=27053912&mcat=148204&cid=287465&fromGrid=1&search_params=s+5-p+11-c+287465-r+101607567-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+

They also have a pendant with the heart and a letter (maybe the baby's first initial?) : http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item.aspx?sku=GRP02922&mcat=148204&cid=287465&fromGrid=1&search_params=s+5-p+19-c+287465-r+101607567-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+

I'm sure you'll make the right call! Babies are SO exciting. :appl:
 
That basket is a great idea, Haven - I might need to brainstorm what to have put in it (I wish I could make it and deliver it myself! ;( ). She's been on mandatory bed rest for a couple of months with gestational hypertension so I know it hasn't been smooth sailing.

And nice idea with the jewelry, oranges - I know *I* would always like blingy things, and she's a fan of jewelry as well. Perhaps a new bead for her Pandora? I know that's very simple, but the bracelet is meaningful to her (she actually bought one for her bridesmaids, including me, to encourage us to enjoy them as much as she did) and if she doesn't like it, it isn't a massive loss.

I'll have a look at house cleaners too. The chefs aren't cheap - about $350 for 5 meals x 4 servings. If she enjoys it, it would be worth it. I'm just afraid that they won't last long enough, you know? It's only 10 nights of meals for them, which will be over in no time. Maybe house cleaning would be better?
 
There's also an incredible, amazing thing called a post partum doula. Basically a person you hire to come take care of mom after the baby is born - laundry, make dinner, run errands, bring you a glass of water and a book while you're nursing, hold baby while you shower or nap... Whatever is needed. They can even do nights and just bring the baby to mom to nurse (if they go that route) and then they take care of the diapering, reswaddling, getting back to sleep so mom can get more rest. Being a mother is the most incredible adventure but nothing is that fun when you're seriously sleep deprived. It's not cheap - $20-30/hour, but it would definitely be what I would most want! I didn't know they existed after my first but my second has special needs so I needed help and I am beyond grateful for our doula and how she made those first weeks possible. Ours was even a nurse with pediatric ICU experience so it gave me total confidence. Plus she was able to give tons of breastfeeding support. And was an awesome cook. Obviously I could go on and on! Anything you do will be so appreciated but this is just one more idea for the hopper!
 
If her pandora bracelet is meaningful, then a new bead would be a great idea!!
Even though the chef service is short, I think it's wonderful. It will be one less thing for her to worry about once she has the baby home. :)
You can't go wrong!
 
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