Thank you to River Road Montgomery Child Care Association

The Maples' painted garden

On Monday, our bambino started to transition to a new daycare closer to home. We're both back to ground zero as he acclimates (more on that soon), but also so much further along than that first day he attended Montgomery Child Care Association's River Road Center. We will truly miss everyone at River Road who took such good care of all three of us, from our son's presence in the classroom to a certain nervous mamma's regular calls in the beginning.

We want to thank the creative and attentive teachers at River Road for caring for our bambino these last seven months. He learned so much, including sitting in a toddler-sized chair with his friends to eat lunch, which seemed like an insurmountable task at first. He really loved working on group art projects with his group, the Maples. He learned so many new words and actions and tasted new foods, like peas and lemons, that he asks for at home now. We've grown, too, watching him and learning from the teachers, his peers and other parents.

Thank you, all. We'll miss you and never forget our bambino's first school. 

Buying a Stroller at Great Beginnings in Gaithersburg, Maryland

We read about Great Beginnings, "the baby and children's design center," in the Baby Bargains book. It was listed as one of the best baby stores in America. So, being obedient baby-goods-researchers, we headed out to the suburbs to shop.

At their Gaithersburg, Maryland, store, we bought a great, light-weight stroller after talking with a very knowledgeable salesperson. He not only made recommendations, but answered our many questions. That was a welcome change from our experience with salespeople at major retail stores who simply read off of the boxes in response to our questions.

After joining the store's online mailing list through their website, we were happy to save 20% on one of the parts (the stroller came separately from the car seat and car seat base.) The strollers we looked at were already a little less expensive than we'd seen elsewhere.

Their cribs and other baby furniture looked great, but a salesperson said it could take a few months for a piece to be ready. Too late for us; we have about a month and a half until the due date. (Who knew shopping for the baby could be like planning a wedding?)

The store focuses on lovely, well-priced furniture for babies, kids and teens. They had some clothes and other gadgets, but those items were a little pricy.

Happy shopping!