Before we actually got pregnant, we made some big pre-baby purchases, specifically to address the needs of our family’s anticipated expansion. It was helpful to spread the cost of these items out over a couple years – I can’t imagine purchasing them all in the nine months of pregnancy.

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Purchase #1: An SLR camera package, scored at a Black Friday sale. We did tons of research, and ended up with a Canon T2i Rebel. At the time, it was the best-reviewed camera in our budget, but the price has dropped in the last two years, and there are probably newer options. I’m really happy with it, and I’ve loved learning to take photos (and shoot in manual mode!). Mr. Tricycle added to my lens collection at Christmas, and now, in addition to the basic kit lens, I also have a zoom lens and a fixed 50 mm lens.

It was important for me to have a great camera to take tons of baby pictures – I appreciate having every important milestone captured on film. If we hadn’t sprung for a camera, we’d probably have nothing but iPhone photos.

Purchase #2: A front load washing machine and dryer. When we bought our house four years ago, it came with a relatively new top loading washer and dryer. We were happy with both, but last summer, the washing machine stopped spinning loads. I had to go down to the basement and turn the agitator by hand to get it going every time we did laundry. We probably could have gotten the washing machine repaired, but since we were planning on cloth diapering, we saw it as an opportunity to upgrade our appliances to better handle all that poop.

We ended up purchasing a Maytag Maxima front-loading washer and dryer. We specifically picked it because it had a “sanitize” option, thinking it’d be a great feature for diapers. Since buying the washing machine, I’ve learned that most sanitize cycles actually get too hot for diapers, destroying the material and waterproofing. I’ve also read that front loading high-efficiency machines aren’t the best bet if you’re cloth diapering, and that a top loading machine is really most ideal. I still have some research to do, and I’m hoping I can figure out the best settings to make my newer washer and dryer work like a champ with dirty diapers, because otherwise, I love the pair.

Purchase #3: A station wagon. I’ll own up to it – I dig station wagons. My first purchase out of grad school was an older Subaru Outback wagon. I loved it for a couple reasons: I’m a wimp when it comes to driving in snow (not a good thing when you live in a city that routinely makes the Weather Channel for lake effect storms), and the Outback has fantastic all wheel drive. I also like to build stuff and I can fit a sheet of plywood and 2x4s in its roomy back.

Right around the time we started TTC, Mr. Tricycle switched jobs and ended up with a company car. That left his car, a much newer Yukon, sitting in the driveway five days a week. You’d probably assume that SUVs are just as good as station wagons, but that’s so not the case. I hated the Yukon – it was huge, and I was always terrified of hitting something. So even though the Yukon was available, I never drove it. I was quite happy running around in my old Subaru, but when the odometer hit 100,000 miles and the car needed a few repairs, Mr. Tricycle stated to get nervous. I guess he was having premonitions of the car breaking down in a major snowstorm with the baby and me stuck inside.

The prospect of a new baby and his family’s safety seemed to Mr. Tricycle like the perfect excuse to purchase another car. As a side note, Mr. Tricycle loves cars. In the ten or so years since we’ve been together, he’s owned 11 different vehicles – so pretty much any excuse will suffice if it means a new car. We ended up keeping the old Subaru (it’s paid off – gotta love that), and trading in the Yukon for a new Outback. It’s got all the fantastic station wagon features that I love, but (knock on wood) it should be repair free for years to come.

Did you make any big purchases in anticipation of expanding your family?