Because She's Worth It!

The Ngs are on a budget. (Let's face it - I think that everyone is on a budget...) We're clipping coupons, brown bagging our lunches, and renting movies from Red Box for $1 rather than going out. Abigail is also on a budget: we buy her diapers from Costco or Target, most of her clothes are the adorable Garanimals line at Walmart ($3 a piece!), and we go store-brand whenever we can on items like wipes, diaper rash cream, and bath supplies. We're not depriving Abby, but we are providing for her with an eye on price.

On Saturday, we threw caution to the wind. It was time to buy Abby her first pair of "real" shoes. When Abby first began walking, we purchased her shoes with non-skid soft soles. These were great, and she found them very comfortable and easy to learn to walk in.

Now that Abby is a Blueberry, she plays on the playground at Tutor Time (weather permitting) almost every day. We knew that the time had come for a good pair of sneakers, and my sister-in-law Melissa suggested that we have Abigail's feet measured and purchase a good pair of shoes for her. Melissa said that future pairs of shoes could be (and should be) purchased at discounted stores like Target or Walmart, but that a first pair of walking shoes was so important to good development that it was worth it spend a bit extra on them. So, Saturday saw the Ngs taking a trip to our local Stride Rite.

Abby's foot was measured (size 5.5!) and she was fitted with a new pair of sneakers. It took her a while to get used to the harder soled sneakers, but now she is doing great! She absolutely loves her sneakers, and I think she's much more comfortable when she's playing outside. The only down side: the price. Abigail's new sneakers were on sale for $40. Yikes!! I can't remember the last time I spent that much money on shoes for myself - forget the fact that Abigail will grow out of these shoes in the next few months. But, Carey and I both agreed that it was worth it. Nothing is more important than Abby's proper development and good health. So, we'll be careful with our spending the rest of this month, and we'll enjoy watching Abby run around in her new shoes, knowing that we made a good choice for our little girl. :-)

So, what are Abby's beautiful new sneakers good for?They're good for squatting in the living room to play with toys.They're good for standing on tip-toes to see what terrific stuff mommy has hidden in the tupperware drawer in the kitchen.They're good for crawling around under the dining room table.They're good for walking across the living room to get your sippy cup.And they're good for running so fast that you're practically out of the frame before mommy can even take the picture... :-P