Free Stuff!!!

Who doesn't love free stuff?  By chance, I discovered these free boxes for all pregnant moms in the UAE from Marhababy.  It's not exactly a Finnish baby box, but it is nice to have a little freebie package.  Every mom can have a pregnancy box and a baby box, so that's two opportunities for freebies!

For something similar (and better!) in the USA or Canada, check out The Baby Box Co.  There are tons of active programs, and I only regret not taking advantage to get my free box during the the 2 trips I took back to the USA this year!

I didn't think to get a shot of the cute little Marhababy box that was delivered to our apartment today, but these are the goodies inside!

The diapers will definitely come in handy.  The single wet wipe cracks me up - what baby was ever cleaned off with a single wipe?  The baby food, lotion, and body wash will all go into my hospital bag - I figure some pureed fruit will come in handy if labor runs long.  The hospital told me I could eat light foods during labor like fruits and broths.  And last, the sippy cup will surely be handy once the baby reaches that age.

Anyway, we're looking forward to our second box once the baby is born!

Incidentally, we bought out remaining "urgent needs" from our registry today and we have to send a huge hug of gratitude to all our friends and family who have showered us with gifts from afar.  From our amazing triathlon group friends who held an actual virtual baby shower on our behalf, to our tight-knit group of neighbors who grouped together to buy a large gift off our registry...from friends whom I've known for ages, to friends I've recently reconnected with, many many many thanks.  Plus a huge thanks to all of our friends across the country who have sent gifts of love, kind words, and prayers, we thank all of you!

An extra special thanks to our families who have supported us at home while we are abroad (particularly Gabe's mom and dad who have a giant pile of cardboard boxes to inventory and sort through for us!  We can't thank you enough!).  As I mentioned on Facebook, thanks to the generosity of our friends, Amazon gave us a free $100 credit to spend on disposable diapers and wipes!  How cool is that?  We expect it all to ship from Houston in mid-July and arrive in Abu Dhabi the first week of August.   Anything that doesn't quite make it into the mid-July shipment will be included in our big household goods shipment in September for our move from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and should arrive in Dubai in November.  We can't wait to put all of it to good use with our pending bundle of joy!!!