Crib Sadness

I've been up since 2:30 AM trying to figure out what to do and I think I have my answer.

As those that follow my blog know, I've had my eye on THE DREAM crib since around August. I searched high and low and finally found it on craigslist in Seattle. We planned a trip all the way over there just to get this crib. I had a few things to get at Ikea, but I would have found other options closer to home if not for this crib. I was counting down the days till the crib was actually MINE! I was so beside myself with happiness when the crib was dropped off to us and dreamed all the way home about where in the nursery it would go, how it would look with the other furniture, how it would look with our baby boy sleeping soundly in it. Like I've said before, I've NEVER been so excited about a piece of furniture in my life!

When we picked it up, the lady we bought it from said that her ex husband had the hardware to put it together and she'd ship it out first thing Monday morning. I was so excited to finally have the crib in my possession that it wasn't even a big deal at the time. We got home after that exhaustively long trip and the next morning unloaded everything. I think my husband probably thought I was crazy because of the perma-smile on my face because I finally had this crib. A few times he even joked, "the things I don't do for you".

All the next week my heart would beat just a little bit faster as I walked out to check the mail, and each day I got a little bit sadder, still no hardware. The next week I emailed the lady and asked if it had been sent. She assured me it had and was surprised I hadn't received it. She said she had contacted the crib manufacturer for replacements, which I didn't understand. Why did she do that if she knew they'd been sent to me? Well, that's the last I've heard from her. I've sent her a few emails and messages since, just asking if the package had been returned, was there a confirmation number on the sent package, etc. I don't want to be a bother, but I'm due so soon and I want this crib set up in the worst way! I bought the crib and I thought that included the pieces to put it together! Had I known there would be no way to put it together I wouldn't have planned a trip in the middle of winter so very far away. The crib has been set up in the room like this for weeks:



I leaned a few pieces of it together so I could see the space it would take up and I tried to get rough measurements so that I could buy the material I'm going to make the bedding out of. I am due in 24 days. Every time I walk into the nursery now I actually feel sad instead of happy. There is this HUGE unfinished project staring me in the face and there is seriously nothing I can do about it at this point! $170 (plus the big expense of the whole trip) is a lot to pay for something that has no function. If I could just go down to the hardware store and get all the little pieces I need to put this together that would be great, but they don't sell what we need. There isn't much I can really do with this crib at all. I can't even give it away, because someone else would have the same dilemma. It's been rendered pretty much useless, and that is so, so sad.

As much as it kills me to do it, at this point I think I just need to let it go. This whole dilemma has caused me a lot of stress and worry. I'm quickly running out of time and I need to figure something out and fast. I hate to have to spend more money on a new crib when I HAVE the only crib I've ever wanted!!

I'm beside myself with sadness over this whole thing. It would have been nice for the lady to at least acknowledge my emails. She got paid for the crib and never looked back it seems. It really isn't fair to pay good money for something and think your silly little dream has come true, only to have it ripped away. The important thing is I am very blessed to have what I do have and Baby B will have a bed one way or another. I just wished it could have been this bed.

**UPDATE**
Ryan contacted the manufacturer and this is what they said:

At this time the hardware for Crib/Beds is not available for purchase. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please check back for further availability updates.

So I think we're screwed--pun intended.