Mom vs. Pack n Play

Mom Wins!

I put together the Pack n Play. Pack n Play is the new term for playpen. Playpens are smaller than they used to be, and the sides don't fold down. But, they fold up into a compact little cube for easy traveling. Great, but who travels?

I bought one before Princess Gracie was born and I struggled to put the thing together. The instructions said it takes approximately ten minutes. I think it took me about an hour then, and it took me about an hour again this time. Seems like you should just unfold it and there it is, just like the old days. Not anymore, now you need a playpen college degree.

When Gracie was finished using it, I gave the thing to my cousin who adopted a baby. She wanted one more so that she wouldn't have to fold hers up and put it back together when she went somewhere. I agreed that was a good idea! Recently, she gave it back to me for my new little princess. Funny, she gave it back in it's compact bag, plus another bag and a handful of metal rods. It's supposed to all fit back together in this little bitty bag, ha!

I unloaded the thing and had playpen parts all over my room. I totally forgot how complicated this thing was! Pieces of fabric, metal rods, screws, and the cardboard mattress and the big jumble of mesh and plastic that is the main structure. Ay, Ay, Ay!

Moments like these make me thank my lucky stars that my childhood included a lot of time with jigsaw puzzles.

I pushed, pulled, hooked, snapped, screwed, scratched my head, took things apart, put them back together, this goes where? there? no, maybe there... yup, that's it. An hour later... Ta Da! One playpen, complete! Mom Wins the battle of the Pack n Play assembly!