Canadian Frustration

Before I start getting bashed by my Canadian friends, I suppose I should have titled this “Graco” Frustrations. Let me backtrack. We’re getting down to crunch time people. November 6th, at 8:00 am, sweet Alexander Scott Parnell will make his arrival into this world. I have a small window of opportunity to “get ready” and I am failing miserably. Well, we’re getting there, but I am just remembering that with Emma, we were so ready weeks, months, even ahead of her arrival. And then she had the gall to arrive late. And not even fashionably late. Grr. OK, another story, another time.
So we’ve got most of the room ready – I mean I can certainly keep reorganizing (and don’t think I won’t!) but as far as the big things go, we just have the bedding and a changing table to acquire. OH! And a dual monitor. Hence this post. Please know that at this moment I have steam streaming from my ears. Truthfully, that is not good for my new haircut – surely my hair will flatten with such copious amounts of steam so close to those newly golden strands, but I am at the end of my rope.
Several months ago (I’m not even sure I was pregnant) we had dinner with some friends and Emma needed to go down to sleep and I put her in my friend’s son’s crib. And after my sweet friend tucked Emma in, she turned over what I have now begun to fondly (not really) refer to as the Golden Ticket. You see, her youngest two children are close in age. So close, in fact, that she needed a monitor that would allow her to continue to be able to hear her baby girl as well as the new baby boy that graced their family shortly thereafter. So as I am enjoying the company of our friends, I am listening to Emma sleep via this super cool monitor. Apparently it lights up and tells you which child you are monitoring, and it even lets you determine how long to listen to each child! Fast forward to Heather and Jeff finding out that they are pregnant again, and my first thought is “I’ve GOT to buy that monitor that Michelle has!” Oh what an easy task I thought that was.
So Jeff and I have casually looked and browsed for the last several months…I really wasn’t in that big of a hurry, I knew it lit up and had dual transmitters, I just figured that perhaps I wasn’t looking hard enough. My mother in law joins the search. In fact, she calls one night to tell us she has FOUND IT! I truthfully was a little skeptical as we had searched high and low with no results and she had bought this one at Babies R Us. But nevertheless, I started to get excited. This was it! She was on the phone with us as she was talking to the store clerk and they were insisting that it was a dual monitor, blah blah blah. So she brings it to me the next day (and I cannot hardly contain my excitement – I might even have been doing the fist pump thing into the air on my way to work) aaaaaaaand it’s not what we were looking for. It’s got two receivers, but only one transmitter. Babies R Us clerks are so stupid. I HEARD her tell them what she wanted and they forgot to wash their ears that day because they didn’t hear what she was saying. No, we don’t need to have two parent units. I NEED TO HAVE A TRANSMITTER IN EACH BABY’S ROOM. I HAVE TWO CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF TWO WHO I NEED TO LISTEN FOR AT NIGHT! So a very disappointed Heather went into work and a very disappointed Mom in Law took it back to the store. The quest continued. Finally last week I emailed my friend to ask what it was called. She sent me an email detailing the Holy Grail of all monitors and I go on an internet searching frenzy. Amazon, nope. Babies R Us, nope. (duh) Target, yes. I click madly on the link only to find out, “Oh, so sorry! This item is not in stock”. Wal-Mart – yes. [insert Pac Man dying music here] See above. NOT IN STOCK. Seriously? And the list goes on and on. Finally, I email Graco themselves. Within about an hour, I have a response:
“We regret to inform you that the product you are inquiring about has been discontinued”
Oh this is bad. This is very bad. There is NO other product on the market that will do what I need said monitor to do! How is this possible? You can buy a stinking WIPE WARMER and a robe for a baby (really? You’re going to try to put a 6 month old in a robe?) but I’m the only parent out there who has babies close in age and would like to monitor each of them??
OK, let me clarify one thing. Everything I read says that if I purchase an additional individual monitor, it will interfere with the one we already have.
We all know how the internet does not lie, right? Well I found the monitor. On the Babies R Us website. I hurriedly add it to my cart and then start to check out. I type in my address, I click “Continue to Payment” and it’s then that I get it. Remember that Pac Man music? Play it again. For the Babies R Us website is the CANADIAN version. And they will NOT ship, how did they word it?
We're Sorry. Due to shipping restrictions, the following item(s) cannot be shipped to the shipping address you have selected.Graco iMonitor Duo Multi-Child Digital Baby Monitor


To continue checkout, please remove the restricted item(s) from your order or enter a different shipping address. Click here to return to your Shopping Cart.
Restricted? Really Babies R Us? You are restricting the sale of a baby monitor across the border? I’m not trying to smuggle drugs across the border. I cannot imagine why they will not ship it to me! They directed me to the US Babies R Us website, and, sadly, we know THEY don’t carry it. I have sent an email to Babies R Us Canada and just received the following response:
Dear Valued Guest,
Thank you for contacting RUs.ca Guest Service
Your email has been received and you can expect a response within the next 48 hours. Your feedback is important to us and we are dedicated to assisting you in any way possible. If you should require immediate assistance, please contact our Online Guest Service Specialists at 1-800-ToysRUs (1-800-869-7787). They would be more than happy to help and are available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week!
Thank you again for contacting us. We appreciate your business.
Sincerely,
Guest Service Team
www.ToysRUs.ca / www.BabiesRUs.ca
1-800 - ToysRUs (1-800 -869-7787) Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!!
-------------------------------------
Chere cliente, Cher client,
Nous vous remercions d'avoir contacte le service a la clientele RUs.ca.
Nous avons recu votre courriel et vous devriez recevoir une reponse dans les 48 heures. Votre retroaction nous importe et nous nous engageons a vous aider de toute facon possible. Si vous avez besoin d'aide immediatement, veuillez contacter nos representants du service a la clientele en ligne au 1-800 - ToysRUs (1-800-869-7787). Ils se feront un plaisir de vous aider et sont a votre disposition 24 heures par jour et 7 jours par semaine!
Merci de nous avoir contacte. Nous sommes heureux de vous servir.
Cordialement,
Equipe de service a la clientele
www.ToysRUs.ca / www.BabiesRUs.ca
1-800 - ToysRUs (1-800 -869-7787) Disponible 24 heures par jour, 7 jours par semaine!!


Thanks for the French version, there, people. You are able to create bi-lingual messages for your people up there in grand ole Canada, but you cannot ship to Texas. You even offer me the option to select “Texas” in your drop down “Ship to” box, however, that must be a cruel joke. Thanks Canada, you didn’t make me laugh. I know when I told you that you could keep your atrocious healthcare system, you were probably offended and now you are getting me back by withholding this baby item from me.
I’m wondering if Jeff can fly up there, buy one, and (smuggle it) bring it back home. Wonder what customs people would think. It does not fit the restricted categories of meats, veggies/fruits, or animals…wonder if he could get it through?
If Babies R Us Canada doesn’t come through, I’m cyber stalking 3 of them on ebay. Somehow, someway, in the words of Mike Meyers in Wayne’s World,
It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.