Fun with a Gun

Today I went with Synthia to register for baby stuff. I have waited over 3 years to be able to wield that gun and I was planning to relish every moment of it. ;) But registering is hard work! I wish I could just wantonly spray that red light over every bar code without a thought to consequences, but alas, it is not me. There was a lot of agonizing. At the first stop, Babies R Us, "The Wall of Nipples" took 20 minutes alone! What size bottle? What shape bottle? What brand? Disposable or not? Fast flow or slow flow? Y-Cut or regular cut? EEK! We were so overwhelmed after making our way through "Infant Care" and "Safety" that I was feeling quite reckless by "Bedding" and shot sheets in whatever color was handy. And then there was absolutely nothing left in the carbohydrate bank for the tiny clothes. After listlessly waving the gun at non-skid socks and a fabulous faux-fur leopard-print parka that I simply could not ignore, it was time to high-tail it out of there and get some lunch. I realized afterwards that I never even looked at strollers. And it now occurs to me that for whatever reason the registry is not registering my car seat or baby monitor. Sigh.

We refueled at Daily's Fit&Fresh in La Jolla and were ready to tackle the mayhem that is Pottery Barn Kids on a Saturday afternoon. Luckily all the stuff there is purely for fun (and profit, though not for us.) Sheets that you want to rub all over yourself because they're as fuzzy as a bunny, blankies (actually called "blankies") with tiny farm animals stitched on them, towels with tiny ladybugs, and hooded towels shaped like a frog. We even found the world's cutest plastic plates and cups in every color of the rainbow. I was teetering dangerously toward a gingham arm chair sized for a 2-year-old for $100 when I had to cut myself off. ;)

Now I'm feeling a bit grumbly that neither of my registries is showing on line for reasons that are obscure, but also looking forward to tweaking them over the next few weeks as I continue to study my "Baby Bargains." I feel very blessed to have had Synthia's company today--she was as patient as a saint and also a font of real-life information. She was able to tell me when an item was pure hype and when it was not only useful but I would need FOUR. Ya have to learn that stuff on the job! :)

And when I got home David had built the bookcases (they're a little tall--I'm going to have to separate them until they can behave) and was making the complicated edges of the baby's window look very clean and white with some fresh paint. A very satisfying day.