How Could One New Human Require So Much New Stuff?

saturday was our big day out registering for baby stuff. we both braced ourselves for a long day and lots of debates (robb=hippie, me=cheap)...but we actually fared extremely well.

since we're also making a lot of changes to the house right now, we started the day at ikea (if you haven't been, it's like 3 warehouses pushed together with a food court and entire homes worth of stuff arranged in all its european splendor. it's awesome and reasonably priced, but there's a hella lot of it and it can be overwhelming and super crowded sometimes). we just went for new flooring for our kitchen. and since we got there when it first opened, and there was nary a soul around, we got in and out pretty quick. we also bought cinnamon rolls for $1. so that helped. :)

then we went to buybuy baby. and it was awesome! the customer service was wonderful. i think maybe i expected them all to be weird or something, so i was pleasantly surprised that the registry girl was cute and fun and normal. we apparently looked sufficiently shell shocked because she walkie talkied to all the employees in the store that we were a harmless, helpless couple with a lot of questions...so we got a lot of attention. they were all extremely helpful, but not pushy at all (maybe with the exception of the lady who could ALMOST hide her contempt at us wanting glass instead of plastic bottles...almost). we marched through the whole store, facing off gently and lovingly about which car seat is less likely to implode in a fender bender, which bottle nipples look and act the most like real live human teet, and just how much involvement we want to have with our baby's poop (cloth or disposable diapers).

at one point after picking out changing table pads and mattresses and paddy mattresses (evidently you need them all or you hate your baby), we took a long re-group in the comfy rocking arm chairs. there, we discussed the pros and cons of strollers designed for jogging or merely power walking. we also debated just how many monkeys are too many monkeys hanging around the nursery and the merits of baby gates and cages.

our baby shower guests are probably going to go ahead and buy whatever cutesy shmoopsy outfits they want to see on our baby, but we're hopeful they'll (instead or also) buy the functional, necessary things that are actually on the registry. we'll see.

for the stuff that BBB didn't carry but we heard we definitely do want, we also made a "wish list" at amazon.com. that was pretty cool, because i was able to register for dr. seuss books and all the disney and pixar movies that my collection is missing (tra-la!). i'm hoping to stock up on the necessary movies that got me and my sisters through childhood, plus the new classics that have come out since i was a wee one.

and between my visit to the hospital last week for my 3 hr blood glucose test and our foraging at buybuy baby, i've had lots of opportunities to compare my pregnant body with other womenfolk's pregnant bodies and i've decided...that even though i FEEL like i look like one of those clay fertility dolls (all knockers and belly, no head), i think i stack up pretty normal-like with the other pregos. so that's good.