Wally and I decided to try regisistering yesterday. We have 15 weeks and counting left to baby launch, and I’m starting to feel like we’d better start doing more to get ready! I thought registering would be another thing to check off the list, but it seems it’s done nothing but add more to the overwhelming feeling that we’re not quite ready! But Wally V is in there, saying, Ready or not, here I come!
We were very confused. They start you off with a list and a scanner gun. Wally manned the gun, and I had the list and pen. So far so good. A list helped me feel in control.
But the first section of the store was the infant care, feeding section. The wall of bottles of every brand, shape, size, form and feature was 1 mile long. A labyrinth. Wally stood with the gun and looked at me. I stood and looked at a few bottles trying to tell the difference. I felt like a 10 year old boy forced to pick up tampons for his older sister from the supermarket. With no instruction on the difference between pads and tampons; Tampax, Playtex, and Kotex; light days and super ultra. The boy is told, “tampons” as instructions. My list said, “bottles.” I could tell we were in for a long morning.
Wally could tell, too. Luckily, he hurried me along, instead of letting me overanalyze each choice. Sometimes, he hurried us to a fault. We got to the wall of baby tummy time gyms, and he was going to scan the closest one when there were 12 cute choices, some of which Wally V would love over others, if I could only ask him. So between my scrutiny over price and features, and Wally’s pushing me along, we got out of there in 3 hours.
The best moment, though, was when we were looking at diaper genies. I asked Wally if he thought the one that uses regular garbage bags would be better, or the actual Diaper Genie with it’s own bags. (Like he would know!) I actually found myself asking him a lot of questions. And if he didn’t know, I’d just ask him again, hoping between when he said, “I don’t know,” and I took a deep breath, he might have figured it out. A mom overheard us about the diaper bins and told me all the perks of the one she uses and loves. A no stress decision! Someone who knew what they were doing! I wanted to ask her to tag along with us the rest of the store and point out what was better or worse. Or at least to follow her the rest of her shopping trip and see what she got.
When we got home I spent hours online reading reviews and adjusting what we’d picked. A friend of mine was on Twitter and gave me her advice to get 4 Snugme blankets to burrito wrap little Wally up in and a Bumbo. Again, easy decisions!
So, if you’re a recent mom or dad, and have a second to comment about the thing, large or small, that you LOVE that you registered for, or that you registered for and didn’t ever use, let us know! You will make our day. And help me sleep better at night. Because seriously, I’m freaking out!
p.s. Oh, and I mostly have stuck to the basics, but look at this cutest thing ever in the entire world known to man that I found!!!! Wally V will be my little dino baby! As a shirt my sister found says, he’ll be a Cute-a-saurus!
On Being Pregnant 
Wow Mols, I wish I could say, “Call us because we had kids already”, but we been out of the game too long and all the pieces have changed. But what I can tell you is that when the baby comes out of your tummy there is a set of instructions that come out with him. Make sure you get these and don’t lose them like we did. We had a lot of trouble figuring out how things worked and what to do with Wally4 and Jane. We finally got it half way figured out after 20 years but made a lot of mistakes along the way. I think the instruction manual will help a lot. Love Grandpa Coach