Week 14: Bye-bye sanity

Now that we’re in the safe zone, we know Roo is healthy, and the pregnancy is out in the open, things are starting to come together baby-wise. I’ve relaxed and allowed myself to realize that we are indeed having a baby who will be here in approximately six months. Arthur’s started working on packing up the office for the nursery transition, and I’m even starting to bear more than just a food-baby bump! (And to those who still can’t tell—do I usually have that much of a belly? Really, I want to know.)
One thing that is causing more anxiety than excitement for me is the baby registry. I can shop with the best of them, and my ever-expanding closet can attest to that. But when it comes to picking out items for my un-born baby, I’m stumped. It seems impossible to select so many things for someone I haven’t met yet—and the plethora of options isn’t helping any. In fact, I’m suffering from an excess of choices. A search for “crib” on Amazon yields more than 20,000 results. Even when I narrow down my choices by safety ratings and reviews, I’m still left with a smorgasbord of items that I won’t really be able to test drive for another few months. Um, help please?
Instead of scaring myself by shopping solely on the Internet, I thought it would be good to reconcile those options with ones in store. A new mom graciously shared a spreadsheet with a breakdown of what you definitely need, what is optional, and what brands would be preferable. Exactly what I needed, although just short of spelling out precisely what would fit in my home and budget. Hey, a girl can dream!
Armed with the spreadsheet, Arthur and I braved buybuy Baby one Sunday afternoon. The knowledgeable staff and the promise of a future personal shopping appointment momentarily quelled my anxiety, but it returned with a vengeance when we started perusing the big-ticket options. The crib section was never ending! When we thought we had found a direction to go in, one of the helpful staff members would point out why it might not be a great option (for example, the baby will quickly grow too big to use the attached changing table and dresser options).
The one thing we knew we wanted to pick out while we were there was the glider and ottoman, thanks to my sister-in-law’s recommendation and a ride in her model. We had the brand (Dutalier) and the special features (swivel) picked out already, so we figured registering for it would be quick and painless. Oh, how naïve we were.  First, there were about five different models. It took about 20 minutes for us to decide which one we preferred, and then another 15 to pick out which fabric we liked from the giant book of samples provided. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief at the prospect of being done, we were handed another sample selection, this time, for the wood finishing. Sigh.
Despite being tired after that fiasco, we trudged on to the strollers and car seat section. However, the sheer volume of options and the ever-increasing price tags boggled my mind. I pumped the brakes, knowing that I needed to digest everything and attempt this in increments. After two hours in the store, we registered for exactly four things. And since I don’t think a parenting book, a teething toy, glider/ottoman, and diaper bag are enough to help us care for Roo when he or she arrives, I’ll be making an appointment with a personal shopper for the rest of my baby registry needs. But only after I take a nap in our new chair.