A Big Day In The Cities

Yesterday was one big day. We headed up first thing to the big Babies R Us in Minneapolis to start our registry. We had already looked at the Babies R Us in Rochester, and though it would meet basic needs, I really wanted to see most of the items on the website in person. First, we had to listen to a long monologue from a Babies R Us employee about how to navigate the store, how to use the scanner, and about all the money they want us to spend in the process. Then....we were set loose in the store. Matt, in charge of the scanner gun of course, and I holding the pen and checklist, set out to build a complete registry for this little doll. Our first mistake is that by the time we got there and all set up it was 11--even though I already had my standard two breakfasts I was hungry. My sisters can attest to the fact that even not pregnant I can get pretty crabby when I'm hungry. Anyhow, starting at the front of the store (as was recommended) was not a good plan b/c here lie all the little things that I hadn't decided upon--thermometer, grooming kit, bathtub, towels, lotion, etc. Not a good starting point for an indecisive woman such as myself. We muddled through for a bit and then Matt had the brilliant idea that we needed to walk across the street to eat and then return. Smart man. The break was good for both of us and we got re-energized and focused. When we returned to the store we were productive and much more decisive. Matt really liked registering for the baby gear and he really got into it. Lucky for us, we have similar taste in the big items--simple, not too busy and not too bright, nor covered with excessive toys. We did, however, discover one difference as we decided upon the small things--Matt is apparently really attracted to the items with animals on them. Me, not so much. Matt interprets this to mean that I don't want her to have anything 'fun', only formal things. Not true, not true. So if you examine our registry it's pretty easy to see what Matt picked out all by himself :) Now we come to the moment where I plug for Matt to receive his very favorite item on the registry--meet 'Mortimer Moose'

This little moose produced great excitement for my husband after a long trek through the store. He loves it and wants our baby to have this toy.(Note to family--if you recall, Matt was overjoyed when he received the two items on our wedding registry that he really wanted and selected--the red coffee pot and the brown bowls. This moose produced the same excitement)
Anyhow, after a total of 4 hours in the store, we felt we had a good start and got ready to go hunt for furniture. I'll spare you the drama of how we found what we wanted in USA Baby, the ladies weren't helpful so we were frustrated and left the store--only to go on to another store that had closed down and didn't bother to put that small detail on their website. We decided to return to USA Baby in a better frame of mind and see if we could find someone in that store to help us out (problem #1--no one could seem to quote us exactly how much it was going to cost to deliver to Rochester, even though we were ready to buy!) We worked through the issues, got a firm price quote, and learned that what we wanted was in stock and could be delivered at the end of the month (as opposed to 10-12 weeks for stuff that wasn't). Bottom line--we officially 'stimulated the economy' and bought some baby furniture :) It's lovely, just what we wanted--a french white crib and changer/dresser combo. French white is apparently just one of the many names for off white--antique white, vanilla, not gleaming white--whatever, you get the idea. No success yet on the glider, but we got some ideas and know what we're looking for now. Exhausted, but happy, we trekked back home and plopped on the couch for the rest of the night.....quite pleased with our progress (and yes, I already visited the registry online and added/changed things).