Registering can be a blast-- as long as you go with the right person :)

Let me start out by saying that my first pregnant trip to Babies-R-Us a few months ago was a bit overwhelming. There is so much stuff. How the heck to you know what's best to get--- there are so many choices. I literally did one lap, felt my heartrate go up, and promptly walked out to get fresh air. Perhaps I'm exaggerating a little bit, but not by much I tell you :)

One of my closest friends, Jenn, who lives close and has an 11 month old daughter, Hannah, offered to be my tour guide on Operation Registration. Thank goodness for her. She took the stress of registering and magically transformed it into a really fun experience. We had a blast.

We started out getting a little much-deserved pampering (ha, Pampers, get it!?!)....and got a manicure & pedicure in the morning. Mike & Jenn's husband, Andy, purchased spa gift certificates for us awhile back, so it was really nice to use them. What a nice way to start off the day. Registering is much more fun when you have parrifin-treated hands and feet with super cute painted nails and toes. Then we headed out to lunch and I was able to ask Jenn a bunch of questions about what products she loves the most, which ones were dissappointments etc. We also printed out another friend's registry to see what they opted for etc. This way, when we entered Babies-R-Us, we were prepared....food in belly, looking cute, and well researched.

It was funny, at the check in desk, the associate told us all the instructions etc. She asked if this was my first baby and I said yes....then paused...looked at Jenn and said, but I brought an expert. We all laughed. It was true though. Having her with me made picking out products a great experience-- and not nearly as overwhelming as I thought it would be. She was laughing at the number of infant toys I shot with the registering gun. I may have gone just a bit overboard, but there's some really great stuff! By no means do I expect to get all of them, but I like to give choices :). Truthfully, the advice, support and items I've been able to borrow from friends and family represent the best gifts a girl could ever receive-- and you can't register for them, you just have to be lucky to have an amazing support system.

Babies R Us does a really good job of making things easy. Not only do they have some suggestions, they also offer great online services. For example, people can purchase directly off a registery online, so they don't have to drive to a store and go on a massive search expedition looking for items. Also, I can update the list online in case there was an oversight or my mind changes etc. They also have a registery help desk at every store, where people can print out registeries and be directed to the exact location of the product they'd like to purchase. Its great!
There are still a couple of articles that I need to add in, but we were able to get so much of it done. Thanks a bunch Jenn!!!