Chip and I are exhausted. We just got back from choosing the items for our registry at Baby Bazaar.

I never knew there was so much stuff for babies. I mean, I’ve avoided the baby aisle at the grocery store for years because it didn’t have anything I needed on it and, to be frank, it seemed a bit intimidating. After today, that grocery store aisle will never be unapproachable again.

When we walked in, we joined a platoon of other pregnant women at the registry desk. Now I know why I hardly noticed any pregnant women in public before—they were all sequestered from the rest of society at Baby Bazaar, trying to force their preggy brains to make sense out of the five-page list of must-haves for their future newborns.

“If we don’t know what it is, do we really need it?” Chip looked up from flipping through the pages, his face hopeful. “That would eliminate half the stuff on here.”

I shook my head. “We need to find out what it is before we can disregard it.”

“That seems like a lot of work.”

Sometimes he’s such a guy. “I know, Chip, but imagine how much work it will be if we don’t have something we need and I have to run out and buy it while you sit at home with a screaming baby.”

He looked alarmed. “Good point.”

The woman seated behind the customer service desk finished with the couple in front of us and smiled as we stepped forward. “Hi. Welcome to Baby Bazaar.” She looked from the list in Chip’s hand to my rounded stomach. “Are you wanting to register?”

“Yes, but we aren’t familiar with a lot of things on this list.” I looked over Chip’s shoulder. “For instance, what’s a Boppy?”

Smiling, the woman held out her hand for the list. “We get asked that question every day.” She pointed to the heading on the page. “Do you see where it says nursing accessories here, and the aisle number?”

Chip and I nodded.

“That gives you a clue as to what the item is—something you would use if you plan to breastfeed. You can either look through the shelves in that section of the store to find the item yourself, or you can ask one of our sales associates to help you. In the case of the Boppy, you would go to the nursing accessories aisle and would find that it’s a nursing pillow that you can later use to help your baby learn to sit up.”

After she typed our names and due date into the computer, she reached under the counter and pulled out a scan gun. “We’ve made this as easy as we can on parents-to-be. If you see anything you want, just point, scan, and it will automatically be added to your registry. And if you want more than one item, scan the product the same number of times as the quantity you’d like.”

“You mean we get to zap stuff?” Chip looked excited at the prospect.

The saleswoman laughed and looked at me. “That’s another thing I run into every day. Dads aren’t too crazy about going shopping with their wives until I pull this out.” She placed the scan gun in Chip’s hand. “When you’re finished, bring the list and scanner back to me and we’ll print out your registry to make sure it accurately recorded what you wanted.”

I grabbed Chip’s arm as we left the registration area and headed to the first section of the store. “This makes it all seem so real!”

First we picked out items to baby-proof our home, like covers for electric sockets and safety latches for the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Next we scanned the labels of pastel receiving blankets, wash cloths, hooded towels, and fitted crib sheets. We chose an electronic thermometer that determines body temperature in half the time of an adult thermometer, a folding washtub, a sleep positioner, and a nursery monitor. We scanned pacifiers, teeny nail clippers, a comb and brush set, and a beautiful eyelet-covered bassinet.

Since my and Chip’s tastes are pretty similar, we agreed in no time on a cheery lamb motif for the infant car seat, picked out a playpen (now called by the euphemism “play yard”), a collapsible stroller, and an open-top, battery-operated swing. My parents promised to buy us a light maple Jenny Lind crib and changing table for the nursery, so we skipped that section altogether.

Just about every mom I know decorated her baby’s room in either Pooh or Noah’s ark. I wanted our child’s room to be different from everyone else’s and chose a light blue and yellow plaid bedding for the crib.

Those were the highlights of our two-hour trek across Baby Bazaar. I didn’t look at baby blankets and clothes, since I’ve been told by numerous people that we will receive lots of those things at showers and as second-hand items from friends. It will be so nice, after all my trips to the department store to buy cute little outfits for my friends’ babies, to be the one getting the clothes for a change! There have been times I stood there in the middle of a department store, buying something for a friend, and had to blink back the tears.

Later I plan to scour eBay for a lamb border, lamb light switch plate, and lamb wall prints.