Expert Advice, Please

Chad and I got all geared up to head out for our grand baby registry experience. As we pulled into the parking lot at Babies R Us I explained to Chad, "You know, this is going to take a while...there are lots of big decisions to be made." He assured me that he understood so we headed in with all of the energy and excitement of new parents ready to pick the perfect products for their first child.

So, we got our little scan gun and set off to the stroller aisle. I knew I wanted one that was rear-facing so I could see Kicker when we set off on our summer walks. Chad pulled them off shelves so we could test all of the gadgets and ins and outs. We finally picked one. It took an hour, approximately. We get to the car seats and wonder "If the stroller is also a carrier and a car seat, do we need a separate car seat?" "If we get a separate car seat does it need to be a detachable car seat?" "How will we carry the baby around if it's not detachable?" We did not register for a separate car seat.

Then we get to the pack and plays. "Couldn't we just use one of these in our bedroom for the first few months rather than a bassinet?" We decided that, yes, it would make more sense to use the portable crib in our bedroom when we bring Kicker home than to get a bassinet that will be useless in a few months. That was easy.

Highchairs. They all seem bulky and difficult to use. We registered for a Chicco chair which I came home and promptly removed from our registry online after seeing the customer reviews. We did not register for a highchair and we are accepting any and all reviews from friends and family on ones you love or hate.

Swings and bouncers. Do you need both? We registered for both. I don't know.

We finally made our way over to the bottles and breast pumps, etc. This is where the fun ended and the confusion set in. We went back and forth between the nursing section and the bottle section about 53 times. Chad would ask "But what do you do with the breast milk when you store it? How do you thaw it? Do we need a bottle warmer?" My firm and concise answer was a consistent "I don't know, Chad. I need to read more about all of this." "I don't know, Chad." "I DON'T KNOW!" (Freak-out number 3,468). I know I want to breast feed and we registered for a pump and some storage bags and some bottles from which you can pump, store, and feed. Then I came home and deleted all of that off of the registry, too because, well, I just don't know.

By the time we left that section we managed to pick out the first Diaper Genie we saw and skipped the bathtubs entirely. We'd had it. It had been 3 hours of proving to ourselves that we are complete first-time parent idiots. At least we have a start on some necessities. Now we're calling on all of you experts out there to comment or send us an e-mail with the following answers/advice:

*If you nursed, what was your favorite pump, bottle, storage system, etc. Please. I need to know.

*High chair recommendations?

*The whole car seat situation. How does that work? Did you keep a permanent cars eat in your vehicle. Did you even use the detachable seat that comes with the stroller in your car? How many blessed car seats does a person need?

*How did Mary manage to feed Jesus without a dual breast pump and the perfect bottle with a slow flow nipple (to mimic nursing) and a tilted neck to prevent colick? Oh yeah...Mary probably didn't have to go back to work when Jesus was 3 months old. And Joseph might not have been as interested in being involved in the feedings as Chad (Bless him. Love this man.)

Nursery pics coming soon...