Preparing for Tilly's Arrival: Registries and Baby Showers

Who knew that a tiny, 7 pound (at least that's what I'm hoping for) human being could need so much stuff?!?!  Looking back over that last 9 months, I think I could say that registering for and purchasing baby items for our Little Nugget has by far been the most stressful aspect of pregnancy.  We decided to register at a couple different places (Babies-R-Us and Target) for some variety, and I thought the process was going to be so exciting and fun.  But, when we arrived at the stores, I was completely overwhelmed!  They handed us a whole booklet and 2 page list of "essentials" that we would HAVE to have to properly care for our child.  I took one look at that list, and thought "Holy cow!  If a tiny baby needs ALL of these things to survive, how can anyone afford a child?!?!"  I didn't even know what some of the items were... Like a car seat saver? And what's the different between a mattress pad and a waterproof pad for the crib mattress?  So, our first step in tackling this whole registry thing was to decide what we should really consider "essentials" and what we could do without.

Of course, there are the items you KNOW you will need, like a crib, diapers, onesies, etc.  But, WHICH crib should you get?  Should you use CLOTH or DISPOSABLE diapers?  What SIZE onesies should you buy, since you don't know how big the baby will be when she's born? And how many of each size do you need, since you don't know how fast she will outgrow them?  And then you get to the "not really a necessity, but it sure would be nice to have" items, like a wipes warmer and a bassinet.  And do we really need to drop a couple hundred dollars on an entire crib bedding set?  And that's when the panic set in.  What if we don't choose the right crib, or the best brand of diapers? What if we clean her cute, little toosh with cold wipes?  Will our child be ruined for the rest of her life???  See what I mean? Complete, and utter panic!  Luckily, I was able to step back, take a deep breath, and realize that while we needed to consider all of these options, and make the most logical decision for us and our daughter, none of these were life-ruining situations.  I calmed down quite a bit after that. :)

My stress over being prepared for Tilly's arrival was lessened even more when we learned that we would be having two baby showers hosted by our families. The first was hosted by my amazing mother and sister for my side of the family, and the second was hosted by Tilton's wonderful mother and aunt, for his side of the family. Both parties were so much fun, and our families definitely "showered" us with an insane amount of gifts for our sweet girl.

Here are some pictures from my Louisville shower, hosted  by my mom and sister:

How adorable is this cake???  I LOVED IT!!! :)

In lieu of a card, the guests were asked
to bring a signed book for Tilly.  I loved
this idea, and now Tilly has a wonderful
collection of books for us to read to her! :)

The BEST surprise of the day:  My best friend,
Val, traveled all the way from Myrtle Beach for the 
shower, and I  had no idea she was coming!!  It
was amazing to see her, and so special that she 
could be there to celebrate Tilly! :)

Here are some pictures from the Lexington shower, hosted by Tilton's mom and aunt:

Shower favors: Bubblegum cigars for the men, 
and pink nail polish for the ladies.  I loved the nail
polish idea--On the tag it instructed the ladies to wear
the nail polish during the week of Tilly's due date!

The watermelon baby! :)

Tilton's family.

My family.

After these showers, we were definitely stocked up on essentials for our baby girl.

The next step was organizing all of this stuff in her nursery, which to me, was one of the most fun steps in this whole baby-preparation process!  I love her nursery, and couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out...but more on that later!

Until next time...