DAYS 9 and 10: Babies R Us

Tonight, we visited the local Babies R Us store to scope out all the itty bitty cute stuff. Actually, we were really only there to scope out the one piece of equipment that we need, a baby carrier. We have everything else (as my attic cleaning has proven)...a crib, an exersaucer, a high chair, a swing, two of each car seat in at least three different sizes, etc.

While we were there, we also checked out the bottles. Now, I know it's been EIGHT years since I last did this bottle thing, but let me tell you, I was completely overwhelmed by the different sizes, shapes, and logistical concerns of bottles, nipples, liners, etc. With EJ, we pretty much filled a cheap Walmart bottle with water, added the formula powder, and shook it up. However, everyone says doing the bottle-liner thingies are so much easier for traveling, because you don't have to worry about cleaning the bottles as much? I dunno...for some reason, they look far more intimidating than they probably are. There's just something about putting a zip-lock thing in a bottle...

One manufacturer makes these new things called drop ins...little plastic cylindrical liners for the bottle. It's not just a liner, it's a whole new feeding system. I don't think I like the drop-ins, though. They will consume too many cubic inches of precious packing space.

As I walked around the store, I did feel as though I was in a foreign land. It felt very strange. Some of the equipment they have is simply beyond belief. What a marketing scam. A co-worker of mine is getting married soon and I was telling her how brides are such a captive audience because everyone wants their wedding to be just perfect...and then they tell you what you simply MUST have at your perfect wedding. Well, marketing for babies is the same thing...you only want the best for your baby, right? I am here to report that EJ did just fine without having a $50 Ultra Diaper Wipes warmer...

I did not escape all of their clever marketing ploys, however. On our way out the door, I spied this little number that Sophie absolutely MUST HAVE for her return trip to the good ol' USA. Right after we started the adoption process, my mother-in-law called to inform me that there were cute little red, white, and blue outfits on sale at the mall, so I went and grabbed up two of them. Of course, they are both size 18 months, so I'm sure they be too big for her this summer. But this should work just fine: