To take my mind off the entire mess, Courtney planned a shopping excursion for us. She popped into Eck, Meck & Dreck as soon as the lunch crowd had dispersed at Joe’s. She had pre-arranged with Annie for me to leave work a little early. I started to argue that I needed to help Annie stock the new, jeweled picture frames that had just arrived, but neither of them would hear a word of it.

“You need some cute maternity clothes,” Court informed me. “Your stretchy pants and big shirts aren’t going to cut it for much longer.” I looked down at my expanding form, knowing that she was right.

“And that baby needs some stuff,” Annie added. “You need to look at strollers, and car seats, and cribs, and blankies, and adorable, tiny clothes.” Annie smiled at me, but her words made me feel like hyperventilating a little bit. It all seemed completely overwhelming.

“I’m not sure where to start,” I answered her honestly.

“That’s what we’re here for.” Courtney put her arm around me and started shuffling me out the door.

Court drove me to the outlet mall, and we cackled the whole way there. I was feeling much better by the time we walked in to the baby superstore. The tense nervousness quickly returned as I took in the vast array of things my baby might require.

I turned to Court with a panicked look on my face, “Does a baby really need all of this? We are in way over our heads.” She tried to give me a reassuring smile, but I could tell by her face that she felt completely out of her element as well. I took a step or two in retreat, intending to get out of this baby crap jungle.

As if sensing our fear, a knowledgeable guide appeared. Her nametag read Cindy, but probably should have said Godsend. She led us through aisle after aisle of baby-related items, pointing out what was necessary and what was a nice-to-have. She carried a hand-held device, and any time Court or I found something that we liked, she scanned it. Once we had made our way through the enormous store, she printed us a hard copy of all the items we had chosen, letting us know that anyone who wished to buy the baby a gift could come here and see what we wanted, as well as what we already had. She had made the daunting store visit surprisingly simple.

After stopping at the food court for a frozen yogurt, Court and I decided to visit the discount baby-clothing boutique. We had a fantastic time looking at all the tiny onesies, sweaters, socks and jeans that snap open for easy diaper changes. I was holding up the tiniest pink tutu I had ever seen when I saw them.