Baby shopping!

I think shopping for the baby *may* be more fun than shopping for me! That's a sign of maturity, right? Or selflessness at least? I (with a teeny bit of help from Jeff- he's responsible for all the Disney and Pixar movies on our Target registry) finished putting together our baby registries and dare I say, it was more fun than the wedding registries! Everything in miniature is more fun though, so why should this be different?

We're blessed with having people in our lives that want to throw us TWO baby showers, one in San Jose and one in Long Beach (thanks Sue and Mom and the Parola's, and Kim and Karen and Mandy!!), so we already feel spoiled. Without having to resort to Babies R' Us that makes my soul scream on the inside, we decided to go with an online registry to capture unique items such as those from Etsy and smaller retailers, one from a local eco-friendly baby store up in the Bay Area, and one set up at Target for the rest. I hope that makes it easy for anyone wanting to gift us something for the baby, but we're also hoping that some friends will shun the stores and go the way of some handmade pieces or art for the nursery. We're also all for any used, tried-and-true products from friends and family with babies as hand me down gifts!

Here are a few of my favorite pieces that I've added so far... (all product links on Myregistry.com)

IKEA 14 piece fabric vegetables set. I love the little corduroy basket they come in too! Our baby will be tending to our compost piles and garden when she's old enough to be useful, so she's going to need to learn about vegetables early on. 

Organic cotton bibs from Etsy seller Downhomeamy. I love the fabrics she uses and the screenprints are so sweet. 

We're going the cloth diaper route, and GroVia's are one of my two favorite brands. I like them because they're adjustable in size, all-in-one (so no disposable inserts), they're made from organic cotton, and they have the cutest designs! Their solid colors are also pretty. We're  registering for the BumGenius diapers too which are similar, but it's nice to have two options. 

Poodle infant kimono bodysuit. Enough said.

We love well crafted wooden toys. I have foolish dreams of how all our baby will play with is toys like these, and nothing bright, plastic and requiring batteries will enter our home. One can dream. This maple and walnut woods stacking set from Etsy seller Littlesaplingtoys is the epitome of my ideal baby toy. Baby can chew on them and play with them, and mom and dad can gaze adoringly upon them. 

I know shoes on a newborn are ridiculous so these are sized for when she actually starts walking. They are just too adorable to pass up, and would match so many cute outfits I have planned for her. They look so Scandinavian to me too, I probably had a pair of these growing up. One more reason to love the American Apparel baby section...

How cute would those shoes be with this little number? Sooo adorable. Mini Boden has such sweet baby clothes. I'm all over the chambrays, stripes, and ginghams in baby clothes. Good fabrics and a simple design make for a well-styled baby. They don't need to be flashy.

Of course those are the obvious fun things, but it's neat searching for the gear and tools that the baby will also require. There is SO much out there, it's hard to choose. We're sticking with what seems smart to us. Eco-friendly, simple, well-constructed, long-lasting, and actually necessary are the qualities we're shooting for. Of course, this IS our first time with all of this, so any tips, suggestions, and advice from other parents are very welcome! Let us know if anything we registered for is stupid.