Baby Shower Pandemonium

Dear Prudie is an online "advice" column I subscribe to. Some of the letters get my head spinning. Here's a new example:

Dear Prudie,
My husband and I are expecting our first child in June. I will have at least five showers. I was wondering if it would be acceptable to ask that one of my showers be a "gift card shower" from a particular store. We have picked out baby furniture from a store, and we know that furniture is not an item that an individual can go out and buy alone. We also know the possibilities of duplicate gifts from five showers. Should I just tell the people hosting the shower that if anyone asks what to get, to suggest a gift card from the store, or would it be acceptable to have the theme of the shower be "Babies 'R Us Gift Card Shower"?

—Mother-To-Be

Dear Mother,
If it hasn't been long since the wedding, I assume your friends are still recovering financially from your five bridal showers. To ease your burden of coming up with a theme for each of your "at least" five baby showers, cancel at least four of them. (How is it that someone ends up having five baby showers, anyway?) The theme of your baby shower (singular) is that you are starting a happy new part of your life and your friends want to help you with that transition. The theme is not scoring enough stuff to start your own baby-goods store. As for how to let people know what you'd like—it's customary for the hostess to tell the guests where the mother-to-be is registered.

—Prudie