Share your Things to do before Baby Arrives list... - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[TIFF4NY]

Argh. I just bit the bullet and ordered a twin over full bunk bed for DD's room. I fully know that when DD2 is born (and sleeping in our room) that DH will likely wind up in DD's room with her. She currently only has a twin bed which would not be comfortable for DH to share with her now that she's much bigger than she was in the past when he'd share. I feel so anxious about it!! I just want it to get here in one piece, go together perfectly and be sturdy. I don't want to have to fight with some company about it. The good thing I got it through Amazon and they usually are good with resolving issues. One big item checked off of my (mental) to do list. 

My mother and I have also started to go through the stored baby clothing to keep/donate. I had forgotten about a lot of the cute stuff we had! This little girl will definitely not need much new clothing for a long while. At least the first year. Now the cycles of clothes washing, folding/hanging needs to happen. Also on the to do list for DD's room is painting and changing out the ceiling fan and draperies. It used to be our bedroom so it is not geared towards children at all. Definitely needs a facelift. I might paint the existing baby furniture in there to match the new white bunk bed at some point too. It's all black now and that was due to having DD in our room with us and our bedset is black.

[Oliver's Mama]

Originally Posted by TIFF4NY 

Argh. I just bit the bullet and ordered a twin over full bunk bed for DD's room. 

I think those beds are great; and when the baby's older, I'm sure your girls will love snuggling together on the bottom bed.

We actually just did the opposite and lowered ds1's lofted twin.  When the baby's here I know there's going to have to be more unsupervised playtime (most toys are in the bedroom) and I can't trust 2 little boys not to jump/fly off the bed by their own free will, so down it goes, and away goes the under-bed toy storage. But better than broken bones and broken furniture. Oh... how I can't wait to have a girl in the house!

[bmcneal]

To Do:
 

1. Deep clean house

2. Check out consignment shop(s) for cloth diapers/clothes Haven't had much luck with consignment/resale shops for cloth, neither on CL, so DF wants me to just order some from semi-local cloth diaper store. I don't have paypal, so from the posts I've checked out, places like diaperswappers are out.

3. Decide carseat(s) We decided to just get a scenera for now, and get the radian(s) later on. A little more money in the long run, but I don't want DF to stress out about money right now.

4. Pack hospital bag

5. Get DF to figure out which pump his insurance will cover, and see what do we need to do

6. Clean out car

7. Buy the stuff for freezer/crock pot meals

8. Actually make and freeze meals I got two meals done this evening, and I would like to have at least 10, so not a bad start.

9. Get the rails on the top bunk so DD and DS can at least start out the night in their own beds

10. Pick a name

11. Write up a birth plan

To Buy:

1. Clothes

2. 1, 2, or 3 carseats We're just going to get the one, for the new babe. I really want to get this one, http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Scenera-Convertible-Car-Seat-Realtree/16932753 but not sure it's DF approved.

3. Bed for DF and I

4. Cloth diapers/cloth diaper accessories I ordered 2 more covers and 24 prefolds, and a couple of snappis. I am going to try and get a few more things, but... if not, I think we have a good start.

5. Take the kids to Build-a-Bear to build the baby a bear (Hope you don't mind my stealing this, firespiritmelody. It sounded like such a neat idea, and I know DD and DS will love it.)

6. Figure out something to give DD and DS from the baby

7. Full-figure/plus size nursing bras and/or just some nursing tanks

8. Some wraps/slings. Probably a Moby, at least, for now. I'm meeting someone this evening to get a Moby wrap for $10. So at least l'll have one wrap. 

9. A double stroller, and/or an umbrella stroller (for DD or DS, because one of them is always saying their legs hurt/they are tired of walking)

10. Maybe a playpen/pack and play. Not sure about this, though.

11. Get new alternator in the car.  We thought we had everything we needed to fix it, but it looks like we didn't, so now I have to wait for my mom to get home to see if we can borrow her car to go get the other tool. This is so frustrating! I told DF next time we should just take it to shop.

[JennJenn84]

I got the stroller, carseat, pack n play, high chair and bouncy seat tonight. I am going back Tuesday to get the crib and mattress (didn't have enough room in DD's grandmothers car for it!) I went to a childrens consignment store Friday and bought TONS of stuff for the baby for only $80!. I also got DD an easter dress for only $3.50! I think I've done great so far.

[bmcneal]

Originally Posted by JennJenn84 

I got the stroller, carseat, pack n play, high chair and bouncy seat tonight. I am going back Tuesday to get the crib and mattress (didn't have enough room in DD's grandmothers car for it!) I went to a childrens consignment store Friday and bought TONS of stuff for the baby for only $80!. I also got DD an easter dress for only $3.50! I think I've done great so far.

That's awesome, JennJenn! I haven't had much luck with the consignment stores here, just a few receiving blankets for under $1/each to use for whatever. (I have been watching YouTube videos about cloth diapering/baby wearing, and saw one where they used receiving blankets for diapers. It was so cool, I wanted to check it out.  ) Now that I've figured it out, I'm excited to ever get to try it.  It was so funny, while I was trying to figure it out, DS asked what I was doing, and when I told him making a diaper, he said he wanted to wear it.  It just didn't fit at all. 

I got the Moby tonight, $10, which I think is a good deal, since the cheapest I was finding was ~$50, but I didn't realize how crazy long it is! It doesn't look that long in the videos.  I'm excited to try it, but DD wanted me to wait until tomorrow so she could sleep with *all* her dolls tonight. 

[TIFF4NY]

So my mom called me this morning and informed me that her and my dad would paint DD's room for me TOMORROW so they came over and we measured the room and headed off to the paint store for paint and supplies. My mom is a no nonsense lady when it comes to this stuff! So I will spend today getting everything moved towards the middle of the room and cleaning up the best I can. I'll be so happy to have it all done though!

[bmcneal]

Originally Posted by TIFF4NY 

So my mom called me this morning and informed me that her and my dad would paint DD's room for me TOMORROW so they came over and we measured the room and headed off to the paint store for paint and supplies. My mom is a no nonsense lady when it comes to this stuff! So I will spend today getting everything moved towards the middle of the room and cleaning up the best I can. I'll be so happy to have it all done though!

That's so neat, TIFF4NY!

[omphaloskepsis]

Originally Posted by bmcneal 

That's awesome, JennJenn! I haven't had much luck with the consignment stores here, just a few receiving blankets for under $1/each to use for whatever. (I have been watching YouTube videos about cloth diapering/baby wearing, and saw one where they used receiving blankets for diapers. It was so cool, I wanted to check it out.  ) Now that I've figured it out, I'm excited to ever get to try it.  It was so funny, while I was trying to figure it out, DS asked what I was doing, and when I told him making a diaper, he said he wanted to wear it.  It just didn't fit at all. 

I got the Moby tonight, $10, which I think is a good deal, since the cheapest I was finding was ~$50, but I didn't realize how crazy long it is! It doesn't look that long in the videos.  I'm excited to try it, but DD wanted me to wait until tomorrow so she could sleep with *all* her dolls tonight. 

$10 sounds like an AMAZING deal on a Moby to me!! They are super long (especially if you're small like me!), but I really love mine for when baby is teeny tiny. It's so very comfy and they sleep so well once you get it snug!

[bmcneal]

Originally Posted by omphaloskepsis 

$10 sounds like an AMAZING deal on a Moby to me!! They are super long (especially if you're small like me!), but I really love mine for when baby is teeny tiny. It's so very comfy and they sleep so well once you get it snug!

I ended up trying it on, and at least with the belly, I had a bit of trouble tying it, but it seemed secure enough. Once I realized I had tied it correctly, I couldn't help but sneak in the kids' room and borrow one of DD's dolls to try it out.  It was a lot easier (with a doll...) than I thought it would be to get baby in and out. It was funny, because DD woke up and was like, "My doll must have gotten up last night, because I left her in the pile of babies, but she was on the other side of my bed when I woke up." She was so excited about her baby getting up that I couldn't bring myself to tell her it was me.

[firespiritmelody]

$10 is a total steal for a moby!! Yay for good deals!

So my mom called me this morning (we work together so we see each other almost every day - our days off are opposite so we rarely get to do anything together except after work and we don't close until 9:00) so anyway, she she has Mondays off, and I spend the day at the shop. She called me this morning before work to see what I thought about her coming over this afternoon to spend a couple of hours helping my dh (who is a SAHD) clean up. OMG I was so excited. My mom is finicky but she can be a huge help and she doesn't get annoyed with the kids and they enjoy helping her. Our house is so trashed right now because we've been moving the shop so lots of stuff (including many animals) had to get brought here while we were in the process of actually moving. Anyway, the extra stuff combined with still only having one car, my massive ear infection and the lack of time to do anything in general has led to a pretty severe total break down of our house! To make matters worse, our mw's are coming for the home visit on Friday and this is a terrible week for it - I have to work to make up the hours I was out last week with the infection and dh has to do a shift at the preschool tomorrow (it's a co-op) and then Wednesday is a field trip at preschool and parents are required to attend and then on Thursday is our once-yearly mandatory preschool cleaning day... ug! All in one week!!

So, she came out this afternoon and cleaned our kitchen, did a bunch of dishes and stuff like that. There's still a ton to do, but it was a huge jump start to what needed to be done and I'm extremely greatful! Now dh and I just have to do the rest lol. Oh well, we'll get there!

[expat-mama]

• make appointment for house cleaners to come and do top-to-bottom clean incl windows
• put together sidecar crib, change table still need to arrange sidecar safely
• buy new & bigger fridge
• wash all old and new baby clothes, blankets, cloth diapers etc
• organize diaper station and baby's dresser
• stock freezer with ready-made meals, snacks and crockpot meals still need to do some GF foods for DS
• buy mama supplies for labour and after birth (need another list here entirely...)
• wash ergo, sling, and infant carseat 
• buy new nursing cover
• find/clean/organize breast pump, bottles & all pumping and bottle accessories
• write up birth plan to give to midwives and post on wall at birth centre
• decide whether or not we'll use oral vitamin k this time- if so, order it!
• design email birth announcement
• potty train DS (working on this one, it's SLOW going) taking a break on this, looks like I'll have 2 in diapers
• organize kitchen cupboards and pantry
• buy a bassinet or other portable around-the-house spot for baby to sleep/rest in
• KEGELS - yoga - breathing/birth practice and more kegels
• look for occasional baby sitter for DS
• Have more sex! to get DH ready for the dry spell I know is looming...

• Get guestroom etc organized for my mom to visit for a month
• Visit preschools and start applications and wait list process for DS to start in Sept.
•  Find a used/new nursing chair
• Buy belly binder
• tour birthing centre
  
  • buy new nursing bras and comfy clothes/ PJs
  • put together activities/busy box for DS to have while I am nursing baby
  • do recommended exercises to get this frank breech baby to FLIP and stay flipped 

This list it still too huge. Wah!

[Oliver's Mama]

yesterday I starting having my first BH of this pregnancy, which caused me to really kick it into high gear. I guess since last time it started only a week before I went into labor.  I think I did like 5 loads of laundry and got the changing table all set.  Despite a winter storm on the way, today's errand is to buy a tricycle for ds2's birthday. Still  a month away, but I'm suddenly getting the feeling that I want everything done before March!

[bmcneal]

Originally Posted by firespiritmelody 

$10 is a total steal for a moby!! Yay for good deals!

So my mom called me this morning (we work together so we see each other almost every day - our days off are opposite so we rarely get to do anything together except after work and we don't close until 9:00) so anyway, she she has Mondays off, and I spend the day at the shop. She called me this morning before work to see what I thought about her coming over this afternoon to spend a couple of hours helping my dh (who is a SAHD) clean up. OMG I was so excited. My mom is finicky but she can be a huge help and she doesn't get annoyed with the kids and they enjoy helping her. Our house is so trashed right now because we've been moving the shop so lots of stuff (including many animals) had to get brought here while we were in the process of actually moving. Anyway, the extra stuff combined with still only having one car, my massive ear infection and the lack of time to do anything in general has led to a pretty severe total break down of our house! To make matters worse, our mw's are coming for the home visit on Friday and this is a terrible week for it - I have to work to make up the hours I was out last week with the infection and dh has to do a shift at the preschool tomorrow (it's a co-op) and then Wednesday is a field trip at preschool and parents are required to attend and then on Thursday is our once-yearly mandatory preschool cleaning day... ug! All in one week!!

So, she came out this afternoon and cleaned our kitchen, did a bunch of dishes and stuff like that. There's still a ton to do, but it was a huge jump start to what needed to be done and I'm extremely greatful! Now dh and I just have to do the rest lol. Oh well, we'll get there!

I love finding good deals! That's one of the few (good) things I got from my dad, being able to find good deals on stuff. (As well as my ability to pack a lot of crap into a little space, but... that's not always so helpful.  )

That's really great that your mom helped out! I have been keeping up with the dishes, and the living room is staying *fairly* clean, but laundry... nuh uh. Not having a dryer or clothes line is really not helping in my being able to get the mountain of laundry in the laundry room done. But our car is *finally* fixed, so DF said once I pick it up, I can wash a lot of it and go down to laundromat, which will relieve *so* much of my stress.

[bmcneal]

1. Deep clean house

2. Check out consignment shop(s) for cloth diapers/clothes Haven't had much luck with consignment/resale shops for cloth, neither on CL, so DF wants me to just order some from semi-local cloth diaper store. I don't have paypal, so from the posts I've checked out, places like diaperswappers are out.

3. Decide carseat(s) We decided to just get a scenera for now, and get the radian(s) later on. A little more money in the long run, but I don't want DF to stress out about money right now.

4. Pack hospital bag

5. Get DF to figure out which pump his insurance will cover, and see what do we need to do

6. Clean out car

7. Buy the stuff for freezer/crock pot meals

8. Actually make and freeze meals I got two meals done this evening, and I would like to have at least 10, so not a bad start.

9. Get the rails on the top bunk so DD and DS can at least start out the night in their own beds The transition back to their own beds went a lot better than I expected, and DD at least is sleeping in her bed through the entire night. I woke up this morning to DS in bed with me, which I don't mind, but glad they are both willing to at least start out the night in their beds.

10. Pick a name

11. Write up a birth plan

To Buy:

1. Clothes

2. 1, 2, or 3 carseats We're just going to get the one, for the new babe. I really want to get this one, http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Scenera-Convertible-Car-Seat-Realtree/16932753 but not sure it's DF approved.

3. Bed for DF and I

4. Cloth diapers/cloth diaper accessories I ordered 2 more covers and 24 prefolds, and a couple of snappis. I am going to try and get a few more things, but... if not, I think we have a good start.

5. Take the kids to Build-a-Bear to build the baby a bear (Hope you don't mind my stealing this, firespiritmelody. It sounded like such a neat idea, and I know DD and DS will love it.)

6. Figure out something to give DD and DS from the baby

7. Full-figure/plus size nursing bras and/or just some nursing tanks

8. Some wraps/slings. Probably a Moby, at least, for now. I'm meeting someone this evening to get a Moby wrap for $10. So at least l'll have one wrap. 

9. A double stroller, and/or an umbrella stroller (for DD or DS, because one of them is always saying their legs hurt/they are tired of walking)

10. Maybe a playpen/pack and play. Not sure about this, though.

11. Get new alternator in the car.  We ended up taking it to shop, but since we already bought the new alternator, he's only charging us $55. So not too bad.

[Munchkin08]

• buy beads for necklace
• make necklace
• meet with doula
• take maternity photos
• send out thank you cards for shower -almost done - had to cross it off :) 
• buy any items final items needed
• attend diaper service demo and sign up
• pack hospital bag
• tour hospital
• write birth plan
• create playlist for labor
• ask a friend to send out email about meal train sign ups (send out when baby is born)
• install carseat
• deep clean/organize apartment: set up appointment with house cleaner
• buy & assemble Ikea furniture for second bedroom

• take Partner Yoga for Birth workshop
• take Breastfeeding Yoga workshop
• get prenatal massage
• get haircut
• get pedicure
• give OB staff pre-registration paperwork
• move office furniture
• sell futon
• move master bedroom furniture around
• put boxes in storage
• get baby stuff out of storage

[BeanBean06]

Originally Posted by BeanBean06 

1.Shampoo all the carpets
2. Shampoo the car and install the car seat
3. Buy moby wrap
4. Buy swing
5. Finish packing hospital bag - have everything purchased just need to assemble, that will be done by the weekend!
6. Order PP herbs
7. Get supplies for placenta storage
8. Order some nursing shirts
9. Rearrange furniture and move baby bassinet and rocker into our room
10. Make freezer meals
11. Buy diapers
12. Get maternity pics done - this weekend!
13. Buy breast pump or get rental set up - heard back and all I need is a RX for a pump and it'll be covered 100% woohoo!
14. Get animals vetted
15. Get dogs groomed
16. Curtains for our room
17. Search consignment for summer clothes
18. Do belly cast
19. finalize things with encapsulator

As I get things done, the list keeps growing!! Ahhhh! Lol

[Munchkin08]

Originally Posted by Munchkin08 

• buy beads for necklace
• make necklace
• meet with doula - rescheduled due to birth
• take maternity photos
• send out thank you cards for shower -almost done - had to cross it off :) 
• buy any items final items needed
• attend diaper service demo and sign up
• pack hospital bag
• tour hospital
• write birth plan
• create playlist for labor
• ask a friend to send out email about meal train sign ups (send out when baby is born)
• install carseat
• deep clean/organize apartment: set up appointment with house cleaner
• buy & assemble Ikea furniture for second bedroom

• take Partner Yoga for Birth workshop
• take Breastfeeding Yoga workshop
• get prenatal massage
• get haircut
• get pedicure
• give OB staff pre-registration paperwork
• move office furniture
• sell futon
• move master bedroom furniture around
• put boxes in storage
• get baby stuff out of storage

[omphaloskepsis]

Originally Posted by omphaloskepsis 

Ahhh...I love lists. :)

1. Order this: http://www.pottypail.com/order.php?pp100094 (not sure yet if I just need the sprayer or if I should go ahead and get the whole thing...any suggestions? it's mainly for my DH, who has a bit of a poop phobia, lol)

2. Purchase some cloth pads (I'm working on switching over to all cloth, but I'm super new at this. Does anybody have favorite pads to recommend?? Particularly for postpartum? Why are they your favorite?)  Decided that since I still have so many leftover disposable pads, I may as well just use them this time around and get or make cloth for my first PP period...you know, months from now when I don't have quite as many things to think about and life is hopefully less stressful, lol!

3. Adjust my sleeping schedule...I need to get to where I can get up before my kids do, lol. Mornings are hard!

4. Possibly order a belly binder (been loving the info this group has on that! I'd never heard of it before!)

5. Knit more wool soakers.

6. Figure out the best place to hang my new wet bags (my list seems a bit centered around the whole cloth diapering thing, lol...)

7. Get baby clothes out of attic/sort/organize

8. Set up baby's hammock

9. Order birth kit

10. Get my bed set up (nice sheets, then plastic sheet, then notsonice sheets...that way after birth you just take off the notsonice and the plastic and you have delicious clean sheets to snuggle into!)

11. Wrap my head around the idea that I am *ACTUALLY* going to have to *BIRTH* this baby at some point, LOL. It's all still feeling so surreal!

ETA: 12. Get my swing back from my mom!

blargh...I'm not getting enough done...exhaustion has hit me again, unfortunately! Please tell me I'll get a second wind before baby gets here!!

Adding to list:

13. Find someone to keep my kids occupied/fed while I'm in labor. I'd like to have them nearby, so I don't want my MIL to take them to her house like last time (wasn't a huge deal, but kind of wound up stressing me out in the end and I don't want that again!). I'd like them to have the option to watch the birth if they want to, so I need somebody who won't be freaked out by that (which means my awesome brother-in-law, who would be my first choice as far as watching the kids goes, is probably out, lol...pretty sure he doesn't want to watch! :P ).

Honestly, I thought I already had this one worked out, because I thought my mom was going to be at the birth, and my sister was willing to watch the kids. Buuuut a lot has happened since we talked about it, and long story short - I'm not so sure I WANT my mom or sister at the birth at this point. Which makes me really sad (my mom was at both my other births), and a bit unsure as to what I should do. I don't even know how to tell them that I don't want them there. I've considered just calling them after the fact to tell them that the baby's born, but I'm not sure which approach is better...dealing with the drama and hurt feelings now, while I'm pregnant and hormonal, or after the birth, when I'm exhausted and trying to enjoy my baby. *SIGH*

Sadly, there are just very few people that I feel comfortable giving birth around in general, and it seems my "least stressful people" list keeps getting shorter, lol. But I've got to have somebody to help, because otherwise my poor hubby will be stretched way too thin trying to watch out for the kids AND trying to help me with labor. I'm *trying* not to stress out over this, but at the same time...what to dooooo!?

Oh, woe is me! Pity party, pity party...

Okay. Gonna suck it up now. Really. Maybe I need to make another chocolate pie.....

[Munchkin08]

Here is what is left of my TO DO list:

 

• make necklace
• meet with doula - rescheduled due to birth

• attend diaper service demo and sign up
• pack hospital bag - I have made a list of the items I think I will need and identified what I can pack now and what I still need available and have to pack later

• take Breastfeeding Yoga workshop
• spa day: massage, haircut, pedicure

We have accomplished a lot!

But we (suddenly) added one more (potential) BIG item: MOVE?! We are talking about moving from our apartment to a town home unit in our same complex. Decisions, decisions! 

[Cali2SC]

So far my list is:

1.  Make the  list already!  

Update:

Ok list is finished:

Pre-baby to do lists

Birth/Post Partum:

1. practice relaxation techniques

2. make packing lists and pack bags for: me, DH, DD (for friends' house), and baby

3. write birth plans (natural hospital birth and emergency cesarean)

4. Yoga

5. Massage

6. Make "birth kits" for: DD, DH, my sister, friend keeping DD, something yummy for birth attendants

7. Decide on when we would like my sister to fly out

8. order any missing birth, post-partum, and baby supplies

9. Decide on Vit. K plan

10. Second meeting with Doula

11. Informal pregger photos?

House:

1. deep clean house

2. make room for baby

3. wash and put away baby diapers, clothes, gear

4. purchase 1-2 baby gates to keep dog off beds

5. finish painting/renovating family/guest room (currently a construction zone)

6. decide on, make shopping lists, and prepare freezer meals

7. clean front porch (currently a construction zone)

Also Farm List to prepare for breeding, spring babies, garden, and farm tour (the longest list... Oi!  )

Edited by Cali2SC - 3/11/13 at 7:45am