what are you doing to prepare your household for the baby? - Page 2

[crsta33]

Originally Posted by MamaFern

*elwynn is sleeping most of the time in his bed now, in preparation for the new baby sharing my bed.. then ( but we still share a bed quite a lot..)

I'm trying to encourage Kenna to sleep in her bed in our bedroom, but I'm worse than she is! She's in my bed tonight b/c dh won't be home until late and I just feel more secure with her next to me. She requests "Kenna's bed" quite often and usually falls asleep there, though she crawls in with me during the night most nights. A few times she's stayed in her bed until morning.

I really don't know how things are going to work when the baby gets here. And dh really wants to move back into our bed (I banished him for snoring and keeping me up too much).

[flapjack]

Okay, I'm nearly there.
Another 3 baskets waiting to be done of dirty laundry. More sodding ironing.
Fix new ladder to get into loft, send husband into loft, find out if anything "good" is up there.
Make lots of money selling my children's clothes at the Nearly New sale next week. Buy new clothes for said children.
Make more cake. Freeze cake before eating cake.
Make more quiche. Freeze quiche before eating quiche.
Clean and tidy children's toy boxes, preferably without supervision. Sort baby toys from everything else, get rid of the battery operated crap (again, NNS).
Paint kitchen. Build new cupboard and some shelving
Paint utility/play room. Move remaining 1500 books to charity shops. Freecycle large bookcase.
Put toyboxes on remaining bookcase, so children have a playroom as well as their bedroom.
Christmas. Halloween
Organise joint birthday party for two children. (Alex's b'day is 10 days after my due date- 6 days after my d-date by scan. Isaac's is in the middle of the summer holidays. For some ungodly reason, I thought late October would be a good time to do a party for both of them.)
Buy birthday presents for Alex
Finish reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire before going into labour (a chapter a night before they go to bed.)
Re-henna my belly
Belly cast.
And I THINK that might be it. It's not actually that much, it just looks a lot when you write it down like that. Still, at least I won't get bored

[Queen of Cups]

I didn't read all the responses because I'm short on time at the moment, but here's what I've already done:
-bought and washed all newborn diapers
-finished the baby's quilt (okay, I'm 45 minutes from finishing it - that's why I can't spend long on the computer tonight!)
-washed and organized all baby clothes (in boxes labeld "Boys 0-6m" "Girls 0-6m" "Gender Neutral 0-12m" etc)
-frozen about a dozen meals so far
-have plans for MIL to arrive to spend the last month helping out at our house and to be there for DS during my labor/birth if he doesn't want to stay through it, though I'm hoping he will!

If I go into labor before 36 weeks, my midwife/ob-gyn/L&D at the hospital do everything possible to prevent it, so I'm aiming for 36 weeks to be my ready-for-baby mark. By then I will have:

-packed bag for hospital stay and store in garage
-made treat/goodie basket for midwives/nurses at hospital and store in garage
-gotten out cradle to set up in master bedroom for the first few weeks
-washed sheets for cradle and crib
-get some baskets to have to hold sleepers and gowns for the first couple weeks when you have to change baby's clothes sooo often, I want one for the master bedroom and one for the nursery (I'm running out of room in the dresser drawers)
-install carseat
-buy carseat bad weather cover
-put another few meals in freezer
-get the house totally spic-n-span so all we'll have to do is bare minimum maintenance as far as housework goes (I'm almost there already!)
-DH and I are making a train table for DS - its going to be a present from the baby and will hopefully help keep him occupied the first few weeks the baby is here

[birthjunkie27]

I'll overwhelm myself if I write out my entire list, so I'll just write my goals for today.

- Finish washing all baby diapers

- Bring in changing table from garage, clean

- Bring in baby carseat from garage, wash cover

- If I'm feeling really ambitious and I get all of the above done, make a meal to freeze. Well, one for dinner tonight and one to freeze. Is it too soon to do this? I still have another 8 weeks or so ( I'm anticipating a 37-38 weeker).

[Queen of Cups]

My understanding is that if you have a chest style deep freezer, foods last almost forever. In the freezer section of your fridge they won't last as long because the door is constantly opening/shutting allowing temp changes and its just not as cold to begin with. But, I would think 7-8 weeks would be no problem at all - as long as you wrap meals very tightly. Be sure to put in freezer bags or tupperware with very little empty space in the top - don't just wrap with tinfoil.

[flyingspaghettimama]

Originally Posted by Queen of Cups

Be sure to put in freezer bags or tupperware with very little empty space in the top - don't just wrap with tinfoil.

Why is the tinfoil bad? My freezer book suggests using tinfoil. Is this only for people with the chest-style freezers?

[bucaye]

Man, all you ladies are organized!!! Not me. I still have 8 weeks left . . .
kinda feel, been there done that?!?! I know I got lots to do . . .

- purchased boy clothes, haven't washed them yet
- baby's room is clean, but closet still full of dh stuff
- purchased baby supplies (been doing that for months so as not to hurt the wallet as badly)
- been talking to baby bear to let him know to help me with labor
- hired a housekeeper (thanks Mom!!) to get the house in shape

What I need to do . . . ???
the list is endless . . .


Hugs to all on getting things done

[Queen of Cups]

Its not that foil is bad - its just that you can't get a totally air-tight seal with it. Sometimes I'll put foil over the top of something to make it easier to reheat later, then put it in a big freezer bag.

[spiritmomma]

Infant CPR

Add to my prep list that I have just signed up for an Infant CPR class at one of our local hospitals. The class is only $20 and could be the difference between a close call and a tragedy! I'd say this is one of the most important investments one can make if they are having a baby. Just thought I'd share the idea....

[3for3hb]

My hardcore nesting has paid off!!!
I woke up at 2am today and couldn't sleep so I did 3 loads of laundry, picked up around the room and hall, organized the laundry closet, got stains out of the carpet in the bedroom from when Willem dragged the bathroom trash all over the floor and got my eyeliner pencil shavings into the rug : , I hung two shelves up in the baby part of the bedroom (dh woke up and was like... uh, are you okay? then rolled over and went back to sleep), organized the onesies and baby kimonoes, set up a diapering section on the changing table (which is really acting as the baby dresser), started filling my new (newly refinished, really) dresser with clothes, gathered together some more of the birth supplies from around the house, set the water distiller to "make" more water, and.... here's my favorite :LOL :LOL :LOL at about 4 am I went outside and greased the hinges on my husbands truck :LOL (I remembered how squeaky they were from when I drove his truck last so I got the WD40 out and greased 'em up!!! He was awestruck when he woke up.

I'm freaking out here!!!

[BensMom]

OK, now I want to know how on earth you survived a day with a toddler after no sleep and all that work! You are super-woman!

I woke up at 4am and kept my tired butt in bed and told my self "sleep you idiot". :LOL

[spiritmomma]

I LOVE that you greased your dh's truck doors! That is hilarious! You are a power nester! :

[crsta33]

Originally Posted by flyingspaghettimama

Why is the tinfoil bad? My freezer book suggests using tinfoil. Is this only for people with the chest-style freezers?

I was wondering that too. I wrap in plastic wrap and then tinfoil...which means I have to remember to take the plastic wrap off *before* it goes in the oven.

Christa

[3for3hb]

I think just using tinfoil will allow air to contact the food and give it freezer burn. If you wrap it in plastic first, you should get a better seal.

[Gunter]

I started freezing food this week. I am using glass Pyrex dishes...smaller ones. And, for baked goods, I am using Freezer type plastic bags. What should I use to freeze soup?

Flapjack- I totally have been munching on the foods as I make them. Must freeze them and not eat them, but they look so yummy.