How's your TO DO before baby list coming along? - Page 2

[triana1326]

Originally Posted by hyz

I probably have more left to do than most people...

HA! Take a gander at my to-do list:


Around the House
Find location/space for toys/furniture – hang rest on porchDONE
Clean out closets - DONE
Take stuff to Goodwill
Start getting stuff ready for yard saleDONE
Wash windows
Get James to build me some shelves in the bathroom!!!DONE
Rent carpet/upholstery cleaner to do carpets and couchDONE
Have Mom get painter to paint trim and ceilings DONE
Deep Clean and Declutter:
Bathroom
Living Room
Kitchen
Dining Room/Office
Bedroom ALL DONE
Purge all unnecessary things from kitchen, bathroom, and closetsDONE
Tackle storage unit – dump/yard sale/ and freecycle
Wash bed blankets DONE
Move crib to my side of the bed/Change nightstands/find new home for booksDONE
Hang blinds in last window in bedroomDONE
Make curtain for living roomDONE
Stock up pantry with staples so we don’t have to make extra trip to the store
Wash baby clothes/diapers as I get them
Work on garden/Weed/plant seedlings/Turn compost into 3rd binDONE
Finish garden fence/3rd compost binDONE
Take junk to dump/bottles to redemption/recycling to transfer station

Before Birth
Write Emergency hospital birth plansDONE
Start birth classesDONE
Make a labor play list
Start Stocking the freezer – make plenty of breakfast meals/breads
Pack birth center bag/hospital bagDONE
Start Hypnobabies cdsDONE
Start going to LLL meetingsDONE
Install Car Seat

Medical Stuff
Find a Pediatrician who’s accepting of our choices
Buy oral Vit K for after birth/Talk to midwife about itDONE
Get/make emergency Birth Supply Kit for houseDONE
Tour Augusta hospitalDONE
Tour Bridgeton hospitalDONE
Teach James how to do perineal massageDONE
Attend breastfeeding class?

Crafting
Make salves/wipe solution for baby
Make herbs and tinctures for labor/birth/ post partum
Get mama cloth pads or make them myself
Buy or find thank you notes for baby shower/mother’s blessing/random giftsDONE
Finish quilt and put on batting and backing
Make more baby clothes
Make ring sling – see website
Make nursing bras – see website
Make strawberry cordial for inducing labor/celebrating after!DONE
Make diaper wipes from towelsDONE
Make my own boppy – see website

Misc. Stuff
Call Jane about next visit to Birth HouseDONE
Make list of what I still need for baby/me/postpartum stuffDONE
Get diapers/covers from Maine Cloth Diaper Co./Return DVD/Give her salve
Continue looking at garage sales/Goodwill for playpen
Create registry online for baby stuff DONE
Make separate list for what Mom needs in her apartment for babyDONE
Get Professional Pregnancy Photos? Take some if not
Make phone tree list for after the birthDONE
Figure out who’s driving to birth center logisticsDONE

Research/Books/Videos
Look into getting the HypnoBabies cdsDONE
Watch babywearing DVDDONE
Read the books I have
Research breastfeeding/cdingDONE
Research and buy herbs
Figure out what to make for diaper wipe solutionDONE
Actually do prenatal yoga videoDONE


This list is color-coded at home so DH can tell what he can do without me, as well as which month to do it in.

Yeah, I'm not a Virgo or anything

[hyz]

Originally Posted by triana1326

HA! Take a gander at my to-do list:

Hey, you cheated by including completed items! And actually, if I listed things out in that much detail, I'd truly scare myself into paralysis. I'm just trying to tell myself that EVERYTHING at this point is a want, not a need, and if I don't get it done before baby gets here, I'll get it done after (if it really needs to be done) or not at all. I figure kids (and parents) survive in much worse conditions than we'll have, even if she was born tomorrow, right? Plus, this attitude helps me not to drive DH (quite so) crazy with my constant stressed-out demands that EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE NOW!!!!

[triana1326]

I know that most of this stuff could wait until after the baby's born, but I react strongly to my environment - when my house gets cluttered, I start getting stressed out. So, for me to be able to relax and enjoy the first 3 months of maternity leave, I *know* that I should get as much done now as I possibly can...

[hyz]

Originally Posted by triana1326

I know that most of this stuff could wait until after the baby's born, but I react strongly to my environment - when my house gets cluttered, I start getting stressed out. So, for me to be able to relax and enjoy the first 3 months of maternity leave, I *know* that I should get as much done now as I possibly can...

I totally, completely agree. I just wish DH felt the same way.

[barefootpoetry]

Originally Posted by apelilae

To do list??? CRAP!!!

Okay...

My to do list is to make a to do list.

:

Originally Posted by ryansma

Whats a birth board ?

Have you seen The Secret? It's kinda the same as a dream board. Basically, it's a collage of pictures relating to birth, (or ones that have meaning for you in regards to this time, don't have to be directly about birth) along with quotes and other bits and bobs that you can look at and focus your energy on. They use this technique in The Secret to help you achieve any certain goal that you want, because it directs your energy and helps you visualize accomplishing it. My goal is a happy homebirth, so I am making a board for it.

[Love_My_Babies]

Aha! The post a few months ago about to-do lists made me actually make one. I have gotten so much accomplished since then.

Done:
Reassign & Rearrange bedrooms
Purge toys and create play room in spare bedroom
Landscape backyard
Help kids plant veggie garden, sunflower fort and pumpkin tunnel
Purge closets and basement & have a garage sale (done as of TODAY!)
Get out and wash newborn - 6 month stuff

To-Do:
Move both kids into their new beds
Install co-sleeper
Sew size L (for DS2) and size S (for DS3) diapers
Sew skirts for labor, delivery and recovery
Sew curtains for bedrooms
Hit the farmer's markets and friends' gardens to can, freeze and dry fruits, herbs and veggies (rhubarb is done -- next up is strawberries)
Get all scrapbooks up-to-date (MIL is helping with this one)
Update emergency numbers and daily routine for whoever takes care of the kids while I am in the hospital

[bettie cracker]

I need to add to my to do list --- find 2 more bases for our infant car seat. Does anyone know, are most infant seat bases compatible for all seats within a brand? Our seat is 4 years old, and of course they don't make that model any longer - but I wonder if the new base will work? I will call the manufacturer on Monday, but I figured I would ask her as well.

[Astoria]

My TO-DO list scares me:

- Start and finish a chapter of my dissertation I promised to my advisors before the baby comes, despite school ending in a week and no appreciable child care.

- Clean up and reorganize to try and fit a baby (and some stuff for her) in an apartment that barely has room for the 4 of us as it is and zero storage.

- Wait and see what is gifted / borrowed /begged and then find the rest of what I might need for the baby at the last minute. (This includes a whole stash of cloth diapers.)

- Research my options at this point for trying to avoid a c-section. Decide if its worth it anymore. Possibly transfer care (to whom? in time?).

That's all, but I'm telling you, none of them are fun and the first one is a doozy!

[treehugginhippie]

Originally Posted by triana1326

I know that most of this stuff could wait until after the baby's born, but I react strongly to my environment - when my house gets cluttered, I start getting stressed out. So, for me to be able to relax and enjoy the first 3 months of maternity leave, I *know* that I should get as much done now as I possibly can...

Oooooooh yes! I feel the EXACT same way about my environment. I'm also doing things now so I won't have to for awhile afterwards so I can just enjoy my babymoon.

[Surfer Rosa]

It's awesome seeing everyone's lists, and having my memory jogged about other stuff I need to do. We also need to do stuff like install the carseat, and pack a labour bag, but I don't really need to remind myself to do that, so it's just on the mental list.

Right now my "to do list" consists of surviving the last few weeks of school! Overall, here's the enormo list:

School
-Tackle the pile of marking that makes me want to weep...oh, and report cards!
-Gather all my stuff, get it home somehow (i'm off for at least a year)
-Deal with parent calls/interviews and failures (one of my courses is dealing with students who've slipped through the cracks, so June is MANIC!)

HOME
I'm actually doing better with this than I thought! We've moved E into her big kid's room (totally reno-d, mostly by DH), I've gone through all our clothes and given away/sold a bunch of stuff, and we're donating a bunch of things to a local garage sale fundraiser...I've also managed to get some time in the garden, so it's not too wild looking (something I'd kind of given up on).

Still to do:
-Tile the back hall
-Pressure wash the back of the house
-more decluttering

Baby
-Steam clean the baby's room, do some touch ups, re-assemble the bassinette beside my bed, etc. Remember who I loaned baby stuff to, and pick it up.
-Wash all the baby stuff
-A few more diapers/covers to get
-Do my mental prep for labour!
-Do the drive to the hospital and check out the practicalities (parking, etc.) finally mail off my pre-admission form so it won't be an admin nightmare when we show up.

Etc
I need to sort out daycare for my daughter. We want to keep her in a preschool setting 3 days a week (for everyone's sanity, but mostly b/c she's a really social kid and will go nuts being at home all the time). Plus she starts kindergarten next Sept (09) so I need to start working on pre/post care (for her and full time for the baby), in case I go back to work then. Daycare options here are SLIM!
-Do all my EI/Mat leave paperwork, which is crazy. I don't know how it works in the US, but here you get a set amt. from the gov't (max of $400/week, which is what I'll get) for 50 weeks, then your employer can top up the rest (for me, it's 95% for 6 weeks, then something like another $200/week for 11 weeks, then I just get the gov't top up). However, DH is taking paternity leave, as he gets waaaay better top up (95% top up for 10 months), so we're splitting the leave. We'll both be off for a year (he's starting a grad program), but I'll take 17 weeks paid (I have to, by law) and he'll take the remaining 35 weeks paid.

There's a lot of stuff I've realized I need to let slide/pass the buck on, as I just don't have the energy to think about it, let alone do it

[mamascarlett]

Originally Posted by triana1326

HA! Take a gander at my to-do list:


Around the House
Find location/space for toys/furniture – hang rest on porch
Clean out closets - DONE
Take stuff to Goodwill
Start getting stuff ready for yard sale
Wash windows
Get James to build me some shelves in the bathroom!!!DONE
Rent carpet/upholstery cleaner to do carpets and couch
Have Mom get painter to paint trim and ceilings DONE
Deep Clean and Declutter:
Bathroom
Living Room
Kitchen
Dining Room/Office
Bedroom
Purge all unnecessary things from kitchen, bathroom, and closets
Tackle storage unit – dump/yard sale/ and freecycle
Wash bed blankets DONE
Move crib to my side of the bed/Change nightstands/find new home for books
Hang blinds in last window in bedroomDONE
Make curtain for living roomDONE
Stock up pantry with staples so we don’t have to make extra trip to the store
Wash baby clothes/diapers as I get them
Work on garden/Weed/plant seedlings/Turn compost into 3rd bin
Finish garden fence/3rd compost binDONE
Take junk to dump/bottles to redemption/recycling to transfer station

Before Birth
Write Emergency hospital birth plansDONE
Start birth classes
Make a labor play list
Start Stocking the freezer – make plenty of breakfast meals/breads
Pack birth center bag/hospital bag
Start Hypnobabies cds

After Birth
Start going to LLL meetings
Install Car Seat

Medical Stuff
Find a Pediatrician who’s accepting of our choices
Buy oral Vit K for after birth/Talk to midwife about itDONE
Get/make emergency Birth Supply Kit for house
Tour Augusta hospitalDONE
Tour Bridgeton hospital
Teach James how to do perineal massage
Attend breastfeeding class?

Crafting
Make salves/wipe solution for baby
Make herbs and tinctures for labor/birth/ post partum
Get mama cloth pads or make them myself
Buy or find thank you notes for baby shower/mother’s blessing/random giftsDONE
Finish quilt and put on batting and backing
Make more baby clothes
Make ring sling – see website
Make nursing bras – see website
Make strawberry cordial for inducing labor/celebrating after!
Make my own boppy – see website

Misc. Stuff
Call Jane about next visit to Birth House
Make list of what I still need for baby/me/postpartum stuff
Get diapers/covers from Maine Cloth Diaper Co./Return DVD/Give her salve
Continue looking at garage sales/Goodwill for playpen
Create registry online for baby stuff
Make separate list for what Mom needs in her apartment for baby
Get Professional Pregnancy Photos? Take some if not
Make phone tree list for after the birth
Figure out who’s driving to birth center logistics

Research/Books/Videos
Look into getting the HypnoBabies cdsDONE
Watch babywearing DVDDONE
Read the books I have
Research breastfeeding/cdingDONE
Research and buy herbs
Figure out what to make for diaper wipe solutionDONE
Actually do prenatal yoga video


This list is color-coded at home so DH can tell what he can do without me, as well as which month to do it in.

Yeah, I'm not a Virgo or anything

Do you mind sharing your diaper wipe solution recipe?

[jwpsgurl]

Well, since I don't have one, I am making one right now!

1. Steam clean carpets

2. Organize all of DDs baby clothes

3. Make a few more NB diapers

4. Wash all diapers and woolies and put away.

5. Make bumper pads

6. Finish DD's 1 year scrapbook

Not too much! maybe I will start nesting soon and I will actually get it all done!

[allborntogrow]

Well, I am actually, actually, starting to get somethings done.

We got a carseat. Hubby and my dad are going over to the neighbour's tomorrow to pick up the changing table. I called the store that sells the Ergo and they are going to call me when the color we want comes in. That's progress!

I've been training my temporary replacement at work for a week now, too.

The biggest, most pressing to do is rearrange all the furniture. I don't even really have a list (I find that to-do lists make me want to spend money ) but I know that we need to get the bedrooms organized. So maybe next weekend . . .

[almadianna]

another virgo here... and i emailed my list to my husband already and he was like.. WHAT?
my husband is a lazy virgo who makes the rest of us look bad.

[ryansma]

Originally Posted by ryansma

To Do
Finish Ryan's baby album
Do something with my wedding pictures
Bring up baby clothes and sort into sizes 0 -3, 3- 6
Remove garage shelves so I can get to other side of the van with baby in carseat
Donate all items not sold at our garage sale this weekend
Have my house cleaned before the birth (yes cleaned, meaning I am NOT cleaning it )

Well our neighborhood garage sale was yesterday and was quite a bust. Not much traffic. I am not much of a garage sale person anyway but thought I would give it a go- never again. So we put a curb alert on craigslist for everything that didn't sell, which was pretty much everything. And everything was gone by this evening. Whooo hoooo Gotta love that. Absolutely none of what was out there was "trash" so I am glad someone has it. So now the garage shelves are clear - dh just has to take them down. I feel lighter - well mentally at least

[accountclosed3]

so, i wrote out the to-do list altogether and got things rolling this weekend.

big projects

• rearrange yoga room into yoga-office space so that DH has a place to work while i'm home (done today)
• purge 4 closets including old clothes, DH's action figure collection (there are many he wants to get rid of) and various "odds and ends" that are unused;
• purge current office and finish adapting yoga room into office which includes: paper covering all of the books with white paper and blue titles so that they blend better into the room itself, put second computer (large, not lap top) into yoga room closet as place for second computer to be hidden while not in use with yoga props also to be kept there, get rid of office furnishings;
• adapt office into guest room: painting the room (two walls), new curtains, moving current bedroom furniture into that room;
• purge kitchen (started today)
• purge living room and dining room (started today)

small projects

• organize construction guys to repair their repairs;
• organize cleaning service for "deep clean" of the house;
• organize cleaning of the vent system (heating cooling) to decrease dust, etc.

i consider these small projects because it's mostly just making appointments.

birth and baby projects

• finish baby shower registry;
• get mattress and set up our bedroom in preparation for baby;
• buy and organize whatever is needed for the baby that isn't given at the baby shower.

so, it's not too bad. we do have enough time. tomorrow, i hope to get the LR well purged and then to start moving the books into the yoga room/office space so that i can start on the book-covering process.

the toughest thing is working around DH, who seems to thrive on clutter (he likes piles of papers mostly), and who hates to purge and go through things like his books or action figure collection. i know that latter one is particularly tough, but we've already divided it into keep (and ready to store) and give away/sell/whatnot--he just hasnt' done the second part of the action!

ah well, tomorrow is a work out day, and i can get him to do a little bit of work on work out days (rather than writing days). i'm hoping that he'll go through his papers on the dining room table (formerly his favorite place to work), and then put those into place in the yoga room/office.

i plan on just getting that LR done, and maybe starting in on the kitchen. both rooms should be pretty easy. i don't know if i'll get both done tomorrow, but at least one done and one started.

i still feel overwhelmed, but if i can do some things during the week, it will help.

for me, purging clothes and stuff is great. it's so easy for me to purge my stuff--and i have purged so much of my stuff. my husband, though, not much at all. he's tough like that.

[Alathia]

Originally Posted by apelilae

To do list??? CRAP!!!

Okay...

My to do list is to make a to do list.

yeah, TOTALLY what she said. The only thing I can think of is to get a new car seat!

[triana1326]

Originally Posted by mamascarlett

Do you mind sharing your diaper wipe solution recipe?

I've got about twenty - I'll pm you this evening with the recipes, since I have them all at home, not here at work...

[Swiftyjess]

And now how is everyone doing?
I've created a large to do list in part by reading all of yours.
It's a scary list for sure...but I can get it done right?
Here is my To do:
Clean out LO's closet to make room for new baby's things

Clean our room to make a place for baby

Change lightbulbs

Wash windows

Clean out fridge/freezer

shampoo carpets

Buy/make thank you notes

Read doula contract

Begin birth plans

Purge things

[Leisha]

Oh my... I still have so much to do before the birth!!

My EDD is 25 august so that leaves me three weeks to...

- Buy matress (and sheets etc) for the crib - done
- pre-wash cloth diapers DONE
- buy changing cushion DONE
- get babybath from my brother and SIL, and some other things they have said we can borrow from them (I hope they haven't forgotten, I hate asking for things like that - like the breast pump! lol) DONE (well they're bringing the bath tomorrow) - done (well the bath anyway and also some more clothes and a baby sling)
- buy pp pads and nursing pads DONE
- cook and freeze some meals (probably pasta sauces, some soup and a chicken stew - I'm not a very versatile cook )
- pack my bag for the hospital! will probably have to buy some kind of pijamas - semi-done lol
- choose/design a birth announcement card and little gifts (am thinking lavender sachets maybe, or bath tea... but it will be some work so I have to start asap!!!) - almost done!
- get all the addresses from family and friends to send the birth announcement cards to - done
- buy some baskets and stuff to organise the baby's things, for on the changing table and in the baby's wardrobe etc like for cotton wool and also socks and things like that DONE
- go through all the baby clothes we've been given/given on loan; sort them by size, wash them, put them in the wardrobe, ... STARTED ;-) - done mostly
- there's still a bunch of little things I have to buy - done mostly
- go shopping for things like milk, canned things etc and stock the cellar with things so we'll have enough food in the house to keep going for a couple of days - started on this

- and I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting things here!!!


We've only recently moved (a week ago) and before that, I didn't do much to prepare for the baby yet. Now we're in the new appartment, I'm realizing how much needs to be done!
There's also some move-related stuff I still have to arrange, like going to the district to get our address officialy changed (and then have it changed at the bank, insurance, etc etc etc); hanging the curtains; unpacking a box or two that's still left; ...


I hope everyone else is better prepared than me!