3 More Months

Hard to believe that in approximately 3 months we will be welcoming baby #3 to our family. Here is my recap on the difference between baby preparations:

Baby #1

• Everything is focused around the upcoming arrival.
• All major purchases have been made (car seat, crib, room is set up, clothes either washed in drawers or at least ready to be washed).
• Every conversation you have is about what baby monitor, bouncy chair, baby swing etc. etc. should be purchased or which one you have and why it is the best, safest etc.
• You start preparing or thinking about what type of freezer meals you can make for post-baby.
• You have help arranged for after baby comes.
• If you have not already, you have thought or started a list of things to take to the hospital.
• You have purchased a new camera.
• You have floated your list of things you need to buy yet or have to friends and family to make sure you have not forgotten anything.

Baby #2

• You have decided you better move baby #1 out of crib/current room to make room for the new sibling.
• You don't have too many purchases to make so you begin looking at what you have and decide to slowly start pulling it out, wiping down and setting up.
• You go through and sort clothes into gender neutral, boy, girl and by size.  No sense in washing yet.
• You discussions focus around how Baby #1 will adjust.
• You think about freezer meals then decide that last time half of them went freezer burnt so no sense in starting yet, you have lots of time.  Beside Baby #1 does not like casseroles or foods mixed together, make a mental note to stock up on hot dogs, kd and canned soup.
• You are stressed to no end on who will take care of Baby #1 when you go to hospital. Can a friend come over in the middle of the night? Will they sleep okay for the babysitter? Will they be upset? Behave? After all you don't want to disrupt Baby #1's schedule.
• You go buy one package of newborn diapers, one can never be too prepared.
• All your maternity leave papers are in place.
• You make sure you have childcare lined up for the first month or so after baby's arrival so Baby #1 does not have his/her nose out of joint and you can bond with the new baby.

Baby #3

• You conclude that 3 months is lots of time to prepare. You will get around to this in a month or two.
• You decide you have enough stuff to take care of an army of newborns. Make a mental note to check expiration date on baby bucket, if it is expired or close to it you will have to decide if it really matters. All notes are mental, no actual lists that would be way to overwhelming.
• Clothes right you make a mental note to go through baby clothes see what you have.  You conclude that as long as you can find a sleeper or two you will be fine.  Daddy and siblings can go shopping once baby is home and buy what you need. After all you will be wanting some alone time in the house.
• You decide the older siblings will be fine. Stressing about their reaction is not going to change anything.  One night you go through baby pictures of siblings with them.  This is two-fold, one they think it is neat to see themselves as a baby and two, well you can sit and do this instead of running around the house playing rescue bots, hide and seek, monster etc. etc.
• You decide that sooner or later you need to move siblings into the same room so Baby #3 has a bedroom.  You decide this can be done about a month before baby arrives, no sense in having sleepless nights now too.
• Preparing meals, hahaha, you hardly have time or energy to make daily meals, you keep thinking that a nesting instinct will kick in and you will have lots of energy to do this.  Or that is what you keep telling yourself, knowing deep down inside it won't and refer back to Baby #2 theory, make a mental note to stock up on hot dogs, kd and canned soup as it comes on sale.
• You decide that if you have to wake kids up in the middle of the night and take them somewhere or a friend or family member comes over to babysit they will be fine.  Might be a long night/day for that friend or family member but it is only one day, everyone will survive.
• You start watching for diaper sales, this is one area where you will stock up on to save money.
• You keep forgetting to get the Dr. note you need for you maternity leave paperwork.  You make mental note that at your next appointment you cannot forget to do this.
• You realize that keeping two kids in daycare for a month or two after the baby is born is way to much money.  You go buy a trampoline and hope that this will occupy siblings for hours over the summer while you sit in the shade feeding/snuggling baby.

So  there you have it, in a nut shell the preparations we have made to date for baby #3.  Lots of time and with seeding in May and Chris starting his new position in June we should have lots of time to begin and complete preparations. Right!?