So. I'm 31 weeks, 2 days preggers at the moment.
And I only know because I wrote it out on the calendar, every Friday, until October14.
When I was prego with Alex, I'd have to say that by this point, I had close to everything I needed to welcome our new little bundle of joy into the world. Diapers, wipes, butt cream, Vaseline and mylicon drops were all carefully arranged in a basket where we would change diapers, bouncy seat, swing and the like sat with fresh batteries, waiting to be used in the living room, all of our gender neutral infant clothing was washed in Dreft, folded lovingly, and stacked beautifully in the baby's dresser drawers, and my hospital bag was packed as well as I could with all the useful advice and lack of experience that I had at my disposal.
When Ben was born, however, I think I sent Jon home with a list of things AFTER he was born of stuff I'd need in the morning. All I remember from that night was that he got the kids dressed as he got them up and I really wondered about the wisdom of that since I'd probably give birth on the side of the road at this point and why have my contractions stopped....??
But this bambino (or bambina)? Um, we've got some work to do. Names, Godparents, packing, rereading the Bradley workbook from Alex's birth (I mean it this time, no drugs!) finding the cradle and clothes in the basement and getting them undusty, relearning how to work a Moby wrap, pain meds and a Costco sized container of Lanolin for me......
I feel like I've got all the time in the world, and twenty minutes, all wrapped up in one.
One thing that's nice about having a baby this time around is knowing that the world will not stop spinning on its axis if I don't have the nursery completely set up for the little one's arrival home. Really, the kid will be in our room, probably in my bed, nursing at the craziest intervals.
I think at this rate, it would be good to put together a list of things that I REALLY will need when the baby is born, and I don't want to send my sleep deprived hubs out to get in the middle of the night:
1. Coffee. And while we're on the subject, half and half and sugar, because without it, I won't make it through the day after the sleepless night.
2. Water bottles. There's that whole "keep your hydration levels up while nursing thing," but it really seems to kick in at night when you're going through some wicked hot flashes and I consume enough H2O to look like I just ran a marathon. 'Cause I kinda did.
3. Lanolin and painkillers. Breast may be best, but man, its a beast.
4. More diapers and wipes in more locations than I know what to do with because when the kid blows out another diaper and outfit, I will not hightail it upstairs to find replacements. Besides, in all honestly, I can't rely on my kiddoes to go upstairs to get a newborn diaper and a new onesie, because they'll come down with a pull-up and Katie's swimsuit from three years ago with a sheepish look on their face and say something like, "it was all I could find!"
5. The remote. Can I tell you again how absolutely tickled I am to have cable again? IN MY BEDROOM????
6. Laundry detergent. (Don't worry, my days of Dreft didn't go far past the first couple of months of Alex's life. Like my days of having whole milk for Alex, 2% for the hubs and Lactose Free for me when Alex was a year old. Some things, you just get over.) Remember the aforementioned blowout? Laundry 24/7, my friends, laundry 24/7.
7. Food stashed in my bedroom. The one thing that knocked me clear off my feet when I had my first was to realize just how hungry nursing made me. Weight loss, my left foot! Not with the amount of calories I was taking in! But, like the water I refuse to go downstairs to get (and would feel bad about waking the hubs five minutes after he finally fell asleep - again - to go down and get for me), I'll keep something shelf stable and fairly nutritious in my bedside table.
I suppose I should also start thinking about that bag I never got to pack with Ben. Oh, I've learned my lesson:
1. Food and water bottles. As much as my hospital has improved over the years, hospital food is hospital food. Not that great, and only three times a day. I need to make sure I've got provisions, and the hospital water tastes like the icky, huge containers they serve it in. Only plus there is that they give you ice.
2. Chapstick and hand lotion. Only this time, I'll save the lotion for AFTER I no longer need a pik line in my hand. The L&D nurse couldn't for the life of her understand why the hospital tape wouldn't stay on my hand when they stuck me. It was a looooong time before I made the connection with the Aveeno lotion I had just used.....
3. Light reading. I'm not looking to get much done, but it kinda stinks when you can't sleep, and nothing is going on, and its three in the morning, and the best you can get on the TV is Dawson's Creek or Mama's Family. BTW, I always knew that the kitchen would be open for breakfast calls once Dawson's Creek was over, so Katie Holmes served her purpose for me there.
Okay, folks, your turn. What am I forgetting??
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