TO DO:
*Throw a "Preggo Party" for all of my pregnant friends to come over one night and work on a craft for their baby-on-the-way.
*Throw Justus a "semi-truck birthday" party in 2 weeks for his second birthday.
*Throw Jeremiah a "snake birthday" in mid-September, 2 months before his real, 4th birthday.
*Have at least 30 meals in the freezer. My plan so far:
Lasagna-4
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole-2
Chicken Brocolli Rice Casserole-4
Homemade Frozen Pizza Kits-3
Roast Beef and Mashed Potatoes-2
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup in the Crockpot-3
Green Chili Burritos-4
Tuna Casserole-3
Stir-fry-2
Plowman's Share-2
Plus, have 5-10# of cooked hamburger frozen in .75# bags for tacos, pizza, nachos, etc.
*Make up lots of homemade dry mixes (pancake, waffle, pizza dough, cookie, wheat bread, taco seasoning, cream soup mix, etc.)
*Stock the cupboards with crackers, granola bars, nuts, etc.
*Buy a few months' supply of toilet paper, Clorox wipes, kleenex, and baby wipes and have plenty of laundry soap made up. Have a month's worth of paper plates ready.
*Buy the kids a little gift to help them feel special with the event of a new baby.
*Sew Katrielle a minky blanky set. Got the purple minky fleece new at a yard sale (3 yards for $3) and plan to make her a "ducky" blankie just like her brothers have, with an extra, just like they have, for keeping in the closet for when the current one is dirty, lost, etc.
*Choose a middle name for our daughter.
*Have a homeschooling routine in place and the fall semester planned out for Ali regarding goals, school lessons, field trip plans, homeschool swimming schedule, etc.
*Borrow lots of childrens' movies from friends so we won't be borrowing them the library and having to remember to return them on time in the tiring post-birth days.
*Rotate my kids' clothing from summer clothing to fall/winter and unpack the hats/mittens/gloves and store in the storage downstairs for when the snow flies. Store summer clothing in boxes in the garage or shed.
*Make or purchase cute thank-you cards to have on hand in case we get baby presents or meals from folks, etc. Dollar Tree has some really cute and inexpensive stationary!
*Birthday cards ready to mail for friends and relatives with fall birthdays and gifts done, wrapped, and sent out to MN in advance with my in-laws for my nephews', sis-in-law's, and father-in-law's birthdays.
*If 30 week ultrasound reveals that a C-section is still probable, borrow 3 books through inter-library loan on C-section advice and recovery and read prior to my surgery.
*While I still have plenty of time after baby comes for Christmas shopping and Christmas newsletter/baby announcement, I may plan out a list of Christmas gift ideas for family members and start my Christmas newsletter.
*Bug Josiah to make me a stool that Justus can use to climb into his crib by himself in the event that I have a C-sec.
*Tentatively plan childcare for our older 3 when we are in the hospital for baby's birth. Discuss with my mom whether or not she will take off of work to watch the kids or attend the birth. Discuss with my husband how many days off he will have and what we will do for post-birth help if our moms aren't available and I'm recovering from surgery.
*Read through our Miracle of Life book often with the kids so they will understand better how a baby lives in utero and discuss the changes that will come to our family with a newborn's arrival.
*Have the guest beds all made up and rooms ready just in case we have unexpected company.
*Start the pages for Katrielle's scrapbook and finish Justus' last two pages on his baby book.
*Set up our second monitor so I can speak to the kids downstairs when I am upstairs as well as hearing them downstairs. (Can you tell I'm trying to avoid the stairs more?)
*Put kid bowls and cups in a lower cabinet and train Ali and Jer to be able to set the table for every meal and snacks too.
A few weeks before:
*Wash the carseat carrier and swing out and get carseat loaded into the back of the van.
*Pack diaper bag and hospital bag.
*Wash bassinet linens and blankets one more time.
*One last decluttering of the toys downstairs and kids' clothing so we have less clutter to manage when baby comes.
*Buy lots of batteries for the camera.
Already done:
you are like me- a list maker. My husband said that your list though is like my list but on steroids :)
ReplyDeleteJust remember that 4th kid doesn't mean that the world (or your part in it) stops...it really isn't that much harder than three!
Congratulations on your newest soon-to-be arrival. I had c-sections with all three of my kids.
ReplyDeleteThe best advice I can give is to follow doctor's orders and DO NOT LIFT for 6 weeks! It is hard with your other little ones, but with my first baby, I lifted his car carrier with him in it too soon and tore a stitch. What followed was 7 months of torture. I won't go into the gross details, but it finally took a plastic surgeon to fix the wound 7 months after I tore it. With the other two, I followed the instructions and had a great recovery.
Make sure to try to have someone with you at home the first 3 weeks because you will be very sore and tired. It will probably be difficult to care for all four kids yourself when you are first recovering.
I am due in about 4 weeks and these are things that I have been trying to work on, too! But, thank you for your list! (I have missed a couple things...) :)
ReplyDeleteCould you share some of the recipes you mentioned? I am making meals to put in the freezer, but I need some that will freeze well! (If you have time...)
Thanks again for your insight!
I also forgot to ask, what do you freeze all of your meals in? Do you use throw away pans? Or do you buy decent reusable pans? This is new to me, and I really would like to make this transition smoothly. I was okay with my first, but with a 3 year old and a newborn... I'm sure time will be short!
ReplyDeleteThanks for any help!
Denise
Your list is amazingly ambitious. Wow.
ReplyDeleteAnd my soggy pp brain can't think of anything to say, but I wanted to leave you a message...