Wow… can you believe it? The countdown in weeks is down to the single digits and we are 60 days away from Laurel Annette’s due date! William thought there was some sort of error with the countdown ticker on the page, but I assured him July 30th was right around the corner.
I am already starting to get questions about whether I am tired of being pregnant, but I am not really experiencing too much discomfort right now, so I am good. The worse side effect of pregnancy I have is swelling in my ankles that occurs almost every day and then goes away at night (what some like to refer to as cankles). Before you start to worry… my blood pressure is fine and there is no concern about pre-eclampsia. I am praying that it stays that way. I had a doctor’s appointment today and everything checked out fine. My ankles were a little swollen, but my blood pressure was normal. Laurel is moving around quite a bit. I can sometimes feel different “bumps” poking out. I cannot tell if it is a hand, foot, knee, head, bottom or what. I actually think she has the hiccups at this very moment….either hiccups or she has decided to rhythmically kick me every few seconds 🙂 It really doesn’t both me. I love to feel her move. It lets me know she is doing ok. William gets so tired of me putting his hand on my belly so he can “share in the experience”. She usually stops moving when his hand is there (it’s his calming effect), but he has felt some interesting gymnastics and kicks.
So… despite the fact that everything is relatively smooth sailing with pregnancy, William and I are trying to check off as much as possible so we are prepared for Laurel’s arrival. I do feel slightly overwhelmed by the list, but we were able to get a few things checked off last week, so I feel a little better. Two big decisions we need to make soon are daycare/nanny options and finding a good pediatrician. William and I visited the local daycare centers closest to our house and feel comfortable with one of the centers we visited. I think we would both feel comfortable with that option, so that did alleviate a lot of stress for me although I am still interested in looking into the nanny option as well. I will say that I was leaning more towards the nanny option when William and I were both working very long hours at work, but now that he is teaching and his hours are little less demanding and very predictable, daycare centers are much more of an option that it would have been a year ago. I can easily drop her off on my way to work and he can pick her up at a reasonable time in the afternoon without much problem. So, while we haven’t made a final decision, I am glad we at least narrowed down the options. The other big decision is choosing a pediatrician. We opted to find one close to home and set up pre-natal visits with two pediatric groups over the next couple weeks. I have had recommendations for physicians at each of these practices, and think I have an idea of which one I will like better, but you never know. So… we should have a pediatrician chosen in a couple of weeks and that will be a big relief as well.
The rest of our to-do list is mainly making sure we have everything ready to go to bring home the new member of the Cody household….
- Organize her closet (maybe buy some shelving)
- Purchase the infant carset and stroller
- Stock up on diapers, wipes, baby wash, lotion, etc…
- Clean the carpets
- Baby proof the house (or at least getting a start on it)
- Set up the baby gadgets (swing, bouncer, stroller, etc..)
- Choose a “coming home” outfit for Laurel (we do have a possible option)
- Get some comfy loungewear/sleepwear for me during the first few weeks
- Download some white noise for Laurel’s ipod (white noise is supposed to help babies adjust to life outside the womb)
- Learn how to use my breast pump
- Pre-Wash some of Laurel’s clothing
- Pack the hospital bag
- Review all of our childbirth class materials
- And the list goes on……. (I didn’t even include my long to-do list for work)
Our goal is 4th of July weekend to try to complete everything. This will put me at 36 weeks and should allow me to relax during the last 4 weeks.
I apologize that I have fallen so far behind on my baby bump photos. I really thought I would do a better job, but I will try to take one in the next week.
One piece of advice is to leave the hospital bag in the car once its packed. I can’t even begin to count the number of patients I delivered that left their bag at home because they were out when they went into labor.
We literally just had a conversation about when to put the hospital bag in the car
You’re so organized. I’m sure you’ll get everything done before the day Laurel decides she wants to arrive. Neil’s advice is great.
Getting Laurel’s first sleeping location ready will help too, since that is where she’ll go right when she gets home for the first time. Between spit-up and diaper leaks, sheets and pads are always good to have on hand and ready.
Most importantly, don’t forget to make a list of favorite foods that you like for us so that we know what to bring by for dinner on those first few weeks. Having great food around always makes things better.
Let me know if you need any help! I’m so excited!
Kim