Mama Monday #2 - Finally Getting Ready for Baby!

I realized that most of my first Mama Monday post today was about my son.  See, even the posts about ME are about my kids.  That's what the life of a Mom is all about. Therefore I decided to do a second one... Which ends up being about my other child anyway!

Actually, lately I have been thinking that the life of a Mom is like one HUGE load of laundry with ups and downs in between.  That may sound depressing, but I don't mean it to be.  I have done laundry every night for a week.  I don't mind it... it's just crazy how much laundry there is to be done!

Speaking of laundry, I took the first steps toward preparing myself for the fact that this baby will be here soon... And only part of it involved laundry!

1. I washed the neutral baby clothes (although I have yet to put them away!) Man are they small!

2. I pulled out some baby rattles. Of course William was instantly drawn to these "new" toys, so I had to explain what they were for.  It was so cute hearing him say he wanted to teach the baby how to use a rattle or talk on the phone or help me change the baby's diaper.  I think the more we talk about baby and show him evidence of baby's imminent arrival, the better it is on William's transition.

3. Dom and I picked up the bassinet from Andy and Sarah's house yesterday and we set it up in our room.

4. I washed all of the bassinet bedding.

5. I pulled out some newborn diapers. I'm not sure where I should put them though, so odds are they'll end up in the drawer with the clothes. Eventually this baby will have the nursery which comes with the diaper stacker, but for now he or she is getting the "bare bone" treatment!

6. I washed my nursing clothes and started creating a pile of items I want to put in my hospital bag.

All of this was a pretty big deal for me after doing absolutely nothing to prepare for baby throughout the first 38 weeks of pregnancy. With William, all of this was done much earlier ... But then again we weren't in the process of moving. And we were like all other first time parents who worried about having everything perfectly in place in the nursery so it would look adorable and give the proper welcome to baby. Then we learned that babies don't even sleep in their cribs for a while (Will slept in the bassinet in our room) and rarely use the nursery at all for the first couple of months!

So what else needs done for baby? Not too much. I need to get a double stroller soon. I'm still holding out until Babies R Us sends me a 20% off coupon. I'm also going to borrow my friend's Moby wrap to practice wearing around a bit before I commit to buying one.

I had to get groceries today, and I noticed that the milk expires on my due date.  That was enough to get me thinking that I better start preparing.  Nothing screams, "Your baby is going to be here soon" like seeing the date slapped on a milk jug.

Good thing I was super productive at work today. :)

Six Days Overdue - Patience and Pictures of the Nursery

First, I want everyone to know that I have come to terms with being induced Saturday night, although we still pray that Baby comes naturally on his or her own tonight or tomorrow! I have been having a lot more regular cramping today, but it mostly feels like menstrual cramps so I think it's more of Braxton-Hicks than real contractions. However, my aunt said this could be the beginning of labor so we're keeping our fingers crossed! Hopefully tonight's the night! :-) If not, I am satisfied with being induced and have decided that having this week off has not only allowed for me to get healthy, but it has also kept me away from even more germs I could have picked up at work this week. SOOOOOOOOOO, I am feeling much better today about everything. In general, Dom and I feel like we are ALMOST over our colds/flu whatever it was and Amber and Jeremy are feeling great again ... so it's all good news here! However, I am not sure how my parents are doing. I haven't talked to them yet today.

I made lunch plans with Mandy and Danielle thinking that maybe if I actually made plans something would happen. No such luck, but it was very nice to dine with them on a weekday (something I would normally never be able to do) and see Aiden and Allison. They are growing up so fast! Then Mandy and I went to a couple of stores and did some walking. I started having more and more cramps and Mandy got excited thinking I was going into labor, but I'm still here typing this so no such luck yet!

Since there really isn't anything else new to talk about today, I decided to post some pictures of our nursery now that it's finally as finished as it's going to be before Baby arrives. Enjoy! We're off to dine with Amber and Jeremy who are bringing over a nice casserole dish for dinner! :-)

 

Our crib and bedding.

Thanks to Mom and Dad for the crib, mattress, and mobile.

Thanks to Sarah, Audrey, Emma, and Judy for the bedding.

Thanks to Grandma Schreiner for the crib soother.

Thanks to Traci for the rug!

Our hamper and shelf and bookshelf we had painted.

Thanks to Melissa for recommending Mia Isaacson to me!!!

Thanks to Mia Isaacson for painting the shelf and bookshelf.

Check her work out at www.funkybrushdesigns.com

 A closer view of Mia's handwork!

Note the picture of Baby's grandparents and the ultrasound of Baby at 20 weeks pregnant!

Thanks to Cathy for the Willow Tree figurine.

Thanks to my Masters classmates and a few family members, friends, and coworkers for pretty much filling our Baby's bookshelf.

Our tall dresser and rocker/glider.

Thanks to Mom for the matching lamp.

Thanks to Lisa for the teddy bear.

Thanks to Jessica for the recommendation of the sound machine/projector. It's so cool!

Thanks to Michelle for the matching blanket.

 

Our second dresser/changing table.

Thanks to Michelle for the diaper stacker.

Thanks to Jeanna and Grandma Krupp for the Diaper Genie! (Sorry, we had to take one back but we proibably should have kept it for the downstairs!)

Thanks to all of our friends and family who bought us wipes and diapers!!!

AND OF COURSE THANKS TO DOMINIC FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK IN THE NURSERY!!!! Love you, Babe! And to Mike for carrying the furniture upstairs with Dom and to my girlfriends Michelle, Jackie, and Kim who helped put it all together!

Well, I hope you have enjoyed looking at our Baby's nursery. Hopefully the next time I post pictures there will actually be a BABY in them!

Love to all!