We are in the final countdown to meeting the fourth little member of our family and with that countdown comes the final preparations for bringing baby two into our home. The days are flying by and we know our sweet little baby boy will be here before we know it. In preparation for his arrival I have compiled a series on how my family is preparing for baby #2 and my hope is that it benefits someone else who is just not sure where to begin.
I will be completely honest in saying preparing for baby number one, albeit completely new territory at the time, was way easier than it has been preparing for baby number two. With Little Miss, it was just Mr. Mac-n-Taters and I that we had to think about. We got ourselves ready and all the baby things we thought we needed/wanted. This time around we have another little person who we had to think about. So many more questions to ask like “Who is going to watch her?” , “What all do I need to pack for her while we are away?” , “What can I do to help make this transition easiest for her?” Not to mention, just having another little person to care for the entire pregnancy was another new level of preparing for our little guy’s birth.
In order to make sure I had everything ready to go, the very first thing I did was create lists. I am a list maker by nature. For the last several months I would jot things down in my notes section on my phone and then would transfer it to various lists on my computer so that I could then print them out and have a hard copy.
So what lists did I create to prepare for baby number two?
1. THE TO DO & TO BUY LIST /// I kept this as a running list in my phone that I could easily access and cross off as I completed a task or bought an item we needed. This list included miscellaneous little things that my nesting self needed to do to feel ready, like cleaning the refrigerator and microwave to completing our daughters big girl bedroom. It also went into more of the baby related things that needed to be accomplished like washing the baby’s clothes, getting out and washing down all of the baby gear stuff from Little Miss, and deciding on his name.
2. TO GO BAG CHECKLIST /// This list was one I adapted from when I had Little Miss. You can see what all I included for baby 2 in our BABY TWO HOSPITAL BAG CHECKLIST post.
3. LITTLE MISS’ SCHEDULE/WORDS SHE SAYS/EMERGENCY INFORMATION/MISC. NOTES FOR SITTER /// These lists are possibly the most important lists for me. I am the most nervous about how our little lady is going to do away from us. She has never stayed with anyone else in her almost 2 years of life. I am sure she will be just fine; however, my poor mommy heart is having a hard time letting go of my sweet girl. If I could, I would totally store her in my hospital bag. These lists give me piece of mind. Little Miss works best with a routine and wavering from that tends to have negative effects. Providing a rough schedule of her day will give the sitter a rough idea of what will make her day the easiest. She will already be out of her element. Little miss is also a HUGE talker and her vocabulary has EXPLODED over the last couple of weeks. Most words she says come out very clear, but there are many words that we, as her parents, have come to understand that someone not with her every day may have a hard time discerning, thus possibly causing frustration. Writing all her words down and what they mean will be a good reference for her sitter to help keep from reaching the frustration level.
4. BIRTH PLAN /// This was something I completed for the birth of Little Miss and it was a given I would have one again for Little Man. I am completely aware and accepting of the fact that every birth is different and they may not go as planned; however, thinking through how I want my ideal birth to go really helps me feel in control of my birth and any complications that may arise. During the birth of Little Miss, I gave it to the nurse right away and I knew the second my midwife walked in that she had read it and was going to do everything in her power to help me achieve the birth that I wanted. Having your midwife or doctor on your side is a key to a successful birth.
If you are a list maker then you will completely understand my need for all these lists. Until I had them I felt completely frazzled and had no clue which direction to go, but as I see things getting checked off I am feeling more calm and relaxed and ready for this Little Man to join our family.
YOU CAN FIND ALL THE POSTS IN THIS SERIES BELOW:
(Links will be added as posts are published.)
1. THE LISTS
2. NURSES GIFT
3. HOSPITAL BAGS ROUND 2
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