Almost Ready

In case you were wondering, I don't have a new baby yet.

Instead, I have been busy getting ready for the new addition, keeping up with chores, and resting in preparation for the days to come. My due date is now two days away, but other than some Braxton-Hicks contractions in the evenings the past two weeks, I have not experienced any indications that labor is near. I wonder if this may be my first "late" baby, since Donny was born right on his due date and Hayden the day before. At the same time, I am not in a rush. I know my life is about to become much more busy and challenging, so I am enjoying this time with just my two boys - and my full nights of sleep.

Last weekend, I finally packed my hospital bags and overnight bags for the boys, completing one of the final steps of necessary preparation. I checked it off on the paper that has been hanging on my fridge since early spring, an ambitious list of projects that I hoped to tackle before baby's arrival. It is nice to feel a sense of accomplishment when looking over the items I have been able to complete, including:

- make doctor and dentist appointments for the boys and transfer the appropriate medical records
- organize hall and office closets
- dust window sills and corners (this was my limited attempt at spring cleaning)
- vacuum behind and under things (I vacuum exposed areas regularly, but once in a while it is a good idea to make sure nothing is growing behind the couch)
- rake front yard
- start seedlings for garden
- prepare garden area
- start compost pile
- get pool repaired and opened
- buy (and borrow!) maternity clothes
- research and purchase newborn diapers
- organize boys' clothes; put away winter and get out summer clothes
- write out birth plan (I finally did this just in time for my 39 week appointment!)
- sort, organize, and wash baby clothes
- get baby things out of attic; set up Pack N Play bassinet
- acquire vehicle to fit three car seats
- read Honey for a Child's Heart and The Duggars: 20 and Counting
- go to the zoo

I still have plenty of projects to keep me busy if I have the time: filing papers, sewing, freezing meals to eat after baby is born, organizing digital photos, working on my little garden. There will always be projects to do, but for now, I am feeling content. For the most part, we are ready for this little girl to arrive anytime in the next couple weeks. And then I will have many more things to add to my daily list...like snuggling a sweet newborn dressed in freshly washed pink clothes.