With just seven days until my actual due date (although we’re pretty sure Baby P will make us wait even longer), we’ve officially begun getting ready for her arrival.
Of course you’ve seen us tackling her nursery, but now when we say getting ready, we really mean getting-ready-for-my-water-to-break-and-to-actually-welcome-our-new-daughter-into-the-world. See, pretty much right after we found out I was pregnant we slowly began to wrap our minds around the idea that our family would be growing as my belly continued to expand with every baked potato and chocolate milk craving.
Now you see why I’ve been humming my tweak on an old Beyoncé classic: “I don’t think you’re ready for this belly.”
And only quite recently did we fully digest the concept that we actually made a person. We made a person! There’s a girl in my belly who will walk and talk someday, heck she’ll even have a job and probably be desperately embarrassed about her dorky parents who always have paint in their hair. It’s just such a giant thought that it literally takes about nine months to sink in- which might just be why it takes so long to cook one of these things. It’s probably nature’s way of making sure you’re really ready for the life changing and momentous birth instead of smacking you in the face with a baby after 30 days of gestation. But anyway, now that we have fully been able to wrap our heads around the notion that we’re about to really be parents (!) there are a few things that we’ve done in anticipation of our little miracle’s arrival:
1. Our practical purchase: My obsession with my water breaking in bed or on the couch got the best of me and I convinced John to let me get a waterproof mattress cover to protect our beloved organic mattress and another little waterproof blanket that I can place on the sofa or the seat of the car in these last few days… you know, just in case. And the good news is that they’re not nearly as crunchy and diaper-like as I expected (we picked them both up for $23 total at Bed Bath & Beyond thanks to two of those 20% off coupons). Maybe it goes back to how fiercely I love our house, but it just seemed worth the added security to at least attempt to keep the sofa and the bed (along with the passenger seat of our new car) protected from the wrath of holy-cow-it’s-really-time. Especially since my mom’s water broke in bed with every single kiddo. Sidenote: my absolute dream is for my water to break at Target or Home Depot because I just think that would be hysterical since we practically live there. I know, I’m weird.
2. Our DIY project: This second idea was John’s brain child (I’m telling you, he’s the sweet sentimental one and I’m the neurotic fool who worries about my water breaking). He actually brought it up as my birthday gift back in March by suggesting that we get a fabric covered album and create our own little “baby book” with fun patterned paper and printed prompts that you see in typical baby books like “The First Week Was….” and “First Word…” We love the idea of adding in keepsakes like her hospital bracelet and her little going-home hat along with a ton of photos and even things like her inked footprints (we plan to bring a few pieces of cardstock to the hospital since the nurses will gladly make footprints that we can stick into our little memory book of sorts). So we headed over to Michael’s (with a 40% off coupon in hand) and snagged a sweet 8.5 x 8.5″ album covered in super fun Amy Butler fabric for just $9 after my handy coupon.
We also picked up a pad full of 8 x 8″ patterned paper to use as a backdrop in our keepsake album (to the tune of $6). So our entire DIY baby book project ran us $15 total. And after adding all the decorative paper and leaving room for notes about momentous occasions (along with photos and other memorabilia) we were left with a pretty sweet way to document many of Baby P’s firsts:
And since we made it ourselves we had fun adding in quirky things, like this page of “future predictions” where John and I guessed everything from her hair and eye color to her first word, her favorite subject in school, and even her future profession. It should be super fun for the beanette to look back at all of our goofy (and most likely completely wrong) guesses someday.
Plus the fact that it looks so cute in the nursery is the icing on the cake…
3. Our Burger-meets-baby prep: We’ve actually read quite a bit about how to ensure that your pooch and your baby get along, because there’s nothing we want more than for our first fur baby to happily coexist with our first human baby. And time and time again we’ve heard that bringing home a gift for the dog along with the baby can help your pup associate the baby with good things and feel appreciated and excited upon her arrival. Of course we’ll also be doing the bring-home-a-baby-blanket-for-him-to-sniff-beforehand trick, but ever since John mentioned that his mom got him a He-Man toy when his little sister came home from the hospital I’ve been convinced that something super fun for Burger (like a pup-cake from Three Dog Bakery along with a new chew toy) will make him giddy about our growing fam. So we recently picked up some goodies for him… and can’t wait to see his tail wag when he gets ’em.
4. Our blog backup: This forth prep step was actually right up there on the practical side with my waterproof mattress cover. We’ve been working overtime for over a month to amass enough extra blog posts to “tide us over” for the first few hairy weeks after Baby P comes home. That means we took on a few secret projects and wrote up a lot of extra Reader Redesigns, Look & Learns, Email Answers, and Burning Questions along with some fun new tutorials to keep the blog from stagnating while we get our “sea legs” with a newborn, so to speak. Oh and we have a killer House Crashing post to share as well. Basically, you can rest assured that you’ll still get the same YHL experience even when our day to day has gone from projects and blog posts to diapers, feedings, and no sleep.
5. And speaking of diapers: We got a bunch of BumGenius One-Size-Fits-All Organic Snap Diapers from a local shop called MonkeyGrass that we love to support (here’s a link to their online shop and for any Richmond people you can visit their store inside It’s Hip To Be Round in Carytown). These cloth diapers alone (which were actually selected as “more convenient cloth diapers” by Cookie magazine) will save us a substantial amount of money over the course of Baby P’s childhood, and we even ordered them in colors that will work for a possible boy down the road, since we definitely want to use the same cloth dipes for multiple kiddos.
Plus our easy to use Energy Star front loading washer and dryer will keep our water and electricity use to a minimum (everyone says you do laundry like crazy with a baby so we figure it won’t be much of a difference to add some diapers to the mix). And since the average baby uses 8,000 to 10,000 diapers between two and three years, we’ll get to keep that many disposables from landing in a landfill. And all the moolah that we’ll save from buying disposable diapers all the time (which is commonly estimated to be between 2-3K per child) means more money that we can put towards future DIY projects (maybe even with the help of our little girl when she gets big enough to hold a paint brush…). Is it weird to be super excited about diapers? Probably.
6. My clothes cleaning ritual: I actually read that washing all new non-organic baby clothing and bedding (as well as the removable covers of car seats and swings) with a cup and a half of vinegar can rid them of most of the chemicals and dyes that aren’t present in organic clothes. So I’ve been busy washing all of our sweet baby socks, onesies, and pretty much everything else I can get my hands on… just so I’m über ready with the purest baby clothes possible. And the funny thing is that they don’t smell like vinegar when they come out of the wash (they’re completely odorless, it’s kind of amazing). Of course I did have one fateful white-blankets-and-onesies-are-now-pink incident (don’t ask- I somehow tossed tiny hot pink leggings in with the whites) but the soft pink cast on everything actually charms me to no end. And I guess I should get used to letting things roll off my back, so it was a good lesson in the whole nothing-will-be-perfect-and-that’s-ok concept.
7. My pillowcase purchase: I actually got a quick tip from a reader that I just had to follow since it seemed like such a simple way to add some cheerful color to the pretty-stark-and-sterile hospital birthing experience. Joni wrote to us and said:
“I have a little piece of advice that may seem stupid but you’ll thank me later. Make sure you have a pretty pillowcase for the delivery of the baby. It will be in a million photos. Mine was so pretty that when I look at the pictures 13 years later, all I see is my gorgeous baby and that fabulous fabric. It’ll distract people from looking at your puffy I-just-gave-birth face”
Well, for those who don’t know me, I can puff up like the best of them. Seriously I broke my nose in college and my cheekbones didn’t come back for nearly a year. I’m a swelly girl (John even calls me Swell from time to time). So the idea of a pretty pillowcase to take the focus off my giant face sounds like a good one. Plus I just love pillowcase shopping. And the best part is that I hunted down this beauty (on sale of course) and John’s family actually got two of them for me as a birthday gift. So springy and sweet right? Just like my May baby on the way. And not only do I plan to use them at the hospital on Baby P’s b-day, but they’ll make such pretty and fun guest bedroom pillows from then on.
8. Our space saving multipurpose solution: We heard from various friends and family members that a white noise machine and a light machine were two secret weapons to help the beanette drift off to sleep (especially in those first few weeks). And although we believed that they both would really make a difference, with limited outlets and surface area in the nursery, we wondered if we could get some sort of a two-for-one solution that would work double duty. Enter our new iPod I-Home dock stage right (we’ve seen it on amazon.com for a good price):
It was another baby item that came highly recommended by friends and fam (since we can upload children’s music and learning songs for Baby P as she grows). And John, in a stroke of daddy-to-be genius, realized that we could download a CD of white noise from iTunes – to the tune of $6 no less – and effectively turn our iPod dock into a white noise machine with the press of a button (we can even leave it on “repeat” for lengthier renditions of “crashing waves” or “static”). Gotta love a $6 quick fix that allows us to cut back on an entire nursery gadget while saving money. But wait it gets better, the particular I-Home dock that we selected actually has a color changing feature, so it can cycle through a bunch of room-illuminating hues (quickly, slowly, or not at all if you turn off the ambient light setting). So not only does it serve as a sound machine and a music player, it’s a light machine too! Jackpot.
Oh and while we were prepping left and right we came across this quote, which touched both of us so much that we just had to share it:
“A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.” -Anonymous
Pretty sweet, huh? We can’t wait to meet our little one. And we’d love to hear what any of you guys have done while prepping for a new arrival (whether it’s a baby, a four-legged friend, a roommate, or even a few weekend guests). How did you get your house ready for the new company?
Shirley says
Sherry, you look so super adorable. I am just three weeks behind you and LOVE hearing about all of your updates in preparation for beanette’s arrival. I feel like we have so much in common! We are also expecting a girl, we lived in NYC for five years before moving back to VA (Alexandria) and buying a house and doing renovation projects. We also try to be as green as possible and we are attempting cloth diapers as well.Your blog has provided us so much inspiration- specifically your baby closet makeover inspired me to go home that very day to start organizing our baby’s closet as well, and it looks fantastic (bought the hanging shoe organizer for blankets etc). Good luck with everything and I really hope that you will be able to give baby updates to your readers (even though I know you are focusing the blog on home stuff- all of us would still love to hear how things are going!)
Sara says
Congratulations on your impending arrival!
On a side note – the vinegar thing works for your hair too. Weird at first, but like the clothes the smell goes away as soon as it dries. I like using a couple tablespoons diluted in a couple cups of warm water, use it as a rinse, rinse with normal shower water and then dry normally. Equals super shiny hair! (although this may be the last thing on your mind by this point…)
Janice says
You guys are too cute! My first great niece was born last night, eleven days past her due date.
Sarah used the duvet cover that matches your happy pillow case in Sarah’s Cottage a year or two ago! (And she was preggos at the time too!)
http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com/portfolio/project/sarahs-cottage/guestroom-east
Megan H says
Yeah, that waterproof blanket is an awesome idea. You are going to be using it for a little while after the baby is born too. Sometimes, breast pads just aren’t enough……
Shirley says
PS We also have a dog- a 4 year old wheaten terrier- that we think will make a terrific big brother. I’ve assigned my husband to make sure he doesn’t feel left out. Good luck to Burger too!! He’s going to be fantastic.
Emily says
So excited for you guys! I hope labor and delivery goes as smoothly as possible. :) BTW if your dream of your water breaking at Target comes true, you might want a change of clothes. (or to have your hospital bags with you)
Megan H says
Oh, and one more thing. You are absolutely going to love cloth diapering. I only wish that I had used cloth on my baby from the very beginning instead of waiting two months.
Anne says
Love the progress pixs SO cute. Congrats!
:)
LauraC says
Congrats guys on being so prepared! You are fortunate, as not everybody has that chance (my family moved my things into a place I rented THE DAY our daughter was born – hubby was deployed – so you can imagine things were pretty crazy for awhile). We got to be settled and ready for #2. He’s a month old now, and it’s SO much easier the second time around, but you will do great because there are two of you! Sherry, will John’s or your mother be staying awhile to help? Not everyone needs their mother, but I sure needed mine! Also, congrats on John being able to work on the blog full-time too!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey LauraC,
We’re lucky that John’s parents along with my parents will be available if we need them but won’t be descending on our house to stay for three weeks or anything like that without a request. We want to see how our routine works out and try to blindly find our way through the first few days. But knowing that they’re available if we need them is the perfect backup plan!
xo,
s
danielle says
Not that you need anymore advice, but you can skip the diaper sprayer till you start solids if you’re exclusively breastfeeding. Throw the soiled diapers in a wet bag (nothing in it, no rinsing) and wash the diapers and wet bag together. I use rockin green. no stains. No smell. And I have a six-month-old using cloth diapers since we got home. Also cloth wipes are easier with cloth diapers. No sorting of wipes to trash and diapers to bag. It all gets tossed in the wet bag together. Okay. Done with the blabbering. You probably already know, but I didn’t and just figured it out from others eventually. Great attitude on the birth plan. Mine flipped breech at 37 weeks and has been upsetting my plans ever since. =) Best to you!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Danielle,
We actually have heard that about the diaper sprayer and the no-need-for-it-until-solids thing. Although I must admit that we already have the sprayer set up and we might just want to use it for fun. Haha.
xo,
s
Emily says
One more tip- sorry- bring snacks for John! You won’t be able to eat until after your baby arrives but he will (and you don’t want him starving or foraging for food in the hospital, especially if things progress quickly).
YoungHouseLove says
Done! We have a six pack of Propel and some granola bars and crackers already packed in a bag in the car for him. Gotta keep my man’s energy up!
xo,
s
ErinEvelyn says
5 years ago before our twins were born, my sweet (and utterly genius) grandmother gave my husband & me the BEST baby gift possible: unbeknownst to us, she had been cooking up our family’s favorite recipes and storing them in her freezer while scouting the appliance store sale flyers for a deal on a small chest freezer to purchase for us. Whelps little help from my dad, she arranged it so that we came home from the 4-day (post C-section) hospital stay to a new freezer in our basement STOCKED with a few weeks worth of homemade heat-&-eat meals compliments of Chef Grandma! I still remember how decadent it was to be able to eat like kings even though both my husband & I were up to our elbows in baby bottles & diapers.
kings when
YoungHouseLove says
Hey ErinEvelyn,
Wow, that is totally the royal treatment! Lucky you! We have heard of a few frozen meals (mmm, lasagna) that will be coming our way so we’re definitely excited about those.
xo,
s
Diane says
Ok. Seriously! Lol I think with all that nesting going on you are actually in labor right now! A very good friend of mine always starts obsessing over things like the paper clips being all organized and in their place (sound familiar) about 24 hours before she goes into labor… By the 5th baby we had all picked up on this and are awaiting the psychotic “must clean the light fixture glass” for baby #6. Good luck and can’t wait to see beannette pics!
Meghann P. says
Congrats on the upcoming arrival of your daughter! Parenthood is the best job I’ve ever had. I’m so excited to hear you’re using cloth diapers! We use them on our daughter and are so tickled when we find other people who realize the greatness of them as well (our family thought we were crazy at first). Sun-bleaching the diapers works wonders on erasing smell and stains (and even works on the B’milk stains on all clothing if you choose to go that route). :)
I did the whole nesting thing, organizing, cleaning, etc before our daughter arrived, but my most important task was baking cupcakes for the hospital. I HIGHLY recommend taking some sweet treats to the hospital with you – the nurses will love you for it and will treat you extra-special. I spent the couple hours before heading to the hospital frosting the cupcakes (they’d been in the freezer for 2 weeks) instead of making sure I had everything packed. Priorities, right?
YoungHouseLove says
Great idea Meghann! We had thought about ordering pizza or doughnuts for all the nurses who helped us, but bringing cupcakes is pretty cute too. And John could swing home to grab them when he brings the baby blanket home for Burger to sniff a day before we bring home the beanette!
xo,
s
Amanda says
Great choice with the diapers :) We use lots of bumgenius organic AIOs for our son and they really hold up nicely, especially since we line dry everything (it’s Florida…it’s practically a sin not to). With new baby on the way, I am sewing up some newborn diapers since it took about 6 weeks for those bumgenius to fit baby #1. We saved a ton of money buying them as seconds (slightly defective stitching…haven’t had any issues with any) and got them for 15 bucks a pop. Way cheap when you think of how much money is just literally thrown away with disposables!
Chelsea says
I’m 21 weeks along with our first. I’m TOTALLY stealing the predictions page! I love that.
My worst fear is that my water will break in public. How embarrassing!
Katy says
Don’t know if anyone has mentioned it or not, but I’ve read that white vinegar actually neutralizes uric acid, making it especially helpful for washing cloth diapers. I don’t have kids (or diapers) but I add vinegar to the rinse cycle when washing clothes. And I add a few drops of essential oil (lavender or eucalyptus, usually!) to the vinegar for a nice fragrance.
Congrats y’all! Really enjoying reading about your adventures!
Krista H says
You will love Bum Genius diapers. Sadly I didn’t start using cloth diapers until after our second was born, but now I have both kids in them. I was initially a little worried about the extra laundry, but it’s not a big deal at all and I’ve never thought it was a hassle to throw them in the wash. I definitely love the money we save and how much less trash we are putting in the landfill.
Lessons in Life and Light says
Sherry, I’m so glad you wrote this post! I was especially excited to see that you guys are going to use cloth diapers. I’m in the midst of a very compelling article in the latest Mothering Magazine that’s all about how great cloth diapers are.
So excited to “meet” your newest addition! Hope these next couple of weeks go by smoothly for you!
-Brittany (the nosy girl who emailed you about your birth plan, lol.)
Amanda says
Oh, and you can definitely handle cloth wipes and a cheapo spray bottle with water :) We just cut up old receiving blankets into squares…and it’s harder to use disposable because then you have to have a trash can and a diaper pail, instead of tossing everything into the diaper pail.
YoungHouseLove says
Good point! We’ll definitely have to take them for a spin!
xo,
s
Brandi says
You guys never cease to amaze me! You make mundane things like the laundry seem so fun! You have a lucky lil’ baby. =)
Jeni says
I use the one-size Fuzzi Bunz and LOVE them. They are an excellent choice both for the environment and your wallet and seriously, they’re not a big deal to keep up with at all (Ok, sounds gross, but we couldn’t tell a difference between spraying and not spraying so, um, we didn’t spray while our darling was only consuming breast milk. When you wash every 2 days, there’s really no time for a stink to build up either. :)
I’m sure you know, but even after the newborn size they are still quite enormous (and our daughter was not exactly a “dainty” baby. Haha.) We found that many of those cute tunic and legging sets that are so popular right now didn’t exactly work for her “shape” and often the leggings wouldn’t even fit over the bubble bottom! I was a little sad to return so many of the adorable clothes we picked out but after 7 months or so everything started fitting much better!
Oh, and we did the same thing: disposable wipes at the beginning and then converted to cloth. Again, so easy, cheap, better for baby’s skin and environmentally sound. The fleece wipes are so nice and soft I am sometimes jealous that I don’t get to use them! (Kidding, sort of.)
Anyway, I’m not sure what the point of chiming in with all that was except to say that I get really excited about cloth diapering and am glad other people do to! Enjoy!
aimee says
Just wanted to chime in and say what an adorable and BEAUTIFUL pregnant woman you are, Sherry! Thanks SO SO SO much for sharing this big part of your lives with us–you’ve given us so many helpful hints and tips and just know you have a ton of fans crossing their fingers and excited for a smooth and happy delivery! Good luck on the home stretch–Aimee :)
Katelyn Likes This says
Haha, that one of John’s belly is funny. Good he managed to stay thin. When my friend was pregnant, her husband grew a belly too since in one instant she’d crave food, and get him to bring it home then feel like puking when she smelled it, so he’d be eating all his take-out in the garage for nine months! She lost the belly – obviously, he didn’t!
Tasha says
Regarding Target and Home Depot, a friend of mine had some time to kill after her water broke so she went to Target. She didn’t realize that her water was going to k.e.e.p. breaking. (Who would?) So, needless to say, she had to purchase some emergency rations and make an embarrassing trip through the checkout line.
Elaine K says
I am so glad you are using cloth diapers. I used them with my kids who are now 17 and 20 years old and saved tons of money. There was a big push for cloth 20 years ago–they even used them in the nursery at St. Mary’s. Yours are so bright and cute! Best of luck to both of you.
Jen says
We use cloth wipes for our boys – we just use baby washclothes in one colour that were designated for diapering only. We love using them and once you use them and then have to use a wipe, you will appreciate how good the cloth ones are.
beth says
Was just reading some of the comments, and I want to second what Christan said – my 2nd son was potty trained at 18 months and it was so-o-o-o much easier than trying to train my first at 2 1/2. Also, I taught both of mine sign language, and it is SUCH a help when they can’t speak yet. I focused on things like please, thank you, more, help, drink, etc. – words that they’ll really need (which will probably differ from family to family so just pick up a simple book at your library – or even look online – to decide what you’d like your little one to learn, and start early).
Also, LOVE the pillowcase tip! Wish someone had told me that! :-) Am a little skeptical about tip #3. I think you’re going a bit overboard with that one. Like most people, your first baby (the animal) will most likely become just that (an animal) when you give birth to an actual child. Your dog won’t be your baby anymore.
Good luck to you both!
Eva says
I love that you are planning to use BumGenius. I use them for my 10 month old and has been since she turned two months, before that they just felt way too big so we used disposables up till then. We also have BG egyptian cotton wipes and they are great, I keep water in a spray bottle by the changing table to make things easier and then wash the cloths with the diapers.
Also remember to wash the inserts at least a couple of times before using to break them in, otherwise they will leak to begin with.
Good luck!
Lindee says
You will LOVE the diapers! They are super easy. Really the only issue will be an extra load of laundry.
jenny says
I would second that waterproof pad that you use on the couch and in the car…mine almost broke when I was laying on the couch! If I remember correctly, I think I had to get up to use the bathroom and than all of a sudden…hello!! Hopefully that won’t happen to you, but maybe you’ll get a chuckle out if it! Best wishes for a very healthy and just-right-for-you delivery!
Letty says
You’ve just made me even more excited for your baby after this post! I can FEEL your enthusiasm– woo hoo Baby P… speaking of… when will we learn her name? I was too excited to read through the posts first, so if you already answered this (with a “not yet” response most likely!), I apologize! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Letty,
The big name reveal will occur with the news of Baby P’s arrival. We actually don’t have a final name picked out for her yet- just a list of favorites. We figure it’ll keep things interesting not to pin down a name until we meet her. You never know which one will fit her once we finally see what she looks like!
xo,
s
Carole F says
I am so excited to see your baby when she gets here! I am pregnant also, due in August..and getting everything ready. I must confess, I totally made the mobiles that you guys made and they are hanging over the changing table (copying is the best form of flattery, right?). Also, we will be making some cute shelves for that wall as well that you linked to from Knock Off Wood. I have also re-done my old toy box by painting it new colors, and found an awesome small side table with bottom shelf at a thrift store for $6 that I repainted also, to go next to the comfy nursery chair for me to set water, book, etc while I am nursing our new baby girl! We are also doing cloth diapers! I was thrilled when I found your site whilst looking for mobile ideas (and how I came to copy yours) when I found out that you were using cloth also! I am stoked! I have a few in my stash, and will purchase more as well as sewing many of my own. Oh! I also made my own crib skirt! I made a full version that goes under the mattress, although your velcro idea was quite smart! Mine is a pink layered tulle, it looks like a ballerina skirt for her crib! I am in love! My current project is sewing my first ever quilt! I am making a disappearing 9 patch, and am excited by every step, I can’t wait to see the finished product. The quilt will go on the chair in the nursery for cuddling, and then later will be our little girls very own quilt, which will fit a twin size bed, so it will be with her for a long time! I have many more projects planned…one of them being my husband making a painting to hang above her crib. He is an awesome artist, so I can’t wait til that is complete and hung up as well!
Sorry for the babbling! I have had a great time following your nursery progress, I can’t wait til mine is a finished product!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Carole,
Your nursery sounds amazing! We love how many DIY projects you’re taking on. Definitely send some photos our way when you’re done! And good luck with your little bundle in August!
xo,
s
Carole F says
Oh, and one more thing…I already use vinegar in my wash, so I am glad you found that trick! It gets stinkies out of anything, and like you said, does not smell of vinegar after!
Lauren says
First of all, I LOVE this blog! Thank you for all of the inspiration! I’ve never left a comment on here, but this post just struck a chord with me. First off, I am on my second child in cloth diapers, and the BG’s that you chose are the BEST diapers I have found (and believe me, I’ve tried everything). You guys are so good at researching and planning ahead! And one plus to these particular diapers is that they are much trimmer than any others, so you don’t have to worry about a huge “diaper butt” as much as with others.
Anywho, just wanted to wish you luck… your comments were really touching to me and I can’t wait to see your little girl!
Jennifer says
Your nursery is beautiful! I’m literally drooling over it. Like you, my husband and I try to live well within our means, which means we haven’t upgraded to a two-bedroom apartment yet–our four-month old sleeps in a pack n’ play in our bedroom. Best wishes as you approach the arrival of what you (like all new parents) will no doubt find to be a little person sweeter and more lovable than you imagined.
Michelle says
I love, love, LOVE your belly pictures! John wanted to get in on the fun too, haha! Good luck with everything baby! You guys are always so organized and so level-headed so I imagine it will be a cinch for you.
Amy says
Here’s what I wish I’d done… stock my freezer/pantry with meals. The first 2 months were a sleepless blur. My husband worked a lot and wasn’t able to help with meals much. I didn’t eat very well and I think it contributed to my negative breastfeeding experience. I’m now pregnant with my 2nd and plan on tackling this a couple months prior to my due date. My first will be two and a half when #2 is born so I have even more reason to get my freezer stocked.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amy,
Great idea! We already have some friends and family members bringing by frozen lasagna, and John actually made a ton of eggplant parm (two giant glass containers of it) which we have in the freezer just waiting on Baby P. Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Lauren says
My son is almost 10 months old and I still can’t believe that I’m his mom! Such a good idea about the pillow….I brought mine from home and it was so nice to have. Best of luck to you as you begin this crazy adventure called parenthood!
Micki says
As the mother of five children I have to tell you the best thing I ever used in those first few months of each of our babies was the use of a book light for changing the baby’s diapers in the middle of the night. I used the older version of this one:
http://www.mightybright.com/Book_Lights/27/ProductDetail.html
It was wonderful in that it gave me a good amount of light right where I needed it without having to turn on a light and fully waking the baby up in the process. The last thing you want to do is make the baby think it’s time to wake up and play! I already had one on hand that I rarely used for reading because the base was really too large for the books I read, but that made it perfect for setting down on the bed/changing area nearest to our children’s diaper area. It worked so well that when the one I had broke, I bought another when baby #3 was on the way. I often give it as a baby shower gift which always gets me a lot of strange looks, but all I know is that my babies rarely had a night where they wanted to stay up and play, but rather had their diaper changed, a bite to eat and it was off for another few hours of sleep.
A piece of advice I received that was very helpful was if you can make sure your baby doesn’t stay awake longer than two hours, you’ll have an easier time getting them to sleep for each sleep period. This really turned out to be true! Only one of my children didn’t cooperate with this and she’s still tired to this day!!!
Many best wishes to you both on your new little one.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Micki,
Thanks for the tips! Definitely good to know!
xo,
s
Stephanie says
I hope it is ok if I pipe in to help with CarMaj’s question about cloth diapering (and I hope CarMaj scrolls down to see my little ole comment)…
I know from experience that trying to learn about all of the cloth diapering options/methods can be so overwhelming. There are endless options and opinions out there. This website: http://jilliansdrawers.com/ has been an invaluable resource to me. Click on the “New to cloth” link for some helpful info…They also offer a program where you can try different diapers for 21 days for only $10! When my son was a newborn, I tried this program and I haven’t looked back! He’s now 18 months and I am still finding diapers that I want to try…My current favorite is the flip! I really do hope that you give it a try…it’s really easy and rewarding in so many ways! Good luck! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Stephanie,
Thanks so much for tossing out that additional info for CarMaj!
xo,
s
abi says
thank you guys so much for sharing! I’m five months and love your tips. I added the ipod dock to my registry a minute ago! best wishes and can’t wait to follow along with you on the journey!! I’m right behind you! xoxo!
leah says
Make sure you hold onto that mattress pad for a good year afterwards. Theres a few other leaks you’ll have to worry about.
Mrs Soup says
Totally not weird to get excited about cloth diapers. We just use prefolds and covers and love them. Especially with leggings (instead of spending uber amounts of money on Baby Legs, we made them out of cute women’s socks easily)
One thing that I desperately loved in the hospital was having a neck pillow, like the ones you travel with. It was a life saver. Helped make the laying down in bed and sleeping so much nicer.
I think it’s so cute how worried you are about your water breaking. Mine didn’t break at all, so my daughter was born en caul, which I just love.
Can’t wait to hear about your birth story….those are my favorite parts about babies and I could just talk about my labor and birth for hours. But I won’t. :p
Enjoy these last few days of being able to leave the house in less than 10 minutes and quiet snuggling time with each other and Burger. Your heart will expand and nearly burst when she joins you, but these times are super special as well.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! En caul is amazing! Your daughter is one in a million!
xo,
s
Shanna says
I love this post! It is so sweet. Awesome news about your plans for a natural birth. You can do it! I know you can. Birthing is like a marathon: a lot of it is physical but it is equally (if not more) mental. Having a confident and supportive partner in John is so key. I just want you to know how awesome it is that you considered and prepared for a natural birth … I birthed both of my babies naturally using the Birthing From Within method and it was a great experience. Hard, yes. But totally, 100% worth it. I just wanted to send my support! You can do it!
Karen J says
Good luck with everything! My first was late a week and had to be induced. My second was 3 weeks early, an arrival announced by a very public and very embarrassing “water break” while eating lunch in a restaurant at a mall with my 3 year old daughter. It was a walk of shame out to the car. But I did save one of the menus!!!
Jennifer says
We use the BumGenius3.0 diapers for our daughter and we love them! We also use Planetwise wetbags which are GREAT. We have the large for home (25 diapers in our stash) and a medium for the diaper bag but we could have gone with a small. They have a zipper top to keep in smells (rather than draw cord like most do) and they don’t leak at all. Oh, and did I mention they’re SUPER CUTE?!?!
Having a baby gives you both the best and the worst times of your life. A kindly older couple gave us the best mantra to keep repeating to yourself as we were on the elevator bringing our daughter home: “IT WILL GET BETTER”. At the time I think we smiled and nodded thinking “what the heck are they talking about?” Then about 6 hours later we knew EXACTLY what they were talking about. IT WILL GET BETTER!
Hesper says
You guys are so cute. You know that since you went through all that prep, your water will probably have to be broken for you! Murphy’s Law! haha. Actually, my water broke at a fancy restaurant. But it wasn’t like the movies, it was more like a trickle and I was afraid that I had lost control of my bladder! I was so worried I was gonna go to the hospital just to have them tell me that I peed myself!
Also, that waterproof blanket may come in handy for the couch later, too. My couch was a mess early on from milk mishaps! And now, who knows! Thankfully it is blue microfiber and nothing stands out on it!
Dandy says
I’m vigorously taking notes! Fantastic suggestions!
Debbie says
Awww…I have to say that even though I don’t have a kiddo yet, this post was VERY informative (and cute)! I wish you all the best with that little bean of yours. Can’t wait to hear that you all 4 (can’t leave Burger out) are healthy and having a ball at home :).