5 weeks and counting …

i’ve been told that i have the longest pregnancies in the history of the world – i’m not sure why, because my pregnancies are 40 weeks just like everyone else’s – but friends and family keep telling me that i’ve been pregnant FOREVER!!  of course since i’m the one that is actually carrying this kid, i can more than relate!

i am officially 35 weeks (and one day) pregnant and could not be more ready to have this child!

well, ready in the sense that my body is aching, i’m starting to move into that fat and swollen stage, i’ve had several bouts of Braxton-Hicks and the lightning crotch has crossed into overdrive – i also can’t find a comfortable sleep position which i guess isn’t that big of a deal considering the insomnia is back – intense round ligament pain, sciatic pain (thank God for my chiropractor!) and the constant feeling that i am out of breath!  plus this child has started using my bladder as his/her own personal trampoline!  now don’t get me wrong – i’ve truly had a great pregnancy – and about 95% of the time, i really enjoy being pregnant – but i’ve hit that wall, so to speak, and i’m about ready to serve an eviction notice – naturally, of course!  so, yes -  i am definitely  ready – on the other hand, i am completely unprepared for this child’s arrival in every other sense – oh, i’ve done a few preliminary things – but i haven’t really followed through on anything – sooooo … here’s where we are

crib – well, i’ve picked it out – it’s at a furniture clearance place and it’s exactly like Sydney’s at half the price – i just have to drive to go get it – and then get Kelley to put it together

closet – i had The Container Store re-design Sydney’s closet – i even have a ton of the pieces already – but now i need to pull out everything in the closet and install the new stuff to make room for the new baby’s stuff – we’re also having the bedrooms re-carpeted so even if i wasn’t re-doing the closet, i’d still have pull out all the crap on the floor – which leads me to clothing (which i have a ton of)

clothing (and blankets and other newborn baby stuff) – since we didn’t find out Sydney’s sex before she was born i have a ton of gender neutral onesies and blankets and towels and stuff that have been packed away in a big box on the floor of Sydney’s closet – so all of that somehow needs to be washed and folded and hung and put away

diapers - for the most part, i have all the diapers i need – i did buy some new newborn fluff that i bought right after i found out i was pregnant – so that all needs to be washed and prepped too

pump, bottles, etc – i need to pull all of this out and clean and sterilize – blah, blah, blah – since i’m not working outside the home, i don’t anticipate having to use it anytime soon but i want to have it ready just in case

hospital stuff - i’m guessing i should have a bag packed and ready to go because i am hoping and praying that i WON’T have to be induced this time – of course i’m also hoping that this baby comes at 38 1/2 weeks – lol!  i think this is what they call wishful thinking!

car seat – i need to pull the car seat out of the garage and clean it and have it checked at the installation center – yes i’ve done this before but having 2 car seats in the truck for some reason freaks me out so i want to have them checked by a certified professional

primping – i need to have my legs waxed, a mani/pedi, a cut and color (color done at home from a box – cause that’s how i roll!) and i need to have my eyebrows threaded – yes, i realize that this has absolutely no bearing on delivering or bringing home a baby – and i know that no one will care what i look like while i’m giving birth – but i will care – and i’m vain like that – it’s who i am – deal with it!

now those are just the things i can think of off hand – i’m sure there are several that i’m forgetting so please feel free to comment and remind me – of course there are a few things that i have done – i bought a swing from my friend Penny – so i have that for when this child inevitably decides that he will sleep nowhere else – and i have Sydney’s pack-n-play that will be in our room on the off chance that this child will want to sleep somewhere beside attached to my breast

hmmm … what else?  pretty much nothing – and what’s even better is that i am completely unconcerned – not because i love this baby any less than Sydney or that he or she won’t have all the same things that Sydney had – but looking back, i just didn’t really need all that much – diapers, blankets, a ton of onesies and sleepers, the Boppy and my breasts were pretty much all i needed those first couple of months – as far as i can tell, i’m a couple of loads of laundry from being completely ready!

and there you have it – my to-do list of all the things that need to be done before Baby Hall #2 arrives – oh, Kelley and i should probably be working on that whole “what are we going to name the baby” thing – and did i mention that i’m supposed to be making Baby #1 a kitchen for her 2nd birthday (which is in less than a month)?  yes, i’m certifiable – but at least i can admit it and that’s the first step, right?