To Do Before Baby Arrives

Baby is due one month from today! We can't wait to meet the little guy... but just have about a million things to do before he makes his debut! I have been wanting to write this blog post for awhile now, but even the thought of doing that was overwhelming me! In no particular order, here are some of things that need to be done before baby boy's arrival!

START/FINISH THE NURSERY

Ya, you read that correctly. Although I have purchased most of the essentials (crib, glider, bedding, etc.), the room still needs to be painted, art/shelves hung, and everything put together. With our first, the nursery was fully complete around 20 something weeks... oh how things change with baby number two!  The theme is bohemian, cactus, So Cal vibes.  Stay tuned for a nursery reveal blog!

FINISH THE BASEMENT

So long story short, our basement was unfinished.  We have 3 bedrooms upstairs and one room was being used as an office.  The office room is currently being converted into the nursery.  Therefore, the office needs to relocate to the basement, which has been an ongoing project this year.  My husband has been working out of town a lot this summer, so he only has time to work on the basement on weekends.  We have been contracting some trades to help.  Currently the basement is painted, floors are in, and baseboards and doors are supposed to be happening this week.  That leaves the finishing touches like bathroom fixtures, tiling, shelving, and furnishing. 

DEEP CLEAN

Anyone who has undergone a home reno, is all too familiar with the associated mess.  Contractors wear their shoes through the house and drywall dust somehow finds it's way all the way upstairs.  No matter how much we vacuum, I can't keep up and everything just feels unclean to me lately.  Once the basement is complete, I plan on deep cleaning the house from top to bottom (I'm talking wiping down walls and baseboards).  If I'm not capable at that point in my pregnancy, I might have to outsource.  Recommendations on a cleaning service?

SERVICE MY VEHICLE 

I think (ok... I KNOW) I'm in need of an oil change so that needs to happen sooner rather than later. My husband usually does this but he has been so busy lately, I might just have to get a good old Great Canadian Oil Change.  I also need to clean the interior and exterior of my SUV; vacuum it, organize things, and get rid of all the random things that collect in the abyss under the seats.  Once that is done, we will need to move Bella's carseat behind the driver seat, turn her forward facing, and install the infant bucket seat.  

ORGANIZE THE CLOTHES

This is probably one of the largest and most daunting tasks.  I so badly need to go through Bella's clothes and get rid of anything that is not a keepsake or gender neutral.  I have bins on bins on bins in the basement crawl space (which I can barely squeeze myself into these days).  I also need to purge the clothes in her closet, most of which she has outgrown.  Once that is done, I'll need to purchase her some new fall/winter clothes (blog coming on that)!  It always feels so good to get rid of things. I mostly sell our things on Buy & Sell pages, donate some, and pass onto friends/family.  We also have some bins of clothing leftover from when we closed our men's retail store, Banjo earlier this year.  I was planning on having a 'pop up shop' but now may just 'buy & sell' them as well.  Not sure what option would be easier?

POTTY TRAIN BELLA

This is already underway but not 100% complete yet.  She pees (not #2) on the potty anytime we are at home, but not when we leave the house.  I would really like to have her completely trained and out of diapers by the time we have to start buying diapers for her little brother; for the convenience and cost factors. Send us all the good vibes and patience.

MEAL PREP

Now this might be wishful thinking, but I would really like to do some cooking and stock up on freezer meals before going into labour.  I did a few meals last pregnancy and when I went back to work.  Any new mom knows there is no time to cook when you are dealing with a newborn.  It is such a God send to have a meal prepared to pull out for supper.  I have been pinning recipes and would like to do a lasagna, muffins, crockpot meals, chilli.... Any other suggestions would be helpful!

SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH BELLA

How Bella is going to take the transition from only child to one of two is constantly on my mind.  I hope that she continues to feel loved and important to us.  I worry about her feeling neglected or jealous of the baby.  She hasn't shown any signs of this so far, it's just all in my head.  So I am planning on making some special days to spend one-on-one time with her before the baby comes! We may take a trip to the Calgary Zoo, get a mani-pedi, and just make fitting some of her favourite things into our schedule a priority (going to the park, library, Flynn's Forest, and playdates).  I also have a blog in the works on what we have been doing to prepare Bella for her little sibling. 

STOCK UP ON BLOG CONTENT

Try as I might, I know I won't have the time or energy to be blogging, taking photos, and posting content right after having a baby.  While I know it's totally ok to be quiet on my blog/social, I know myself, and know that I will feel better if I have some blogs prepared to post in the weeks following the birth of our little one.  So while I have the motivation, I plan on writing blogs in the next few weeks that will be posted during my down time. Let me know anything specific you guys are interested in seeing!

PREPARE MYSELF

This is another upcoming blog topic- what I am doing for myself to prepare for the baby.  I plan on taking some time for myself to indulge in self-care and be pampered.  I know I won't have the opportunity to do so again in the near future so I would love to get a facial, massage, manicure, pedicure, get my hair done, and go shopping.  Just do some of the things that I enjoy :)

And there you have it- just 10 things that need to be done in one month from now. Reasonable? Or unrealistic? You decide. And I'll be sure to update you on the progress of this list.  Wish me luck!

Photography by Garrett Kendel. Romper by Pinkblush. 

Xo Kk