Baby Prep

I don't know if it's because I have worked for an accounting firm for 13 years or if I was just made this way, but I love spreadsheets. Given one of my August goals was to start planning for this baby, my spreadsheet love has been in hyperdrive!

I have spreadsheets detailing:

1) Baby gear that we need - 
After having a lot of our baby gear for 7 years, some of it was just in bad shape. {The infant carrier both kids used was 'loved' for about 3 years and is now expired, ha.} There are also some things I've borrowed from various friends for different kids {I loved the rock 'n play with Drew, but it wasn't around when Trent was a baby, so we borrowed it.}, so I have a small hole of stuff that we need. I've got a spreadsheet with what we need, who we can borrow/buy it from {I have the BEST friends}, and if we need to buy it new, what it will cost us.

2) Car seats  - 
As I mentioned above, the infant carrier we used for Trent and Drew expired. So I knew we had to get another carrier. BUT then I realized we have somewhat wide car seats in my car {I am a HUGE Graco fan, but their seats are just flat-out WIDE}, and we can't get 3 in my backseat. So we have to get everyone new car seats in my Edge. Luckily, Brent has a truck with a roomier backseat, so we'll just move Drew's convertible into Brent's middle space for Smoochie, and if Smoochie is a boy, he'll just grow up hating us for putting him in a car seat with pink detailing. #3rdkidproblems I am obsessed with this blogger who writes all about car seat safety and the best car seats. So I've used his blog {he has tons of pages about 3-in-a-row car seats} to get my list together and have decided what everyone will get {still debating between 2 for Drew}. It also means Trent finally moves into a high-back booster. He's super excited, but I wish I had him in a 5-point for 1 more year, ha.

Case in point: car seat analysis!!

Name, price, dimensions...Total nerd!

3) Freezer meals - 
I have blogged many times about not being super organized with my meal planning. Although I am getting much better since I started using my handy-dandy meal template spreadsheet. Well one thing I've never done is had a stocked freezer when we brought home a new baby, and I want that this time around. I have a list of recipes to get in the freezer and a plan for making 3-4/weekend the month before Smoochie is due. It's also going to be in our favor that we will have lots of family time for the holidays to get us some meals. {grin}

And without spreadsheets, I've also got plans for:

4) Postpartum prep - 
Ever since being diagnosed with MTHFR, I have been cautiously optimistic that this was the root cause of my previous experiences with post-partum anxiety. But I also want to be prepared that it isn't, and given I have had it twice, I need to be prepared that it could happen again. I have a friend who unfortunately had post-partum depression after both her daughter's births and found an amazing therapist who ONLY works with women and reproductive trauma {ranging from fertility issues to menopause to infant death}. I plan to contact her soon and see her ahead of having Smoochie to get a plan together for addressing post-partum should it rear its ugly head again!

5) The Nursery - 
So the funny party about the nursery is you would think we should have everything we need for a nursery. But we can't find the side rails to Trent's crib {since we converted it into a bed}, and Drew's looks like a woodchuck ate it. Luckily, my sister's crib is almost identical to Trent's, and Mayer is ready to sleep in a real bed, so we're getting her side rails! Then we'll use Trent's dresser as a changing table again {he's going to get bunk beds we think!}, and we'll use the same glider {it is beat up but still glides!} and book shelf. I am 95% sure I've decided on a color scheme/theme, so it's all coming together...in theory at least.

So there you have it. All my lists and ideas. Now I just have to, you know, DO IT ALL...and then have a baby!