to do before baby

after visiting with a couple of friends who are getting ready to welcome their new little ones into the world, i decided to make a list of some things to get done before the baby comes. this list is obviously not exhaustive, but here are a few that came to mind:

// go to the movies. that's right. did you know that going to an actual movie theater after having a baby is nearly impossible? husband and i have only been twice since ry was been born. enjoy one last good movie together!

// read some baby books. in preparation for ry's arrival i read Baby Wise and What To Expect When Your Expecting. both of which i recommend. Baby Wise was really good in helping me figure out how to get a schedule going for my baby and WTEWYE was very informative on what was going on with my body and the baby and also helped me prepare for labor.

// go on an overnight trip. spontaneous overnight trips are a bit more complicated and sparse once baby joins the picture.

// freeze some meals. this was something i was so thankful i had done! coming home from the hospital and trying to figure out what in the world you are doing with this new little person can be quite stressful so having meals prepared ahead of time is a life saver! we were also blessed by having my mom stay with us for about a week and our church family brought us meals as well. we were very very thankful for this.

// pamper yourself. go.get.a.pregnancy.massage. you'll thank me later! and don't forget the obligatory pedicure!

// clean your house. make sure you, or convince the mister in your life, to do a pretty good cleaning a week or a couple of weeks before your due date. this will help reduce stress for all you neat freaks (like me) out there since there won't be much time to focus on housework until you start getting the hang of being a new sleepy momma.

// pack your bags. make sure you have a bag for daddy, momma and baby.

// get alone time. one of the things i miss the most is just simply having time to myself. don't tell husband, but sometimes i take extra long showers for this very reason. ;)

// find a pediatrician. i know this is especially important when having a baby boy and choosing whether to circumcise or not.

// pray for your baby. start praying as soon as possible for this new little life!

// GET SOME SLEEP!

happy friday!