Nesting

Tomorrow I officially start the third trimester and have begun anxiously trying to get everything in order for Mr. baby's arrival.

On my to do list:

1) Get a 'practice' baby to teach Libby boundaries
a. In What to Expect the First Year--they recommend pretending a baby doll is the baby to teach the dog about what is going to change (i.e. when he's feeding, Libby can't be right in my lap but she can sit next to me, not jumping to see what is in the bassinet, etc.)

b. So my Mom mailed me one of my old Cabbage Patch newborn dolls to practice with...we'll see what happens after it arrives

2) Get a cd of baby sounds to teach Libby to not bark when she hears weird noises
a. Not sure if this is actually going to help her not bark, but I'm hoping it'll at least get her used to the sounds that she can be expecting

3) Finish organizing the nursery and put in deeper shelves in the 'built-in' bookcase for storage
a. A reminder of what the bookcase used to look like:


b. I've since cleaned it off completely, but what you can't see in the photo is that these shelves are only 6" deep. I'm replacing them with 12" deep shelves so that I can use normal size bins and baskets to help hold diapers, toys, etc. Don't be fooled by the drawers in the desk or the closet--those are entirely full with other things (I've got an amazing ability for cramming things into 'storage space'), so we've got to go out into the open with Isaac's things.

4) Become members of a local church (almost completed)
a. I found a church that I really, really like, so now I just have to get Andro up every Sunday to go with me (I refuse to look like a girl in trouble who just found Jesus). I've got Isaac's Godparents all lined up and am actually really excited about being a member of a church again. I haven't been a member of any church since Evansville.

5) Find a pediatrician (almost completed)
a. I found a practice that I like and I'm going to an open house to meet the doctors next month.

But...until I officially have a baby doctor I can't do this one:

6) Fill out the hospital registration form (and get the hospital bag ready)

And 7) Figure out a way to con my Mom into living with us and taking care of the baby full-time.
a. Yeah, that's not going to happen. I'm thrilled that my Mom will be here for Isaac's birth (she's pretty much going to come up in early May once I stop working and wait it out until he's born), and for a bit after he's born to help us out. But I'm also excited for this new chapter in our lives.