30 Things To Do Before Baby

I've reached that point in my pregnancy where I've realized, "Holy shit, we're having a baby."

You would think that I would have reached this point, I don't know, before I was 8 months pregnant? But something about only being 5 weeks from being "full-term" (aka, baby can show up whenever!) and 8 weeks from my due date has me in a sudden tizzy.

The fact that we've been out of town since the middle of September doesn't help, as we have not had an opportunity to get much done for baby. I mean, let's be real: If the kid showed up tomorrow, we would be OK. We might not have the 200 items we registered for, but all you hear is how a newborn baby just needs love...and we've got that!

To ease my anxieties, I've compiled a list of to-do's to get done before Baby Farrell makes his debut in anywhere from 5 to 9 weeks. Some are small, some are big, some are probably unnecessary, but hey - it's my list. Go make your own.

(And yes, I included some items that we have already completed because PROGRESS, people!)

Anything else I should add to my list?

1. Paint guest bedroom. My hubby completed this one for me and once, when I was bored, I even went ahead and painted the master bedroom, too!
2. Clean out guest bedroom closet. Another task I completed during a long weekend while going insane wondering if my husband was alive on Mt. Rainier.
3. Move bed, dresser and crap out of guest bedroom and into a storage unit. We're taking care of this this weekend!
4. Rent storage unit. Completed last week. Side note: storage units aren't cheap. Anyone want to house our guest bedroom furniture until we move next year? 
5. Design and organize nursery. Words can't express how excited I am to get started on this. During my pregnancy, I've been buying things that I *think* will fit our space and what I have in mind, but I won't know until we get the stuff that's in this room out, and we get our nursery furniture in. Just got a call that it will be here next week, and I AM SO EXCITED!
6. Choose and order glider. The one and only time I've made my hubby go to BuyBuyBaby was to help me choose a glider. I gave him three to pick from, he chose in less than a minute and that was that. Why do I make things so hard? (His words, not mine.) It won't be here until next month sometime.
7. Call insurance company to get breast pump. I think technically, I"m waiting for them to call me. I have let them know what kind I want and when I'm due, and word on the street is they will contact me when I'm closer to needing it.
8. Purchase remaining items from registry. We have another baby shower next weekend, and a baby brunch in mid-November. After that, I plan to fully utilize our registry discounts and get any major items we still lack. Annnd I'll probably go nuts on clothes, cuz I have yet to do that.
9. Choose and book a newborn photographer. Chosen today, as a matter of fact! We are going with AG Gallery. I spoke with her for a long time this week and loved her and her approach, not to mention her affordable prices and beautiful photos! 
10. Sign up for childbirth and childcare classes. We'll take two childbirth classes, starting at the beginning of November and then we have one newborn care class the week after that. 
11. Figure out childcare for post-maternity leave. We know we're joining a nanny share, but unfortunately can't find a nanny until I'm actually on leave, since many women are looking for a job now, not in March. Slightly stressed not having this figured out, but not much I can do at this point.
12. Plan babymoon! We even went on our babymoon! Read all about it.
13. Choose name for baby. Someday I will write a post about choosing a name for your child. It is not easy! But, ours is chosen and no, I'm not sharing until he's here.
14. Tour Labor & Delivery unit at hospital. I can cross this off when we complete our childbirth classes!
15. Pack hospital bags. 
16. Pick a birth announcement. I want to do this before he comes so that it's one less thing for me to do AFTER he arrives. If I choose one, I can design it and all I have to do is choose a photo and update with his birth details. Done and done!
17. Choose a pediatrician. We chose our pediatrician based on our OB's recommendation. He is someone in our practice and is highly recommended. He's even the author of a well-known baby book! The only thing that might come into play later is that he's downtown, which in Chicago, means like 20-30 minutes away. So we may look for someone closer to home.
18. Get car seat installation checked by local fire department. I didn't know this was a thing that had to be done until a friend told me last week. The car seat is installed, but I know it's done right, so I am more than happy to have someone else do it for me!
19. Purchase a baby book. You know, so that I can put all my good intentions of carefully hallmarking our son's life to use.
20. Purchase additional life insurance. Did anyone else do this when they had a baby? I've heard it's not a bad idea, in case someone loses their job (and coincidentally, their life insurance) and you have more control over how much your policy is. All these things to consider now that there's someone else depending on you.
21. Contact insurance company to determine out-of-pocket costs. I know we're covered for a lot of our maternity care, but I also know we'll have to pay some money. The question is, how much?
22. Register car seat and stroller. It's recommended to do this so the company knows where to contact you in case of a recall.
23. Get 3D/4D Ultraound. We don't have any more sonograms (unless something is wrong) during our pregnancy, so we are doing this at an outside vendor. We are going on Sunday and can't wait to see how much our little boy has grown!
24. Finalize maternity-leave plan. To keep everyone at work sane while I'm gone. :)
25. Save money! This will likely never be crossed off the list, but we have a number that we'd like to have saved before baby gets here. I think we'll get there!
26. Cook and freeze meals. Another lofty goal, but I've heard it's a good idea to do this so that you have food when baby comes. Maybe some weekend in November when I'm super preggo and miserable, I'll jump on Pinterest and find some good recipes.
27. Create "baby's here!" contact list (phone and mail). Don't want to forget anyone when we're heading to the hospital, nor when we send our birth announcements!
28. Find/create storage solutions for baby, mom and dad. Tie this back to the whole nursery thing. I need to find somewhere to store all of the clothing in the dresser that's in the guest bedroom, as well as somewhere to put the current items "stored" under the bed. And, I need to determine what we want to shlep off to the storage unit while we're at it....
29. Buy winter coat for pre- and post-baby. I really don't want to spend any more money on maternity clothes, but figure I will need a coat for winter that covers my bump, and that I can wear after baby in that "in between" stage. Anyone know where I can get a good deal? $50 or less would be ideal...
30. Figure out how to take care of newborn baby. Cuz honestly...what the hell are we doing?

That leaves 21 things left to do. Off to work!