I hope you had a great Valentine's Day weekend.
We did a little bit of everything - stayed home, had an out of town friend stop by, ran some errands, had a game night with new friends, ate some festive food and treats and Kevin squeezed in some extra sleep because he wasn't feeling great. He's got another busy work week ahead so I hope he got enough rest this weekend. We got some snow so we tossed out our plan to get take out and made a frozen pizza for dinner. It was delicious :) How was your Valentine's Day weekend??
I feel like I have a lot on my mind lately with the upcoming arrival of our little Fletcher.
He's due to arrive in 8 weeks or less and I want to be as prepared as possible. I don't feel the anxiety to have everything perfectly ready, but I do have several thoughts going through my head. We're gathering things for his nursery now and plan to set it up once we move into our house sometime this Spring. He'll stay in our room for those first few weeks just like Olive did and then we'll work on his nursery later.
Here's what I've been thinking about and wondering...
1. Registry.
I created a small Target registry for our little guy since my MIL is hosting a Sprinkle for us in a few weeks. What are your registry must have items? I don't want to forget anything. We've got all of the big items - car seat, pack n play, rock n play, etc from when Olive was a baby and we will be reusing everything. Any boy specific must haves or newer baby items that you've fallen in love with?
2. Double Stroller.
Do you have one to recommend or one that you don't love? I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on them because we're going to need one. I'm interested in this Contours Options Elite Tandem Stroller because it's got great reviews, is a good price and has tons of seating arrangement options. We love to go on long walks, go to the park and want something that will be comfy, roomy and durable for several years.
3. Transition to big sister status.
We have picked up a few little gifts to give Olive at the hospital from Fletcher, but I'd love to hear any recommendations on things that worked well for you when you brought home a new baby. Olive is excited about all this big sister and baby brother talk. However, I'm a little worried that her world is going to be rocked. Any and all tips would be appreciated.
4. Hospital Plan.
We're still working through exactly what our hospital plan will be. I was induced with Olive so I'm not sure what to expect with #2. We will need a day time game plan and a night time plan of what we'll do when/if I go into labor. Any suggestions or things that work well for you?
5. First few weeks at home with two.
Kevin has a pretty flexible schedule, but will be wrapping up his final few weeks of the semester in April. So he'll be around and trying to balance work obligations with home life. So I'm wondering what things I can do to make those first few weeks go smoothly. Freezer meals? routines? Again, any advice is welcomed.
6. Sprinkle favor.
I mentioned I'm having a sprinkle in just a few weeks so what is your favorite favor to get at a shower? I'd like to do something edible that I can make to give to my guests. I always think it's nice when the guest of honor takes care of the favors. I'd love to hear your favorites - I'm leaning towards chocolate covered pretzels or something along those lines.
7. Land of Nod.
I'm LOVING this Land of Nod A to Z Cube Bin for Fletcher's nursery. I think it'll be perfect for toys or books, but I've never ordered anything from them. Are you a fan or have you ever purchased any of their storage bins before?
8. Newborn Photographer.
I am on the hunt for a newborn photographer in my area. I need to ask some friends for recommendations. Any tips for having a really successful newborn session with a few sibling pictures? What types of outfits or boy things work best?? My strategy of gathering cute headbands and pink things for Olive's pictures is not going to work this time around.
THANKS for hearing me out and for any helpful suggestions you may have for me.
So many of your thoughts are on my mind too! The registry and double stroller are my 2 humdingers. Other than boy-colored bibs, blankets, etc, I don't really need anything else big. Diapers! HAHA! I need diapers :) And the double stroller.... I'm on the fence between getting something lightweight (like a double umbrella stroller) that we can use when the new baby is more like 6+ months... or getting something to use right away. I'm not sure what's more practical! But it is nice to have the previous experience to know you don't need EVERYTHING in place before the baby gets here. A place to sleep, diapers, clothes and a car seat is all that newborn needs :)
ReplyDeleteCan't believe Mr. Fletcher is only 8 weeks away from making his appearance!! How fast time is going! I have so many of these same thoughts (especially re: registry) so I'm going to be keeping an eye on the comments here :) And totally agree about edible favors, they're the best!
ReplyDeleteI wanted a new baby carrier for this go- I'm trying out the jj cole agility as it looks more user friendly than the k'tan that I used very little with Lawter. I also think I'll baby wear more with needing hands free for L as well! We have the britax travel system as our infant seat and loved it and still use the single stroller, so I think we're leaning toward getting the double stroller for it. It has great reviews, just waiting to bite the (financial) bullet to purchase I guess! hah Lawter came early so I didn't really have a chance to get anxious about when and how she'd come - buuuuut since she was early, now I'm completely on edge!!! I'm a planner so not knowing how to have a concrete plan drives me nuts. hah
ReplyDeleteThe Dr. Brown's formula mixing pitcher is our go to item for this time around. We also bought a blender bottle for on the go- they are not in the baby section but the ones that people use for their protein shakes/smoothies and they have that metal ball in them that mixes the formula.
ReplyDeleteLindsey M.
I don't have a lot of input I can give but I have you on support. As long as you have the essentials everything will work itself out. I did hear one smart thing about including the older child in the ride home from the hospital. A lot of times the older child is staying with relatives but have them bring her to the hospital before y'all leave for home so that y'all come home together as a family of four and have Olive help bring him in. My sister had her second 3 months ago and there was some jealousy. Bennett is four and would bring his mom his sippy cup and say feed me mama or would say put Maybree down and hold me. She would do as he asked since his requests weren't too crazy. She involves him a lot but really has to watch him so he doesn't pick her up or feed her anything. I just know Olive is going to love and adore Fletcher.
ReplyDeleteI was super unorganized about my plans for Abigail when I went into labor. There were so many variables- we just went with it when the time came...and it was crazy, but it worked out.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you have a baby carrier/wrap ready to go! That will be a life saver, especially in the early days.
As far as the adjustment period, I'd say take it super slow and easy, have low expectations, give yourself plenty of time to adjust and recover, don't rush anything. It will be hard at first, but then one day, it wont be anymore. And it will just be wonderful! You will just love having two!
First, this grammie recommends a gift for new baby from Olive. Each of my girls did this and do you know they still have the stuffed animals they received as babies from their sister and is now passing it on to their children. It makes her feel involved. Second, do as much meal prep as you can ahead of time. You know there will be days that dinner will be the last thing you want to do. So when making a casserole for dinner now, make an extra one for later. Third, reuse everything, whether it is girl gender or not. Saves you money and time. Have everything ready to go and be sure there is the weekly grocery shopping done the week you are planning to go (if it's planned). Fourth, relax and enjoy the last weeks. Include Olive in as much as you can. Keep her routine as normal as possible after baby comes. It will be flexible, but for the most part, don't disrupt anything that is special to her. You will do just fine!
ReplyDeleteWe're getting the Contours double too! We tested it in Babies R Us and fell in love. Folds easily and drives smooth, super light and turns easily too. It's also the only tandem option I can find for our Britax infant seat and I refuse to buy a new infant seat...so unnecessary!
ReplyDeleteMariah
www.faithandfashionblog.blogspot.com
Oh goodness he is going to be here fast! It sounds like you have a great plan to get things done and ready.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness he is going to be here fast! It sounds like you have a great plan to get things done and ready.
ReplyDeleteHe'll be here so soon! 1-2 is such a fun transition. You'll do great. I would say having a baby carrier of some sort is helpful at times. We really love our Ergo. The stroller you linked looks great, too. We have the Graco sit and stand, and it's been really nice.
ReplyDelete