Prepping for Baby

For my part, baby prep started out as quite a long list, but I've whittled it down, and feel like I can finish before he comes.

In addition to ours, I've had several friends having babies as well, so I made 3 baby blankets, and have one left. I was waiting for my niece/nephew to find out what color to make the last blanket. My nephew arrived this week, so I can whip up something for him. I just have to settle down and pick a pattern. =) But, here are my efforts to date:

I've also decided to go the cloth diaper route, since last time I had 2 in diapers it got pretty pricey. I convinced John to let me try, did my research, and took some of our tax return for the initial investment. I decided to go with Pocket Diapers since the actual mechanics of changing them wasn't that unlike disposables: You stuff the middle with an absorbent insert at laundry time, and then just put it on when changing. Even John agrees they're not too bad. =) Andrew loves them, and they're adjustable to fit both boys.

Plus, and I never thought I'd say this (then, I never thought I'd go the cloth route either), but aren't they cute?

From deciding on cloth diapers, with all my research, it wasn't that much of a stretch to decide on cloth wipes as well. I usually bundle up the wipes in the diaper, and that won't work so well with disposable wipes. I had some old flannel sheets, so I found some DIY instructions, and started cutting them into squares. I borrowed a sewing machine, and ended up with about 80-something wipes. That should last me quite a while... =) Andrew loves them, and complains when they're not handy and I grab the disposable wipes. I need to set up a better station upstairs, but I'll get there. It wasn't a complicated sewing project by any means, but I'm still pretty proud of it.

I still need to finish putting the baby's room together, but it's slowly becoming a reality. John's got the furniture set up in there, so I just need to finish putting everything away. But like I said earlier, I've got a few weeks. Now to find a carseat.... =)

Busy, Busy, Busy...

So... I seem to have really slacked off on blogging lately. I should probably catch up before life gets too crazy again. =)

It's seems unreal that we only have about 6-7 weeks before our newest little one joins us. Physically, I'm ready for him to be here now, but realistically, I still have a lot to do in the coming weeks.

We have been busy getting ready for the little man though. With our tax return, we bought bunk beds for Timothy and Andrew, and some wheels for John.

It's been nice not having to juggle transportation. As for the boys, well, I'll let you judge. =)

We got the beds off of craigslist, and the safety rail was missing, so they served as solo beds until John could make one. Now that they're stacked, and our boys are beyond thrilled.

The boys keep me in a semi-constant state of amusement and amazement. Andrew is talking up a storm these days, and it's so much fun to finally know what's going on in his head. A few weeks ago, he came up to me with several of the little people from my old FP farm (nearly 30 year-old set) and said: "Look Mom, Fingerpuppets!"

He's also decided that that baby is "My Baby," not our baby, just his. Hopefully he's still just as excited when the baby is more than a vague concept in my belly. =) He's constantly telling me "I a Big Boy," and he really is.

It's also been fun to see all the concepts like time, days and months coming together for Timothy. It seems that he's almost always flipping through the calendar, figuring out the months, and asking me what happens in each month. He's been learning about the early presidents, and Martin Luther King in school lately, and loves to come home and tell me all about it. He tells me all about George Washington and the cherry tree, and Martin Luther King, although why he's so important is still a bit vague. We've expanded on it at home, and it seems to make sense. I did get a great laugh the day he brought this home:

We've also kept up our monthly visits to Home Depot (I'm shooting for this to be constant all year, but depending on baby day, that might be tricky. We'll see. =) So far, the projects have been fairly simple, and they are so proud of them. They are some of the youngest kids there, but they are fairly good with tools, considering their age. But, they are their Daddy's sons. =)

John had spring break this past week, and we spent a lot of it rearranging and doing baby prep, since John won't really have time to help me out again before the baby comes. My due date is finals week, so we're timing it close. =) Let the countdown begin!