The Master List

Somehow, when I was pregnant with Zosia, I never really got that "nesting instinct." We had a co-sleeper that was set up in our bedroom, had picked up a few onesies and sleepers at garage sales, and had been given cloth diapers by our friends, and I felt totally prepared. Ironically, this time around, when we actually have all the requisite baby "stuff," I'm getting this inexplicable energy to prepare a space in the home for the baby. I don't expect for baby #2 to sleep in her own room in a crib until she's at least 6 months old, but here we are, with a nursery all set up for her. I've been loving pulling out all of Zosia's baby stuff from boxes in the basement, washing it, folding it, and getting it ready for the baby. I've even actually *bought* a few things for the baby, which didn't happen with Zosia until she was like 1 or something.

I think that partly, I'm anticipating that between a toddler and a baby, I'm not going to have much time or energy during the first months to actually compensate for a lack of preparation beforehand... and where after Zosia was born we had tons of help with things like getting everything organized, caring for a newborn, this time I'm mainly caralling people and hands to help care for Zosia during those first months, which means that it would be nice if I actually took care of the rest of the stuff beforehand. And, on top of everything else, this time around we have this house of ours that seems to be an endless pit of projects waiting to happen.

So, in an attempt to actually "get ready" (probably much more so than is necessary), here is my master "to do list" for before the baby arrives... after a reality check this weekend, I decided that some of the tasks will be fine left undone, which I put in itallics:

Before Birth:

• Purchase/assemble all things for home birth (see checklist) in pack and play
• Prepare one week's worth of dinners/ breakfast/dessert:

• baked ziti
• enchilladas
• chilli
• macaroni and cheese
• granola
• peanut butter granola
• one weeks worth of brown rice
• whole wheat peanut butter cookies
• chocolate chip cookies
• waffles
• quiche for birth
• blueberry muffins
• chicken curry
• scallion pancakes
• pizza dough

• Empty baby's closet
• Organize baby clothes
• Pick up baby bedding
• Buy white noise machines
• Buy second level to phil and teds
• Get stroller fixed
• Paint baby's mirror
• Buy birth present for Zosia

Around the house:

• Organize basement
• install bookshelves downstairs
• Paint front door
• Paint interior doors
• Return stuff to Home Depot (drywall, molding)
• Put up lattice
• Plant garden
• Plant planters
• Assemble Ikea furniture
• Assemble baby swing
• Install window treatments in dining room/ basement
• Plant grass seeds
• Caulk the tub
• Hang up mirror in baby's room
• Install backup sump pump
• Fix carpet downstairs
• Put shelves in bookcase upstairs (put in books)
• Remove phone jack from kitchen/ paint around outlets
• Apply polyurethane to hand rails