We are roughly 8 weeks out from baby. The weeks are clicking by faster than I ever would have thought possible. The pregnancy has gone very smoothly for Sandy- she never had morning sickness but she has developed some muscle soreness in her back and legs as of late. As we get closer and closer to our due date- May 27 we are desperately trying to wrap up all the loose ends.
The Nursery. We have the nursery put together. Sandy and her mother helped put the finishing touches on the paint and decorations during Spring Break. I put the crib together- which was a bit more of an ordeal than I anticipated. I managed to strip 2 screws with the stupid, ridiculously small alan wrench included in the box. No worries though. Simmons sent us 2 replacement screws and Sandy gingerly put them in place. Darn my fat fingers! Sandy’s coworkers are throwing us a shower this week. We are thrilled that we now have a place for the gifts and diapers and clothes.
Birthing Classes. We start parenting/birthing classes this week as well. Thankfully, the hospital is across the street from our house so we won’t have to worry about traveling. I am a bit nervous about the classes just because I don’t know what to expect- except I know that we will watch THE video. I’ll give you an update on the class on Friday and let you know how it goes.
Loose Ends. We are preparing the hospital bag. We have her hospital attire and essentials ready to go. I am creating a birth playlist for my iPod- Some soothing tracks from Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, David Crowder, Alison Krauss and, of course, U2. I am also packing DVDs for Sandy- Our room will have a DVD player and Sandy thinks (ha) that she will want to watch “King of the Hill.” I’m packing them but not holding my breath. We have a car seat for my car. I need to put the stroller together. Um…. We’re just getting everything we can think of ready for baby. Anything we’re missing?
Do you know what your sleeping arrangements will be like? Tyler had to sleep on a window bench that was not nearly long enough. If you have a similar situation, you might want to consider a twin air mattress. Of course, the hospital where Mitch and Katie delivered would take away the “birthing bed” and pulled a queen bed out from the wall, which is just amazingly awesome.
The only other thing I can think of would be a sleeping area (bassinet or something like that) for your room. Most babies don’t really sleep in their cribs for a while. We put Keynan in a laundry basket with a blanket during the day because he slept better where we were hanging out than in his room. Good Job! You guys are going to be amazing parents!
Thanks Kelly! I really appreciate your encouragement!!!
There is a fold-out couch for me in both the delivery room and the post-partum room (that really needs a different description/title). I probably should avoid sleeping on the one in the delivery room. “Whew! I sure am tired Sandy. I think I’m going to catch a few Zs.” I don’t see that going over very well! Do you?
We have a bassinet on loan from some friends. We just haven’t figured out the best place for it. I’m sure that will get taken care of soon. I already caught the dog peeking into it. We’ll have to do something about that too! If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.
I will be expecting live blogging/tweeting from the birthing classes. I will be very disappointed if I don’t get a live feed. 🙂
I will be expecting live blogging/tweeting from the birthing classes. I will be very disappointed if I don’t get a live feed. 🙂
I will definitely have to Twitter the proceedings!
Exciting! I’m glad Sandy’s pregnancy has gone so well! Remember to pack a camera! I also enjoyed having my laptop with me to share our news. Does the little man have a special going home outfit? I’m sure Sandy will discover what she needs for her post-baby self at the classes and will let the teacher delicately tell you what those are. Make sure Sandy has her own pillow. It makes all the difference in the world!
Oooh! Thanks for the pillow idea Brooke!!!
I’ll have my laptop with us and the camera. I think we have bought the “going home” outfit but I’ll have to check on that.
Thanks Brooke!
I didn’t do this with Gideon, but was prepared for Naomi: I took clothes for the baby to wear during the stay at the hospital. Yes, they give you a shirt for the baby, but there’s something nice about seeing your baby in clothes you brought from home that makes the baby more yours.
And I second the pillow thing.
Just so you are warned, both hospitals where I have given birth say there is a pull-out couch for the dads. But they end up being tiny chair-pull-out-things. JR stayed in the room with me when Gideon was born, but he didn’t sleep well which made us both over tired (and he wasn’t getting the good medicine).
When Naomi was born, he went home and slept (eventhough we had grandparents to stay with Gideon). Since JR was getting the sleep he needed, he was better able to support me.
So don’t bank on getting a lot of sleep if you stay in the room. There are pluses to staying together as a family of 3, and since you don’t sleep much anyway, you’ll probably be fine. However, I just wanted to throw our experiences out there for you to think about.
I’m really hoping Hewson is born on his due date. It’ll be easy for me to remember since that’s Gideon’s birthday too. 🙂
I can’t wait to see pictures!
Daisha
Hey Daisha,
We toured the maternity ward at our hospital and every room had a couch. Now granted, the couch was just shy of dorm room quality but I’m sure it will get the job done. The other side of the coin is we live literally 500 yards or so from the hospital. Maybe I will have a chance to scoot out for a quick power nap but you’re right- I don’t sleep anyway so I’m just going to play it by ear and do what I gotta do!
Thanks for the wise words! Maybe Hewson and Gideon will share birthdays! 🙂
Pack a small to medium size cooler full of snacks, waters, cokes, etc… I know your house is close, but if you are staying in the room with Sandy, the cafeteria usually closes early and your tummy will be stranded. When you are getting up every two hours to help Sandy feed the baby, you find yourself feeling snacky also… Take a shower on the day the baby goes home. I look like a stoned homeless man in all of the pictures taking Gabe home. Other than that, relax! You’re going to do fine.