Where to Begin

So the Christmas decorations are packed up and put away. Christmas gifts have all found their new homes, and plenty of older, unused/no-longer-needed items are bagged for donation. I've also sold $50 worth of items I cleaned out of my closet- woot :) 

Now that the holidays are over and cleaned up after, it's time for baby prep! We are just 10 and a half weeks away from our March 26 due date and starting the process of making our house ready for Reagan! You wouldn't think there'd be much to do the 2nd time around but there is actually a decent to-do list. Pretty much the only thing we don't have to do is put a nursery together and make big purchases. Though we do have to put Carsen's big-girl room together which involves paint/wall treatments, making a blanket (I'll explain why when I blog it), making a window treatment and matching bed skirt, adding book storage and some kind of seat (I'm thinking just a bean bag) for a reading corner, hanging photos/art/shelves. So that mostly makes up for not having to do a nursery. Some of it doesn't have to be done before Reagan arrives though, so that helps.

To get ready for Reagan, we need to do things like...

- Pull out, clean and make a place for baby equipment like the swing and pack & play

- Pull out, clean and set up the bassinet

- Install the infant car seat base

- Pull out and wash clothing, blankets, bibs, burp cloths, etc. then stock dresser & closet

- Clean the nursery since it's not currently being used

- Make plans for Carsen for when we go to the hospital

I'm certain there are some others that I'm forgetting because it's late. I also have a non-essential list that includes getting a playlist ready for the hospital, making the baby book, and changing out the photos & accessories in the nursery that were Carsen's for ones that will be Reagan's. 

For all of the essential items I am in the process of creating a week-by-week check list to make sure things get done in plenty of time. There are some things that can be done way ahead and others that I'd rather do closer to the due date, so the weekly list helps keep me from forgetting something until the last minute that I should have done earlier on. I'll share that list when it's done. 

Right now Carsen's room is priority 1. We need to buy our supplies and find a good time to work on it. Since she is already using her room I can't very well work on it while she's napping, and when she's awake... well, that would be impossible too. We might have to call in Nana to come over and play while I work. It's a small room so it shouldn't take a lot of time, I just need some kid-free time to do it. Once her room is painted I can work on the textiles easily during naps and after she goes to bed at night. I plan to have the progress posted as soon as things get underway! And for those of you who recall the major paint indecision I went through when choosing a color for our main level, let not your hearts be troubled. The color for her room is chosen :)