After having a long conversation with Abe tonight about what we want life to look like for the first few weeks after our baby is born, and after reading a friend's blog post about her first few weeks after after baby #8, I came to a conclusion.
I want to throw away my to-do lists.
At least for a few weeks (really, much longer than that and they'd probably have to put me on life-support or something).
What I really mean is that I really want to carve out some space after our baby comes for a break from life. Except that I know that life isn't going to really slow down for us. Genghis will still need the help and attention that he always needs. Plus we'll have this newborn that we'll be responsible for, and I have conveniently forgotten how demanding no sleep, breastfeeding, and soothing a crying infant can be.
So I don't want to have any false illusions that I can make this a blissful, stress-free, euphoric time.
But I do want to get rid of the non-essentials. Cereal for breakfast instead of pancakes. Laundry every other week instead of every week. Laying on the couch while Genghis plays on his own instead of picking another area in the house to de-clutter and re-organize.
The best way for me to think of this is to get rid of all my to-do lists. All I really have to do when this baby comes is meet the needs of myself and my family as they come, instead of planning, preparing, and proactively running our household. (Like I said, just for a few weeks, because I secretly really enjoy all of those p-words).
Of course, the best way for me to put aside my to-do lists is to make one final to-do list. Already on the list (you're surprised I've got one made?)...
- Make 1 month's worth of freezer dinners (done! and something to blog about later)
- Stock the pantry (done!)
- Organize the baby closet (done!)
- Get out the basic baby supplies (burp clothes, pacifiers, swaddles, bottles) and have them on hand
- Install both car seats
- Pack hospital bags and overnight babysitter bag for Genghis
- Deep clean the bathroom - I mean, nursery
- Renew our rental contract
- Finish taxes
- Make a double batch of bran muffins and freeze (assuming I can find space in the freezer)
- De-clutter the house and take a few loads of stuff out to the garage
I'm curious. Two questions.
#1. What sort of things would you put on a to-do list for this week if you wanted to get your home in as much order as possible? Thus, making room to take a few weeks off to spend your time with family (or another noble pursuit - reading good books, saving the world, watching Downton Abbey).
#2. Particularly for those who are father or mothers, what would you ideally have on hand to make the newborn stage as relaxing as possible for yourself? (some ideas: bubble bath, a fridge full of chocolate chip cookie dough, good audio books on demand.)
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5 comments:
I would make a grocery list of all our staples so that Bart could go grocery shopping for us without me having to remember what we eat on a regular basis (milk, yogurt, bananas, cheese, etc).
And an enormous pile of books.
#1: tape down plastic tarps over all the carpet in the house.
#2: good weather conducive to walking outside.
I know, good luck with either of those.
massage oil & aromatherapy lotion. Calms me down a lot...
A few shows in the queue - downton abbey is a good one :)
You have so much done and are so ready for this little girl to come! Hope you get the break you need and take a break from your to - do's, I think that is an awesome idea.
I think you are way more organized than I could ever be around baby-having time. If you are going to have people around who want to help, I would try to make your systems as simple as possible so the helpers do not ruin everything. It seems like your pantry labels and such pretty much have that covered, though.
Ice cream makes me feel better. If you have room in your freezer, I'd definitely add some ice cream to the mix.
I always thought that the 5 AM feedings were the most tiring. I would always flip on the TV and watch a boring news show, which would make it worse. I think that next time I would have some better shows in the queue for that hour.
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