Long time no see! It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks, and I feel like I’m just coming up for air. Between some pretty hefty family stuff and getting ready for Baby K’s arrival in six weeks, I feel like my to-do list has become my person Augean Stables. Now that her nursery is pretty much ready, (and to convince myself that it’s all going to happen and be totally worth it) I’ve pulled together a list of five of the ways I’m getting ready to welcome our baby girl.
1. Lots of sewing projects
I’ve been put on preventative leave from my day job as an elementary school music teacher, so I’ve had quite a bit of free time of late. (Don’t worry: everything’s fine!) I recently got my Elna sewing machine fixed up and it works like a treat now, so I’ve caught the sewing bug BIG TIME. Sewing keeps my mind busy and is certainly a lot more productive and intelligent than binge-watching Netflix, so I’m going to be doing a lot of it in the coming weeks!
I’ll have a fuller account of my sewing projects in a later post, but here are some in-progress photos of a few of my creations for Baby K.
I made this sun bonnet using Purl Soho‘s lovely (and easy-to-follow) pattern. I’ll have some more details about it shortly. Doesn’t Luna the hare look splendid in it, though? 🙂
I’m working on some ruffled diaper covers based on the pattern from See Kate Sew. I won’t lie: I’ve had some issues with this tutorial, but overall, they are turning out quite well. The pattern in itself is good, and sews up easily.
2. Making freezer meals
So far I’ve made three recipes, which amounts to several days worth of meals. Since our little girl is due in July, I’m avoiding meals that require the oven. So, lots of crock-pot or microwavable options!
I can’t speak to their flavour just yet (I’ll be sure to tell you how they turn out), but I’ve made:
Sausage with Peppers and Onions from Hip 2 Save
Warm and Spicy Saffron Chicken with Apricots from The Organized Pantry
My own recipe for Spaghetti Sauce (I really should try to write these things down!) – One batch gives us about three meals, so it’s a great value! I’m very aware that breastfeeding is going to be tiring, so I’m trying to make meals that pack a lot of protein.
3. Budgeting carefully
This has perhaps been the most challenging aspect of preparing for our baby’s arrival. It is so darn tempting to rush out and BUY BUY BUY all the cute baby stuff. I feel like I am constantly at war with my own mind: “It’ll be so useful!” “Yes, but do we really need it two months ahead of time?” “But it’s on sale!” “But it’s not good value if it screws up our cash flow.” Granted, a whole lot of these discussions have taken place with my husband, as well… He’s really smart about budgeting and minding our cash flow. Thank God for him.
A lot of what I’ve read has encouraged me to stockpile items before baby arrives. I see the value of doing a bit of stockpiling of certain items, but I don’t want to end up with ten extra boxes of diapers that we won’t end up using. The items I plan to stock up on as I see them on sale are:
- Household supplies (toilet paper, paper towel, laundry detergent, soap, etc) – because I know without a doubt that we will use these!
- Non-perishable pantry items (canned goods, pasta, herbs and spices, baking igredients, etc) – again, I know we’ll use them and I won’t have to go running out to the store with a newborn.
4. Organizing Baby K’s nursery
I’ve washed most of her onesies and clothes, and organized them by size. I’m sure that will last all of about six seconds once she actually arrives, but at least it looks nice for now! I’ve also organized her closet, and begun to sort out how we’ll do diaper storage.
5. Spending time with my husband à deux
This is perhaps the most important way we’re preparing for Baby K’s arrival. Pretty soon, our lives will be consumed by caring for her, and our own relationship will undoubtably take somewhat of a back seat. Erick and I both believe strongly that we need to take care of each other first and foremost, so that we can be a strong unit in caring for our children; but, we both realize that a baby changes everything.
We’re taking time just to be together, doing the activities we love: cooking, talking, making music, going for walks, eating dinner together, watching movies, and so on. We want our marriage to be as healthy as it can be, so that we can be great, loving, happy parents to this little girl.
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As we count down the weeks until our baby’s arrival (five and half!), I’d love to hear your tips and advice about getting ready for a little one. Or maybe you have a stand-out freezer meal recipe? Leave a comment with your best idea!
Don’t forget to PIN this list for later!
Have a great week!
