Baby brother to-do's

With only 17 weeks-ish  or 3ish months left of until baby brother is going to arrive my mind is going crazy with all of the to-do's that need to be made into to-dones. Most people say oh its your second baby and it will be easier to prepare. This is true in a sense, yes I know exactly what needs to be done and not done. I also know whats going to happen if I don't get them done.

For instance when I was pregnant with Parson I waited until I was 36 weeks pregnant to get his nursery ready. What was I thinking? Organizing, hanging, putting away, being on my feet for extend periods of time was not ideal for a 36 weeks pregnant lady. I was exhausted, sore, and full of baby. I was also working outside the home full time.

I am now 23 weeks pregnant and I have the majority of the nursery set up already. I do have a cute little helper who loves helping Mom get things ready for baby brother. Being a "Stay at home Mom" allows me to take time to get these to-dos done in a much more organized and timely manner.

My very cute assistant

That being said below is my "Baby brother to-do list" for the remainder of my pregnancy, it is actually quite different than the list from my first pregnancy;

Setup Nursery (crib, glider, swing, changer, ect)  (This was much easier to do at 22 weeks rather than 36)
Wash, stuff, and size cloth diapers and wet bags (Did not do this with P, we used disposables until 10 months)
Sort through all of Parsons baby clothes
Put away newborn-9 month clothes and store 9month-2T
Inspect pump tubing and make sure its in working order (I didnt even buy a pump till after he was born...what was I thinking?!)
Find all bottles, pacis, and other random baby needed items
Clean boppy pillow and covers
Clean pack N play
Make space in master for pack N play
Create a registry or things needed list
Find and wash all nursing clothes
Stock up on nursing nessecities (breastmilk storage bags, breast pads, lanoline)  ( I did not do this with Parson eaither. I learned from late night full nursing pads, that having boxes on hand is a major help)
Hospital tour
DIY Hypno birth course (I only took one 2 hour class on child brith for P, whoops)
Stock up and prepare postpartum items (Did not do this with Parson)
Prepare a least a months worth of freezer meals/snacks, ect/buy chest freezer (did not do this with Parson)
Prepare Parson for baby brother as good as possible
Prepare myself for birth and mothering 2 boys
Re-read breastfeeding info for a refresher
Pack labor bag for Aaron and I
Pack hospital bag for baby and I
Find a basket/space for diapers, wipes, wetbag/pail, creams ect for downstairs
Buy a crib mattress
Make baby brother 2 blankets
Change air filters/clean air ducts
Make sure Parson is enjoying away from Mom time
Winterize windows in master, Parson, and baby brothers room
Get/make blackout curtains for baby brothers room
Add dimmer switch to light in baby brothers room

Crib is setup and two super cute whale blankets made!

I am making pretty good progress on my list. Things like preparing freezer meals and postpartum care items are things I did not do when preparing for Parson. Those I think are things people tell you to do with your first child, but you somehow think you can manage them after the baby comes. I literally teared up when I used our last freezer meal after Parson was born, and he was only about 1 week old when that happened. I now understand the importance of having ready to heat or throw in the crock pot meals.

The same goes for postpartum care. I did nothing as far as postpartum care and I was fortunate enough to have an easy healing process. The hospital does a good job sending you home with the basic tools you will need to aid your bodies healing process after birth, but I learned there a few other herbal remedies that sure would have been nice to have on hand.

Overall I am remaining calm and collected as I cross things off my to do list. I am not nervous or anxious about anything (yet). I am just counting down the days until I have another sweet boy in my arms to love on.

Its going to be an adjustment, tiring, hard, and sleepless...but its a stage, only a moment, only a very short period of time that my boys will be young. I am going to try my best to enjoy every tantrum, cry, up all night nights and days, sickness, and snuggles. I know before I know it...both boys will be grown and less dependent.

For now this is my life and my job, to nurture and grow two little boys while trying to be the best wife I can be...and its harder than any job I have ever done and I would never ever change it for anything.

Patty

Homeschool Preschool

The idea of homeschooling has always appealed to my Mama side and has always been something I wanted to try. I figured preschool is a pretty good "lets give it a try" age. Today was the first day that Parson and I tried our Toddler 2 ABC Jesus Loves Me home-school preschool curriculum....It was an adventure and fun for both of us.

I have had the curriculum for awhile...like 6 months but the past 6 months have been pretty crazy. This has given me lots of time to read through and get familiar with the parent/teacher guide and activity pages. It also has given me time to look at Parson and see what way he learns best.

Last weekend I decided that I thought Parson was at a point where I thought he would really be able to enjoy some of the activities and be cognitively ready to try and "learn" the information. I was nervous...not about teaching him colors, letters, and numbers. He knows all of those pretty good already. But teaching him about God and the bible. I mean, I know its important...but lets be honest I am still learning myself. How was I ever going to properly teach Parson all of this information?

Thank heavens for this curriculum it has it all spelled out for me (to learn and re-learn) to teach Parson. For instance, week one is teaching about Genesis 1:1. One simple verse about what God created on the first and second day. So this morning I read Parson Genisis 1:1 out of his toddler story bible. He loved the pictures and pointed at the moon and the sun (day and night) and pointed to the water and the sky.

Today we just focused on the day and night thing...and sure enough if I ask Parson "What did God create on the first day?" he will reply "the moon and sun!" to him that is day and night!!! Golly, a little prodding and a coloring sheet and help from Mom and he has got one part down!

We are taking things nice and slow with this structured learning thing. Like 15-30min in the morning of  "activities" with stores and songs throughout the day and probably a little something before bed with the verse we are talking about that week.

This week not only are we learning about Genesis 1:1, but also about the color red, letter A, number 2, and the circle shape. So for our before nap snack we ate off of  red circle plates. The letter A and the number 2 are hanging on our fridge on red construction paper and Genesis 1:1 is written on red construction paper also on the fridge.

Yes, as a treat Parson got to have homemade fries and "red dip" for pre-nap snack :)

When we were out running an errand this morning the game in the car was find something red or the letter A. Which lasted awhile until we saw a school bus, ambulance, and a mail truck and to a two year old those are way more fun to find then the letter A.

Our new daily schedule looks kinda like this:

6:30-8:30am - wake up, watch a show, eat breakfast, free play, get daddy out the door to work, and get Parson and Mommy cleaned up for the day.
8:30am -"School" time
9:00am-11:00am- Free play, outside time, run any errands that need to be done, play dates, ect.
11-11:30am - before nap snack if wanted and stories/quiet calm down play
Noon-2pm - Nap time
2pm-4:30pm - usually include, coloring or craft of sorts, free play, more outside time, and stories
4:30pm-5:30pm - Parson gets to watch a show...usually Sesame Street because its an hour long and allows me to get dinner made and Daddy comes home.
6:30-7:45pm - FAMILY TIME our favorite time of the day
8pm - Parsons bedtime

So far the first half of day 1 has been a success...here is to hoping Parson and I both continue to enjoy and learn together :)

Patty

Baby Brother!

Baby brother! Baby brother! Baby brother!

We found out last week that we are in fact having another son! Which we are so excited about. Sure it would have been fun to have a little girl, but have you been around a little boy lately? They are so fun and he and Parson can be best buds.

We are keeping baby brothers name a big surpise until he is born. Which is January-ish, it could be the begging or it could be the end, who knows. What we do know is he is a good grower just like Parson was. He is already measuring almost two weeks ahead of schedule. This surprised me because my belly is measuring right on track. Looks like we are going to have a big strong baby!

Parson is ecstatic about is brother (for now). He asked me yesterday if he could play with baby a brother and I had to explain to him that baby brother had to stay in mommies belly for awhile longer to keep growing... Then he told me that it made him sad that he could not play yet. So sweet.

Everyone keeps asking me if I am nervous to have two little boys, two little boys who are both still dependent on Mom and Dad for almost everything. Yes, I know the first few weeks are going to be hard with a up all night babe who is going to want to nurse all the time. I know I am going to be tired,  healing, recovering, and trying to balance a almost three year old and a newborn. But I also know its a season. I also know that they won't be little forever and they won't be 100% dependent forever so I am going to do my very best to enjoy every sleepless stressful moment. I guess because this is my second child I kind of know what to expect just x10 with a tot.

Honestly, I am more terrified about being in my third trimester in just 7 weeks, being tired and being over pregnant. Luckily it will be winter by then a and the holidays will keep us busy and a schedule of play dates and Mommy and Parson dates will keep us busy and my mind on my biggest little boy.

I am preparing as much as possible now for this new babe. Getting his nursery set up, clothes, and cloth diapers washed. Preparing my body for birth and nursing is top on this list to. The more I get done now the less I have to worry about at the end.

Thankfully we have almost everything we need for baby brother. Some warmer clothes and doubbles      of things Parson is still using and basic nursing supplies.

Aaron and I were laughing a few days ago when I opened the very small freezer on fridge in our rental home. I said, we are going to need a chest freezer, and he said why? Well I responded there is no room for breast milk in here. Good thing we realized this way ahead of time!

Until baby brother arrives we will be preparing and playing with Parson a whole lot. Enjoying every moment we have with our fabulous first before our hearts (and hands) double.

I am so excited to enjoy these two boys soon and I can't wait to see the cuteness (and naughty) these two are going to have for their Mom and Dad.


Patty