Sunday, July 17, 2011

Preparing for Austin

We are now 9 weeks away from the arrival of our 2nd baby boy, Austin! That means we have 9 weeks or less to get the nursery ready, the house ready, the car seat installed... and to sleep as much as we can! From the moment we found out we were expecting another little man we've been talking about the things we'll need to purchase before he comes, stocking up on diapers, and making lists of what needs to be done before his arrival. We don't have things quite ready yet, but I am so looking forward to holding and kissing and loving on my baby boy.

I have to admit though that preparing for the 2nd baby, especially the second baby boy, has been sort of different from the first time around. I am still completely and totally excited about meeting this sweet baby and already feel so in love with him, but there's just no denying that the 2nd time around is different. For one thing, my every thought isn't consumed with baby showers, nursery bedding and decor, baby gear, and cute baby outfits. Some of my thoughts are consumed with them, but not all. Also, the majority of my day (and night) consist of entertaining and taking care of my busy 2 year old. And, since we're having another boy, there is already so much we have this time around that I don't have to think about too much regarding baby items. It's such a blessing that we already have the biggies!

Even though I'm not 100% consumed with baby thoughts and we're not constantly shopping for new baby stuff, we are doing lots to get prepared. We're finally starting to work on the nursery. At first we weren't going to change the bedding or decor in the room except for maybe changing out all the pictures of Garrison and removing anything with Garrison's name on it. But... my mom offered to get new bedding for us if we wanted and after putting some thought into it, I just decided I actually did want a little change. I don't want every single thing about the nursery to be a "hand-me-down". I want new things for Austin and for it to be his room, not Garrison's "old room" that Austin gets to use once he comes home. Sooo, we're currently working on it. There will still be lots of the same stuff just because we didn't want to change the color scheme completely and buy a bunch of stuff that would be perfectly fine to use again. We are on a budget and working to be smart about our spending, even though it's so tempting to go overboard!

We're also working on a guest bathroom makeover. I'm slowly transforming it into the boys' bathroom that will also serve as our guest bathroom. Things are finally coming along but it's not quite finished. And, since we're approaching the 8 month mark, we're also thinking about foods to make and freeze, a top to bottom cleaning of the house, getting out the pack 'n play, swing, and bouncy seat, raising the crib matress, washing all of Austin's clothes, and planning a special "Big Brother Day" sometime next month.

While things do feel a little crazier this time around because I'm not able to focus all of my time, energy, and attention on Austin's arrival, it also feels a little more laid back this time because we've done it before and we're just more prepared. I can still get a little stressed thinking about taking care of a newborn and a 2 year old, but most of all I'm excited about welcoming the newest member to our family. And hopefully we'll be able to get every single thing checked off our list before the newest member gets here!

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