Preparing for Baby

With just a day to go until this baby is due, I've been feverishly trying to get everything "prepared." Of course, I know that where babies are concerned you can't prepare for everything. (And I know, having done this before, that babies rarely arrive on time.) But there were a few little things I definitely wanted to have in place well before his arrival.

The first was his sleeping arrangements. Although eventually this baby will be sharing a room with his big brother, for now he'll be sleeping in our room. Colin slept in the bed with us for most of his infancy (it was just easier for me to nurse him and sleep that way), so I imagine this baby will, too. But there's also a little bassinet by my bed where he can sleep if I need to get some serious shut-eye. And there's a crib for him in the "boys' room" once he's ready for it. But right now it's still in use: it's where Colin takes his frequent time-outs.


I've also set up a baby changing station on my dresser with everything I'll need and nothing I won't: changing pad, cloth diapers and covers, diaper pail and "Boudreau's Butt Paste"--I love this stuff, it smells like cloves! When Colin was born, his well-appointed changing table held a small arsenal of creams and medicines and devices--none of which I ever needed. And it was all stored in the "nursery," so I had to trip down the hall every time he needed to be changed. The most important thing about this set up, is that it's all within two feet of my bed, so I won't have to travel very far for all those middle-of-the-night diaper changes.

I also stocked up on summer-weight swaddling clothes for my "summer" baby. It may only be in the single digits outside (that's Celsius), but its still too warm for all those heavy flannel blankets I used with Colin, my mid-winter boy. I found these wonderful muslin swaddlers from Aden + Anais. They were a little pricey, but I learned from experience that you can never have enough swaddlers. My fussy little boy could only get to sleep when he was wrapped up as tightly as he had been in the womb. (Oh, and while digging through the attic recently, I stumbled upon this adorable moon-faced nightlight, which I bought fifteen years ago--and yes, I bought it with a nursery in mind.)



And last but not least: the baby clothes. This was not so much a "need" as a "desire." We already have plenty of baby-boy clothes from Colin that I didn't really need to buy this boy anything. But I wanted to. I never actually bought infant clothes for Colin. We were so broke when we were expecting him that I couldn't afford to buy him so much as a onesie; all of our money was going toward more expensive things like carseats and cribs and strollers. Luckily, we had several friends with little boys who gave us all of their cute hand-me-downs. And, of course, we got some lovely gifts from friends and family.

But I actually like shopping for baby clothes, and so with a little extra money to spend this time around, I treated myself--I mean, the baby--to a new wardrobe. We'll still be using most of Colin's baby things, but I wanted something different--a brighter colour palette for my summer boy and a few footless outfits so I can kiss those tiny baby toes whenever I want.

So, now that I have everything "ready," this baby can come at any time. Seriously, you can come any time now...