We’re officially entering Birth Month! So I thought it was high time to check in on my to-do list and see how things are moving along (and get in gear to finish up the final items)!
Preparing for a Second Baby To Do List
1- Hire a housekeeper:
a- make list of qualities desired (Dec)- DONE!
b- interview, negotiate hours and pay, contract (Jan)- DONE!
c- make list of tasks (Jan)- DONE!
2- Revamp the playroom
a- buy and paint secondary bookcase (late Jan)- not even close…first carpenter was busy, second expensive, and I haven’t found anything ready-made that suits our purposes.
b- set up changing area, crib (Feb)- half done, the crib is set up but the changing area is not (see above).
c- take twin bed to our room (mid-Feb)- DONE!
d- bonus: build play kitchen- probably not happening at this point
3- Prepare BB1 room
a- clean out office credenza, transfer BB1 stuff into it (late Dec)- DONE!
b- take BB1 wardrobe and move to our room (late Dec)- DONE!
c- transition BB1 to twin bed (late Jan)- DONE! Yay!
d- make new blackout curtains, and hang (early Jan)- DONE!
e- get/build bathroom stool (Dec)- DONE!
f- bonus: potty training (Jan)- we’ve tried/are trying but it doesn’t look like it’s happening
4- Prepare our bedroom
a- organize furniture to accommodate twin bed and wardrobe (early Feb)- DONE!
b- take out newborn items out of storage and put in wardrobe (late Jan)- DONE!
c- rewash some items and put away (early Feb)- not yet
d- organize nursing and pumping items for accessibility (early Feb)- not yet
e- install old blackout curtains from BB1 room (late Jan)- DONE!
f- get glider/rocker (late Jan)- DONE!
g- sell desk and chair (late Jan)- half done, desk sold, chair not 🙁
5- Freezer cooking
a- finish cleaning out freezer (early Jan)- DONE!
b- cook and freeze meals (late Jan- early Feb)- DONE! We have: corn chowder, mushroom pasta sauce, fried fish, daal, onion quiche, broccoli quiche, palak paneer, mix veg, eggplant parm (2), stuffed zucchinis (3), fried chicken, chicken soup, enchiladas (2), cauliflower au gratin, lentil soup, homemade pizza (2), chicken pot pie, red pasta sauce.
6- Odds and Ends
a- go on USA shopping trip: finish getting gear (end Nov/early Dec)- DONE!
b- update laundry directions printout and visiting guests printout- In progress, I’m working on making it more of a packet with printouts of places to take Little Boy, so it’s taking a little longer.
c- organize storage bookshelves: buy some extra boxes, organize crafting-(late Dec)- DONE!
d- go around house and get rid of stuff we’re not using anymore (late Dec)- Mostly done; I still need to finish up a couple areas but most areas are tidy and purged.
e- organize office (new storage boxes, dehumidify bathroom)- DONE!
f- create more laundry hanging room: outside lines/freestanding hanging (early Jan)- DONE!
g- clean, organize, re-stock pantry (late Dec)- DONE!
7- Projects to Finish Up
a- Big Brother’s baby book- In progress, as in I’m actively working on finishing it, but still need to add some pictures etc.
b- photo books for a couple trips- not even close
c- random house decor: change playroom frames, new calendar, others- Partially done, more to do but I’m not sure how much of it I actually will get done.
8- Last Minute Baby Stuff:
a- install car seat- nope
b- pack hospital bag- nope
c- research placenta encapsulation/ water birth- nope
All in all the big things are taken care of and I do feel mostly ready for Baby Brother even if not all of these get finished. That said, I am making an effort to knock a few more items off the list these next couple of weeks!
