Preparing for the big B-Day

Since we are doing a homebirth, and a waterbirth at that, we have a list of items to stock up on. In a couple weeks our midwife will leave the birth tub and supplies here for us so that if things go down early, we are prepared.

But we have a shopping list of our own, and, last week, we headed to Target to get prepared.

The first item on the list--1 package of large maxi pads--quickly dispelled my gooey "yay we're shopping for baby!" mood.

Next up--epsom salt for postpartum bathing. My Memaire bought some when she was visiting and stashed them in my kitchen (not sure why the kitchen), so we were good. But the novelty was going down hill pretty fast.

3. Towels. Well that's about as practical as it gets. We opted to buy ourselves four new towels for our bathing use, and retire some of the older/stained/ripped ones to baby delivery.

4. Diapers. Ah-ha! Baby stuff we can get into. Yes, we're doing cloth diapers. But, in the interest of making the first couple weeks as easy as possible, we decided to get disposable ones (and wipes--also on list as number 5). The less laundry we have to do the first couple weeks, the better.

6. 2 old night gowns or men's shirts or sports bra for labor and birth. Old night gowns? I haven't worn a night gown since I was 14. I do not sleep in clothes. Anything evening wear oriented I have is not appropriate for wearing in mixed company. Ryan might be sacrificing a button down flannel or two for the cause. I'll be damned if I'm buying new clothes to sweat, grunt, push, and leak in. Spending money on nursing bras is going to be bad enough.

7. Baby clothes, receiving blankets, and 2 or 3 baby hats. We are set on adorable baby clothes, particularly the 3-6 month range. We got an adorable little newborn footie pajama from my dad and stepmom that will likely be the kid's first outfit to meet her Walz grandparents in. But, somehow, at two showers, we got no hats and no receiving blankets. Not that I'm ungrateful, it's just kind of strange. So we went to the baby section, found some hats, and Ryan took a little while to chose because his daughter couldn't wear 'stupid' ones. Then came receiving blankets, which are just as lacking in imagination (our options were pink...or blue). But they are purchased so that is done.

8. 2 vinyl table clothes with thick backing. This is to protect the bed and the area around the birthing tub. But, we didn't find ANY at Target. A trip to Bed Bath and Beyond this weekend might be happening.

9. 1-2 sets of sheets for the bed. Ryan, my brilliant counterpart, remembered the two king size sets of sheets I banished to the basement for crimes of sheer ugliness. They predate me in this relationship, and I do not apologize. The bed is a queen. Too big is fine. It's good.

10. Hose to fill waterbirth tub. I wash my hands of anything that needs to be purchased at a hardware store. Ryan's job.

11. Cookie sheet. I have. This is for baby's clothes, which will be put in the oven at 100 degrees so she has toasty clothes to wear post birth.

There's also a list of foods and snacks to keep my energy up, although I plan to designate somebody to being Resident Emergency Peanut Butter Smoothie Maker.

We also have a list of things we feel like we still need. A baby monitor for when she starts napping alone, a diaper pail, a mirror and shade for the car, milk storage (once breast feeding is down, so Ryan can feed her), a co sleeping pad (I think I can make one), and a diaper bag (which friend is hopefully making--out of duct tape!). But none of that is immediately necessary, so we'll see how much we miss them before we start spending money.

School is essentially finished--I'll finish my papers this weekend while Ryan visits his brother, and then it's time to kick back, organize my house and continue to wiggle around to find the best position to be able to use my entire lung capacity, as the 5 lbs of joy seems to enjoy shoving up into them. I don't understand how I can carry so low and still not be able to breathe.

I feel like I've porked out majorly in the last couple weeks. My face has gotten huge! Ryan's promised I don't look like an acne prone hippopotamus, but I don't know if I believe him. I went swimming at the gym the other day and I was really surprised how heavy I felt when I got out of the water. I am SO EXCITED about working out and losing this weight. Ryan has put the kibbash on exercising obsessively postbaby. If I'm doing things that are moderate and practitioner approved for the goal of being healthy, things are good. If I'm killing myself and overdoing it for the sake of dropping weight as quickly as possible, he's going to have a problem.

That's all the baby blabbering I can handle for right now. Just wait till she's actually here and I post about her bowel movements and spit up. Muah ha ha ha ha!