34 weeks along and feeling pretty good… even with the afternoon sleepiness, Braxton Hicks and feeling like rolling over in bed should be an athletic event. Things are progressing well with Baby D…
- Baby D’s heart rate: in the 150s
- My blood pressure: 98/62
- Total weight gain: 27 pounds
- Number of times I get up a night to pee: 1-2
- Size of Baby D: A large cantaloupe! 22 inches and 5.5 pounds
- Daily wiggles: countless
- Current cravings: peanut butter and Indian food (not together!)
- Exercise: I skipped yoga on Tuesday, but am going to make up for it by going today. I need to stick to 35 minute cardio sessions because yesterday’s 1 hour long walk outside left my legs aching by the end of the day. Oops
I’m proud that we seem to be checking off the doctor’s appointments without a hitch. They do prick my finger to test my blood sugar levels every appointment and every time they’ve been ‘excellent’. Goes to show how stupid silly glucose tests are.
Baby D is doing exactly what s/he needs to be doing, but I need a little kick in the pants to finish my to do list. Here is my grand master list and how my progress is coming…
Nursery- check!
Baby items purchased and set up- check!
Graco Sweetpeace Soothing Swing. We chose this one because the tray comes in and out (a feature that most swings don’t have), plus you can remove the seat and it acts as a portable bouncy chair that vibrates and plays music.
Baby Jogger’s City Mini. I like this stroller because of the smooth ride of 3 wheels, the sturdiness and the fact that it is easy to open and close. A lot of strollers can be big and bulky, but this one closes with one handle, which makes this 5’1” momma-to-be happy
Chicco Lullaby 4-in-1 Play yard. Hubbs did the research on pack and plays, and I must say that this one is fancy! I love the wheels and the changing table that hangs off the side for easy use. The corner unit also vibrates, lights up and plays music manually, by remote control or by voice control- as in you can set it to vibrate and play music when the baby cries. Woah.
Car seat installed and checked by firemen- not quite!
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio car seat. I love this car seat because it has the side impact protection and is rates high in safety standards. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the material it is made out of is durable and high quality, which is great because we plan on reusing the big items for all our kids.
Finish reading my books
So far I have completed What to Expect (which wasn’t all that helpful), The Happiest Baby on the Block, and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. I am halfway through Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and I hope to have time to read some about breastfeeding, though I am mainly focused on labor right now. I’m really hoping to have a natural, un-medicated childbirth, but more on that in another post.
Get letters for the the nursery wall- doh! I need to get on this.
Pack bags- I want to have this done before 36 weeks and plan on using Susan’s awesome hospital list as a guide.
Wash, organize and put away baby clothes, toys and diapers- this weekend!…or next. But I’ll do it soon
Infant and child CPR class- signed up for next Saturday!
Labor and Childcare Classes- check!
Visit and decide on a pediatrician- prenatal visit scheduled for next week!
Get a breast pump- working on this. I plan to breastfeed, but have been told that having a pump right away is very helpful in case there are any issues with over/under supply, etc.
Stock freezer with meals- Hubbs may have the fridge side of our garage fridge filled with beer kegs, but I plan to stock the freezer full of healthy meals for the first few weeks. Any suggestions of recipes?
Explain to Koda that she won’t be forgotten- she’ll always be loved and doted on… they’ll just be another little one around, too!
Am I missing anything?
And seriously… any ideas for make-ahead freezer meals?!
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
haha my hubby is dying to put beer kegs in our extra fridge!!
You’re like me…you’ve got it all together! I’m 38 weeks and I’m pretty sure everything in my nursery has been done for 2 months now. My hospital bag has also been packed for at least a month. Even though we’ll never truly be “ready” at least we have the peace of mind of knowing all we can do ahead of time is done. Best of luck with your last few weeks!
By the way, I plan on nursing, also, and am reading “So That’s What They’re For.” It’s been recommended by some of my new mommy friends.
I agree- any peace of mind I can get, I’ll take! I’d hate to be worrying about what to pack when labor kicks in. You’re so, so close to the end- so exciting!
Awww LOVED looking at all of your purchased. I am getting SO excited for you and can’t wait for the babe to make his/her grand entrance!
You are so organized! I’m favoriting this so I can refer to it in a few more months. I’m sure you’ll have everything together in time for Baby D’s arrival
I’m not due until January and you’re list is motivating me to start getting organized! I also have grand plans of stocking our freezer with meals those first few weeks….you could try making a couple batches of chili, soup, or lasagna…freezing a few rounds of pizza dough…marinating chicken in a large ziploc bag and freezing it (so when it thaws it’s all marinated and ready to go!) I bet homemade Indian food would freeze really well too (chana masala is my favorite!) Good luck!!!
Looks like you are well on your way to being prepared for baby! You’ll have everything together in plenty of time!
So impressively organized! Eager to see you tomorrow!
So exciting!
Great idea to stock the freezer with meals!!! I would definitely suggest some marinara sauce that you can easily thaw out and put over cooked pasta or rice. Also, my fave thing to make a big batch of is chili- beans, ground beef or chicken, tomatoes, garlic, onions, corn, and some chicken stock is all it takes to have a complete meal ready in minutes
oh, chili! I wonder when the weather will begin to cool off, because then I could eat chili everyday and never get sick of it. yum!
Looks like you’re well on your way to being completely ready! Good for you it really helped me being so organized. I give you mad props for trying to go all natural. I was kind of the I’ll go for as long as I can and if I make it through the entire labor and delivery great but if I don’t that’s ok too. Because L&D are so unpredictable I’d encourage you to go into it with an open mind. It seems like this is one experience where the chances of it going exactly as planned are slim. But you can do it as close to your plan as possible! Also I think it’s great that you’re reading about L & D but I wouldn’t hold off on reading about breastfeeding til after h/she is here. Yes it’s natural but it’s tough and I think I’ve had such an easy(ish) time with it because I read entirely “Breastfeeding Made Simple: The 7 Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers”. It was great because it gives you all the things that “could” happen. And I’ve actually re-read parts of it too. So…sorry such a lengthy post but again you’re doing great and I’m so excited for you to join the club!!
I know I can’t control the way labor happens (and it’s driving me crazy!
), and the most important thing is healthy baby and healthy mom, but I am fascinated in reading about un-medicated births and hope I can do it. Depends on so many things though- baby’s positioning, progress, so we’ll see!
I definitely plan on reading some about breastfeeding before hand because I know I won’t have time to afterwards, but I’m having a hard time focusing on anything past labor… I’m counting on you and Susan to help me out with all my bf questions, so get ready!!
Totally will help you out
… we’ll have our own little support group lol!
Brittany it looks like you guys are so prepared! And Koda is going to LOVE the baby — I’m sure of it!
Freezer meals: spaghetti, lasagna, bean burgers, pizza dough.
You continue to look amazing! You are so organized and make so many well thought out decisions. I love looking at all the baby stuff…must be so exciting to think about using each purchase when baby D arrives!
I’m not an expert with freezing meals but my mom does it with veggie lasagna and baked ziti all the time. So easy to just pop in the oven when you want it.
Also, just read your financial post and it was really helpful! I just signed up for Mint too, and it seems like a really practical tool.
You look so great! I think I say that every week! Two great freezer meals that I’ve found are from skinnytaste.com – crock pot santa fe chicken and skinny mac and cheese. The crock pot meal would be super easy to make then transfer and freezer, and the mac and cheese is even easier, just prepare it and don’t bake it, stick it in the freezer in the pan!
I think bean burgers is a great idea.
You are so prepared! I swear, you are my mommy hero. haha.
Lasagna and pasta sauce. Boiling up noodles is easy, so if you have the sauce ready to thaw, you’ll be good to go. You could even make an Indian sauce? [And I kind of think peanut butter and Indian would be just fine together...peanut curries, right?]
Lasagna! Ｔｉｍｅ ｃｏｎｓｕｍｉｎｇ ｔｏ ｍａｋｅ， ｂｕｔ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ｅａｓｉｅｒ ｗｈｅｎ ｙｏｕ ｍａｋｅ ｉｔ ａｈｅａｄ．．．
ＢＴＷ， ｔｈｅｒｅ ａｒｅ ｓｏｍｅ ｇｒｅａｔ ｂｏｏｋｓ ａｎｄ ａｒｔｉｃｌｅｓ ｏｕｔ ｔｈｅｒｅ ａｂｏｕｔ ｐｒｅｐａｒｉｎｇ ｔｈｅ ｐｕｐ ｆｏｒ ｔｈｅ ｎｅｗ ｂａｂｙ． Ｗｅ ｔｒｉｅｄ ｓｏｍｅ ｓｔｕｆｆ ｌｉｋｅ ｍａｋｉｎｇ ｍｅａｌｓ ａ ｌｉｔｔｌｅ ｌｅｓｓ ｐｒｅｄｉｃｔａｂｌｅ， ｐｕｔｔｉｎｇ ｓｏｍｅ ｂａｂｙ ｔｏｙｓ ｏｕｔ ａｎｄ ｗｏｒｋｉｎｇ ｏｎ ”ｌｅａｖｅ ｉｔ，” ｂｒｉｎｇｉｎｇ ａ ｂｌａｎｋｅｔ ｈｏｍｅ ｆｒｏｍ ｔｈｅ ｈｏｓｐｉｔａｌ ｔｈａｔ ｓｍｅｌｌｓ ｌｉｋｅ ｂａｂｙ， ｅｔｃ．．．
Ｓｏｒｒｙ ｆｏｒ ｔｈｅ ｗｅｉｒｄ ｆｏｎｔ！？？
The LOVE the City Mini! I used to be a nanny and it’s one of the best strollers I’ve used.
Its getting so close!
So glad you liked it! It’s always nice to hear a good review once you’ve bought an item
Ahhhh so exciting!!!! My favorite things to freeze are stuffed shells, enchiladas, pizza dough, and garlic bread (since pasta’s pretty quick to make on it’s own.)
I constantly make a bunch of these and freeze them: Black Bean Pineapple Enchiladas
Oh and if you freeze things like enchiladas and shells individually (on a baking sheet or something), you can then dump them in a plastic freezer bag and save lots of space (and keep your baking dishes free for making other things)!
Great tip about using a bag instead of dishes! That will help with storage space, too. Now to check out those enchiladas… YUM!
onceamonthmom.com has great freezer recipes!
I love that you are so organized!
Freeze ahead meals for me would be lasagna loaded with veggies, chili, baked ziti or another pasta dish and soup or stews.
Chili, lasagna, mac & cheese, any summer soups, taco pie (layer tortillas, seasoned cooked beef, beans, veggies, cheese and bake)…oh gosh…i could go on and on
Damn girl! You have so much done! I have so so much to do. This post has definitely given me a little kick in the butt! I’m currently reading Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. It’s interesting and while I am intrigued by med-free labor/birth, I don’t think I’ll end up going that route. I found the first part of the book to be a little to “woo-woo” for me, if that makes any sense.
As for recipes, my favorite one that does well in the freezer is Risotto Caprese- it’s so delicious! You can check it out here if you’d like- http://legallyfitblog.com/a-productive-day-and-a-delicious-recipe/
mmm risotto sounds so good! I don’t think it would make it past my mouth to my freezer
The Bradley Method book sounded so hippie to me at first, but the more I read into it, the more fascinated I am… we’ll see!!
Homemade slow cooked red beans, white beans, or black eyed peas freeze well to be eaten over brown rice for a complete meal. Slow cook them for at least three hours til creamy. Sauté onions bell pepper and garlic. Add turkey sausage and brown. Add beans that have soaked overnight with water to fill pot. Add salt pepper Cajun seasoning and Tabasco. Cook on low stirring occasionally. Yummy!
Roasts with brown gravy, red sauce, chicken or beef stew, chicken noodle soup or any soup really are some others that freeze welljust to name a few.
Lasagna’s freeze really well! Plus, you can probally eat it and then have leftovers for the next day! I make mine with whole wheat noodles & spinach & extra lean ground beef… it’s pretty healthy as long as you control portions
This is all so exciting!!!! It must really feel real now. I love all of this baby stuff so much!
This is so exciting! Can’t wait to meet baby D! I laughed at your husband’s keg…that would make my husband VERY VERY jealous! And finally, big AWWWW for Koda! He’ll be FINE! (looks like he’s having a good “think about it” in that photo!) Take care Brittany, glad you are feeling well!!!
Here is a bunch of freezer friendly recipes
You are ALMOST THERE!
Opps forgot to put the link!!!-
http://joelens.blogspot.com/2007/01/freezer-friendlymake-ahead.html
OMG I am never showing my bf this post because he has been bugging to put a flippin keg in the fridge!!! I can’t believe I have been following your blog for your entire journey I cannot wait!!
So proud of you for still working out, and that you want a natural delivery and for your sake I hope you get it! … food: I would do some different soups, chilli it will be fall by then!
I loved Ina May’s guide to childbirth. I also really liked Pushed. Nursing Mothers Companion was great for my nursing questions. I think it is also really important to read up on c-sections and c-section recovery. We discussed it in my birthing class but I zone out. I had read a ton of natural birth books, had an easy pregnancy and figured I’d be having a textbook delivery just as I planned. Sure I knew in my mind that anything could happen and that births rarely go as you have planned out in your mind. Well one c-section later I wish I had educated myself more on inductions, c-sections and recovery.
Having meals ready is nice, but so much of the stuff that freezes well is heavy (pasta, chili) so also have some veggies on hand too. After I delivered ALL I wanted was salad, veggies and fresh foods. Fun because i never really craved salad during pregnancy. I also found it helpful to have things like cliff bars around. I normally never eat things like that, but he first few weeks I would forget to eat so having something like that was very helpful. I would also suddenly get very hungry while nursing and cliff bars were easy to eat while i nursed. You also have more time to cook and do that sort of thing those first few weeks than you think you will or than people lead you to believe.
You look SO great! And I’m so impressed with everything you have gotten done already. You are on a roll!
Wow, great checklist! I’m 31 weeks and really need to get the ball rolling on some of this stuff. My baby shower isn’t until the end of the month, when I’ll be 35 weeks, so I won’t be getting a lot of baby stuff until then, which is making me a bit nervous. I’m still working on my DIY baby mobile for the nursery, I’ll email you a pic once its complete!
I just want to take a moment to say thanks for sharing so much about your pregnancy. My friends are all planning their weddings this year and I’m planning for a baby. Reading about your experiences and things like this checklist really help me feel calmer and more ‘ready’ for the baby. Plus it gives me an outlet to express my baby-mania without driving my friends nuts
Love how organized you are! Hope I get to that level of organization when my time comes!
Nice stroller you got there for the baby.
I too wanted to have a similar one but they are very expensive here in South Africa.
You are very lucky to only get up 1-2 times to pee at night. I had to get up every hour
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