35 weeks and getting things ready!

I turned 35 weeks on Saturday. It's hard to believe that in about six weeks we will be holding our little Robert!

I've been thinking back to my pregnancy with Ivey and it gets me a little antsy. I should be cleaning! I should be organizing birth supplies! I should be making lists and checking things off!

But first... I should be getting rid of this horrible chest cold and pink eye! It's been well over a month since our entire family has been free from sniffles and coughs. Right now we all have a little cough, and I have a big one. I am glad it's not one of the girls who has it, and I just hope no one else gets it this bad. My ribs hurt from the baby pushing them up and the coughs squeezing them in. I feel worse at night and when I first wake up, but last night I was finally able to really sleep again. I can't wait for this thing to be done with us. And the pink eye--well, that's just the icing on the cake for me and Ivey. Suzi and Jordan thankfully haven't gotten it yet. Hopefully both of these things will be over in a few days.

We have a lot to do before the birth, but we've already gotten some important things done. I'll just have to focus on those for right now...

1) We got our La Bassine birth tub and inflated it, and it's sitting in our bedroom all ready to go, except for the water. Jordan and I got in and tried out our positions we'd been envisioning for the birth. I'm planning to squat leaning up against the end of the tub, and Jordan will sit facing me and catch Robert. The tub is the perfect size, and it's soft and deep and strong. I love it.

2) Over the weekend I started washing towels and blankets for the birth. I recently cleaned out the linen closet so the bottom of it could be used for toys, and I picked our old, soft mismatched towels to use for the birth. We have a bunch saved from last time, too.

3) I ordered some coconut water for me to drink during and after the birth, instead of the natural sports drink I had last time. Coconut water is much better for you. It is already in the fridge.

4) We got Bed Bug Bumpers for our bed. When Ivey was born we tried to put her in an Arm's Reach Cosleeper, but she wanted to be in bed with us. This time we probably aren't even going to get the cosleeper out, or if we do it'll be used as a stand-alone bassinet for naps. Instead, the Bed Bug Bumpers are made of soft foam and go under the fitted sheet and keep the baby from falling out of bed without creating a dangerous crack like a bed rail does. Cheap and easy.

5) We let Suzi pick out her new car seat. Well, she picked the color; Jordan and I picked the model. It's the Britax Frontier 85 in blue. She loves it. We haven't moved her into the back of the van yet. We have several more weeks before that will be necessary.

6) Jordan brought our "birth stuff" down from the attic and I was happy to see that we barely need to buy anything this time. There are maybe four or five items to shop for (like a drinking water safe hose to fill the tub), whereas last time it was a huge list that took weeks to finish buying.

7) Important dates are set. I have my second and final appointment with our CNM on March 14th, and that weekend is probably when my friends will be doing a Blessingway for me! I'm excited! Baby Robert should be here by mid-April.

I haven't yet compiled a to-do list. Maybe I will get to that later today, since it's something I can do from the couch. I haven't been working too hard around the house because I'm trying to get better. Today my goal is to bathe the girls, wash diapers, get Suzi to dance class, and maybe make that list. At least this time I have my lists from last time to start with. Maybe for my next post I'll have a to-do list and a belly shot.