On My Mind... Approaching Baby Time

As I get closer to delivering our fifth child (yes, that's me at 35 weeks or so-- the pic is 2-3 weeks old), just as other times before, there are things I do, think about, or remind myself of in order to prepare for this new addition. So I'm just going to do a brain dump of the things on my mind. More to remind myself... but also to just share.

* I've almost fully stocked the freezer again this go-round-- chicken pocket sandwiches, taco pockets (the same idea but with taco meat inside), egg rolls, banana bread, chocolate chip cookie dough, several varieties of marinated chicken breasts, Louisiana Chicken Pasta sauce, it's all there. Yum. It's about 20 meals' worth of stuff, and I'm trying not to eat it all up before he arrives. :)

* The clothes are washed, folded, and ready. And they are CUTE. It's amazing how quickly I forget just how tiny a newborn is... I can't wait to see his barely-there chunkiness and floppy limbs and sleepyheaded cuteness all in those fun little onesies and sleepers.

* I'm re-reading Babywise, for what must be at least my sixth or seventh full read-through, over these last 8-9 years of my life. It's so practical and full of common sense... I'm looking forward to using it with another new person joining our family! And yes, of course, I know it's controversial. Regardless, for our family, it's been a great blessing, as I've shared before. But hey, as we've had people say, maybe we just got "lucky". ;) Anyway, I'm reminding myself of one key principle:

• Shoot for full feedings. In those early days, as Ezzo says, "ditch the clock" and just focus on fully feeding that baby each time they nurse; try to avoid "snacking". In the first few weeks, just keeping him well-fed and stimulating my milk production will be enough to focus on. After that, we'll fairly naturally settle into an every-2-&-1/2 hours-or-so feeding cycle during the day. And hopefully soon thereafter, we'll all enjoy extended night time sleep as well. :)

* I made some pacifier keepers for my soon-coming little man. (I loosely followed this tutorial.) They were so easy and so much fun to make and are way cute; I can't wait to use them!
* Gas drops. Miracle juice. Instant-quiet-in-a-dropper. Whatever you want to call it, each time we have a newborn in the home, I'm so thankful for simethicone. It doesn't enter the blood stream, so it's safe for use throughout the day with even little babies, and wow- it makes a heap of difference (or has for our children) in helping soothe their little tummies. Which reminds me, I need to be sure we have enough in reserve or have my mom bring some more when she comes.

* Slings. I washed them and they're ready to go. Before my last baby, I'd only ever used those strap-and-buckle carrier contraptions, and though they can be handy for long outings or for dad's use, I don't know why it took me so long to try a sling. Anyway, last go-round, I made some for myself and just love them. I can't wait to have my little man snuggled in close when we go for walks or are out in stores. It's so handy, and living overseas (where people LOVE to touch and grab babies, and sometimes even walk off with them-- to go show their family or friends the cute little foreign baby), it's nice when they're still so little to have them a bit more inaccessible by keeping them close.

* Carseats in the van. Something minor on my mind: is it time for a new carseat configuration/seating arrangment? It's nice to have an older sibling nearby to reposition a pacifier or talk sweetly to the new little one, if need be. So we may or may not be readjusting the current set-up of carseats.

* We've now had three of those 4D face photos, and they are amazing. His little face is so cute! I can't get over the technology of these sonograms. Here, they do sonograms at every visit, and my doc is fond of doing the 4D face shot at each appointment, so we've gotten some good ones. I just keep staring at the photos and am ready to meet my little man, whenever he wants to come.

* As for me: we're now officially in the waiting zone. Yes, I'm past 37 weeks. No, I'm not dilating yet. Yes, I'm having mild contractions each evening, but no, they don't (to me) feel productive. He's already really low, in my opinion, so maybe things will start to move along. I'd welcome him whenever he's ready and healthy, but definitely don't want to artificially start things up at a time when it wouldn't be good for his lungs or when it would cause problems for him. So at this point, it's just a hot (we don't have A/C and man it's getting humid here!) waiting game.

Anything else I should be thinking about/planning for/something I've missed/something you want to share?