[redbirds]

Well, ladies,

My ticker has me at 35 weeks along, with 35 days to go.

I am NOT ready!!

After reading some of your posts, I noticed I am SOOO far behind!

My nursery, while it is not going to be a major changeover, is NOT finished (waiting for crib part, this makes it very difficult to finish)

Bags packed? Yeah, right..

My focus is still on simple cleaning, work, desgning or readjusting current workshops, marketing services for 2008. Do you see, no baby focus? I am in denial. Work is still first (work equates with money... and it is my private business, so I am the one who has to keep it floating!)

DH has a regular cab, older Toyota Pick up. No room for baby! He has been looking for a .... motorcycle! I think he is in denial too (and mid life crisis). He has been looking at a crew cab Chevy or Dodge, but I am pushing him to REALLY get on the ball because he can't use my jeep when I am working or when there is an emergency. He has saved for years, so he has money for a nice, newer one.

SOOO... We are both in complete denial. That is my thought. I freak out when I read how ready you gals are, especially those of you due after me! HOLY COW!!!

Where are you on the "ready" scale? Am I alone on this?

[TheMommyProject]

First off, congrats on 35 weeks! But only 35 days to go... holy crap!

I'm not ready yet either, but I'm also feeling like we should be fine with what we have left to do and how much time we have. I'm 4 weeks behind you and that 4 weeks is probably when most of our final prep will be done.

Don't panic though, you still have some time and you'll get things ready one way or another. It sounds like you have bought or have ordered all you need, so it's just a matter of time.

As for your DH's vehicle, that one I can see causing some stress. However, in a pinch you should be okay - you just need to disable the airbag on the passenger side (if it even has one, you said it was old so it may not) and then you could get away with rear facing in the front.

I can relate to the denial totally and it's a tough one to get past - I think I'm just getting there now and it sounds like you're coming out of it now too with reality hitting.

You still have time, just have to start getting busy!

[bostoncreampie]

Wow, a big congrats to you for being 35 weeks. Your baby is almost full-term!!!
That is pretty crazy that you only have 35 days to go. Oh my! And I'm only a week after you. GAH!
I'm feeling pretty ready about having a baby. We have almost everything we "need" except a mattress and a car seat. My mother in law is coming to stay with us in a few days to help unpack and set up the apartment, so that will be taken care of soon enough. I am NOT ready though, for the act of labor. As the date gets closer, I get more afraid. I had a huge muscle cramp this morning that hurt SO bad, and I got really afraid of what contractions will feel like. I could hardly get through a 20 second muscle cramp on my leg.
You should make a list of everything that needs to get done and start crossing them off when you get there. That helps me stay on task!

[SandyJ]

I'm only a few days behind you, and I guess if I HAD to be ready today I would be ready enough. There are still some things we need to buy off our registry, but none are immediate needs. Even though we don't have the crib mattress yet, for instance, the bassinet is ready to go so we can put that off a bit longer. I've done very little hospital packing, all for baby so far, but I do have in mind to get that done soon. We go to our first L&D class this Saturday- put that off a bit late. We have another one on December 15th. We finally got on a Day Care waiting list, but I haven't even scheduled an appointment to meet a pediatrician yet. I guess it still seems like we have all the time in the world....

[*Cyndee*]

redbirds - do you have a bassinet or are you only going to use the crib? If you are using a bassinet at least you have a few months where if the crib is not ready when the baby comes you'll still be ok. I know how it feels though, just wanting it done so you don't have to worry about it. Other than my furniture situation we are pretty much ready. We need some odds and ends but nothing we can't live without. I think I'll be ready when baby is..now Christmas, needing a new car, affording day care...that I'm not ready for!

[1stbaby]

I am 32.5 weeks and I can honestly say I am ready. I have all the big ticket items, my nursery is ready, and I even had to add stuff to my registry as everything we will definitely need is already fulfilled.

Really the only things left on my list are to pack the bag (I have a list made of what is going in it) and put the carseats together and install them (the are still in the boxes in our basement). I figure all of this can be done to pass time in early labor at home.

[MommaDucks]

on the ready scale i have no idea where i am, all i need now is wash clothes some dove soap and some diapers... other than that we are ready, but thats just physically ready, i am not ready at all, i want thomas to be potty trained before the baby gets here, i think i missed my window with that, since he was soooo interested but it was hard with him only being with me 4 days a week since no one else can put him on the potty.. and now that i am home, he wants nothing to do with it..

we were originally supposed to move jan 1st, but that is def. not happening since tom is still laid off

tom being laid off still may screw up him taking a week or two off for the baby

yea i just dont feel ready, but baby stuff yea ready..

[QueenCrafty]

I am not ready!!! Congrats on being 35 weeks though! Yes my baby would have an almost fully decorated nursery to come home to, but I have to put away all the shower presents that are in the way of the crib now. That's it, that's all I've done! I don't have my infant car seat yet, I don't have a pediatrician yet, I haven't even taken my childbirth class (and I'm doing it natural?!?).

I like Kristen's idea of making a list. I will do that so I can help myself worry less once I'm able to cross some things off.

[IneedCoffee]

I see it this way.. You have love, two ta-ta's and some warm blankets/clothes? You are all ready! The rest is gravy!

[mineforever]

I'm kinda ready I guess. I have the playpen/bassinet set up in my room and I bought a pkg of newborn diapers. but thats about it. I havn't pulled out any clothes yet to be washed. mostly b/c I don't know which box to pull the girly one or the boy box. I'm not sure if it's denial or what but it just hasn't hit me yet either. lol

Seeing that you only have 35 days left completely freaked me out because I am only about a week behind you. While I feel that I am ready enough that if the baby came today, we would be okay, I am still starting to freak out. I have her nursery ready and feel like DH and I are as mentally and emotionally ready for a baby as we can be (I don't know about physically, I really like my sleep ). I don't have my hospital bag packed and we were also looking into getting a new vehicle and we're not sure that is going to happen before baby comes. And, I am just not sure that I am ready for my pregnancy to end....I know that might sound crazy, but I think I will miss being pregnant.

[jlo1019]

I'm with you Gwynne! We just moved into our house a few weeks back so we are just NOW getting her nursery together. My DH just primed it last night and now we are onto painting. With that being said, we have yet to order her crib, glider or changing table. : /

We are going this weekend to do so but I feel scattered like you do. We do have a basinet though so in my DH's mind, we are all set. Me on the other hand, the one who is nesting, wants her room together yesterday.

Hopefully in these last few weeks all of it will fall together. I like the idea of the list that someone offered up. That might help you out. I didn't mean to make this post about me, I just wanted to share that yes, I'm going through the same thing.

Oh yeah, my midwife is going to ask me on Monday "So have you picked a pediatrician yet?" and my response is a big fat no. She gave me the information a few weeks back and I have yet to call and interview them. Yikes.

[*~*SnowHibiscus*~*]

I think I'll be ready when baby is..now Christmas, needing a new car, affording day care...that I'm not ready for![/b]

Yep, I'm ready for baby, but not Christmas and daycare/formula/diaper expenses. Not sure where I'll pull those funds from.

Oh, and we'll probably live out of gift bags for a while. We have the crib but no dresser or hutch so all of the baby stuff is sorted, but still in gift bags. I could have done w/o the crib, the dresser is what we really needed!

[MoM2DeNiSnNaDiA]

i`m ready all im scared of is labor .. baby is nothing im fine with that i almost got everything im just waiting on a new diaper bag & sore more clothes and after baby is born i will buy a pacifer and some shampoos and diapers cuz i will be using the same shampoo on both kids . so i have a bottle already of my sons

[OceanGirl]

I am right there with you Gwynne! We are not even close to being ready for the baby. We have the bassinet all set up in our bedroom, a pack of diapers, a pack of cloth diapers for burp cloths, a whole bunch of clothes, and a couple toys. That's about it... our nursery still basically looks like a storage room. When we moved in, my dh basically stuck all the boxes that we didn't know what to do with in the baby's room. So now I need to finish unpacking boxes, paint and decorate the nursery, buy the crib, crib accessories (mattress, bedding, mattress pad, etc.), dresser/changing table, carseat, stroller, etc., etc. We also need to put the guest room together since my parents will be staying in there when the baby is born. We also still need to buy a new camera, finish training the dog, make meals to freeze for after the baby, pack my hospital bag, find a pediatrician, go to the childbirth classes (all signed up for those, so I'm not really worried), make birth announcements for after the baby, buy Christmas presents for everyone, make Christmas cards to send out, finish reading the chapters about newborn care in my "What to Expect" book, wash all the baby clothes, legally change my name (never did that after we got married, and I want it changed before our daughter is born), and then all the other odds and ends that need to get done before we are ready. There is soooooo much left to get done, I really hope it gets finished! I hope the nesting bug hits my dh soon so that he'll start helping out!

[mommy2mygirls]

I see it this way.. You have love, two ta-ta's and some warm blankets/clothes? You are all ready! The rest is gravy![/b]

When Kayla was born we were living with my mom, waiting for our house to be built. So DH, my two labs, Kayla and I all shared one bedroom - and it wasn't a very big bedroom! There was no way we could even begin to set up a nursery. All Kayla had as far as clothes were what fit in the bottom drawer of DH's dresser. We had a bassinet and the car seat, but everything else was packed away in storage. We moved when she was 2 1/2 weeks old and her nursery wasn't completely finished until she was about 4 or 5 months. And it was fine. Everything worked. Don't worry about the decorating and all that. You really don't NEED much to have a baby. Everything will be fine for all of us, I'm sure. And as far as my prep work goes for this one - everything has been purchased, but my mom is still working on makng the bedding. I've been stashing all of the Christmas gifts I bought in the baby's room until I get my Christmas tree up so I can wrap them and put them under the tree. I don't feel "ready" as far as getting everything done, but that's okay. I feel very ready as far as going into labor, getting to meet my new little girl and getting my old body back!

[*Cyndee*]

I see it this way.. You have love, two ta-ta's and some warm blankets/clothes? You are all ready! The rest is gravy![/b]

That's the spirit! Nice healthy attitude I like it!

[Roni]

I am pretty comfortable with what we've done so far.

Done:
The nursery is just about done, only need a couple more things to put on the walls.

I finished all of the custom nursery bedding.

Furniture is all set and in order.

The bassinet is all put together, DH just washed the linens for it.

My hospital bag is almost packed.

The birth plan is all drawn up.

I have about a weeks worth of frozen dinners all set in the freezer.

Needs:
I need to buy pads for when we get home.

I need to buy diapers and wipes for the baby.

I need to buy baby wash.

I need to wash my pump accesories.

I need to clear out a cabinet in the kitchen for the baby bottles, sippies, food, snacks, etc.

I need to wash some blankets, socks and unisex clothes for the first couple days.

I need to tour a few hospitals just incase of an emergency.

I need to pick a new pediatrician, I don't like my sons dr.

I think that's about it. Seems like my need list is longer than my done list

[redbirds]

Awww... You gals are encouraging!

I do have a to-do list and a done-list, and with work included, it never seems to balance out, with the to-do list being SOOOOO mUUUUCH LOOOONGER! But, as you mentioned, the basics are done and I have to remember that is really all that matters.

It's just... wow... 35 days!

And Christmas!? HA! But, really, its the little things that need done, and with some help, it should not be daunting. I just don't feel ready because not everything is done, and I am one of those who like it done BEFORE it is due!

Thanks for the tips, gals. I am sure I will be able to post soon enough that my sanity has crept back and I am finally feeling ready and prepared.