Four Weeks and Counting...

Well I've finally made it to the 36 week mark, so it's all down hill from here. Just four or less weeks to go!!! I've been trying to get all prepared. I am the queen of list making so last week I wrote down all the things that I wanted to get done before the little guy got here and here are a few of the highlights:

• Finish Addie's baby scrapbook (Yeah right - I'm not yet to her baptism at five weeks old and the book is already 2 inches thick...yikes! I've got a lot of work to do and not much free time to do it.)
• Order boy baby bedding and new crib mattress (The cribs are different sizes here so I had to import these from the States - a new American couple who is moving to our village agreed to pack some things in their sea shipment for me so it will be here at the end of August - Thanks Lana!!!)
• Create a new room for Addison  (We want to create a fun new room for Addie and transition her into it before we move the baby into her old room. We are going to build a toddler bed to fit her American crib mattress and keep using her current bedding and curtains.  We are going to repaint an older dresser that brought along to match the bed and get a mirror to hang over it.  We also want to get a few cute bits from IKEA to set off the rest of the room.  We're still working on this one.)
• Buy all the things the baby and I need for the hospital visit (For those of you who have had babies in the US, you know all those nice little things that they give you for your recovery that pretty much comes standard with your care....yeah, you have to bring all of that yourself - the pads, disposable undies, pain meds, diapers, wipes, baby bathing items (they don't give your baby a bath for you), snacks to eat, a proper night gown to wear during birth, towels for your shower, and more.  I have all my bits and bobs purchased, but I need to pack my bag yet.)
• Clean up and prepare all baby stuff (This was so fun.  I loved going through all the little boy clothes that my friend Stacey left for me (you are a saint girly!!!) and other clothes we got as gifts so far.  Also I went through all of Addie's little baby stuff to see what I could use and I loved going through her little things but was so sad on how much she has grown.  I washed all the clothes, the blankets, the burp rags, the car seat cover and anything else that looked like it needed some TLC.   I even bought a couple packs of newborn diapers...they are soooo tiny! It's all piled in Addie's new room since I don't know where else to put it for now.) 
• Buy a double pram (This is something I dreaded having to do because I already have two strollers - our big American Graco one that holds the car seat and my little compact McLaren which has been wonderful, but neither of them can hold two children under the age of two.  As we go out and about, I watch for people with double strollers and I can't image having a huge side-by-side or a tandem one since spaces are so small here and the boot (trunk) of my car is very small.  Well I discovered a pram made by Phil & Ted that is set up as a single, three wheeled stroller but has a "doubles kit" that allows two children to ride without adding any real size to it.  Also you usually get what they call a "cocoon" for the baby to lay in for the first 6 months before you put them in the second seat.  It's quite a nice set up and after I brought Kevin to Kiddicare on Saturday he was sold on the idea, but not quite the price.  We researched and found that you could get pretty nice used Phil & Ted's on eBay, so we got to bidding on a few and ended up in a heated battle Sunday night for one and won.  Needless to say, I picked up our new double stroller Tuesday afternoon, got it cleaned up a bit and Addison wanted to sit in it all the next morning - glad she likes it!!!)
• Line up baby's passport (For all of you wondering, our little guy will not be able to claim dual citizenship in the UK because they stopped that back in 1983.  We do need to set up an appointment soon after he is born down in London at the US Embassy to get his passport lined up and apply for social security cards and such.  I can't imagine trying to take a passport picture of a 3 week old when in the States I had a heck of a time getting them to take a proper picture of Addison at 5 months old.  Also I'll need to order several copies of his birth certificate because after we move back it won't be as easy as dropping in the local court house to get a copy. )

For now I keep working away at a little bit of my list each day.  I was nervous about having two little ones and when I get in a sticky situation with Addie I start to get worried again, but that quickly gets over shadowed by my excitement for our son to come out into the world to meet us all.