Chronicles of Pregnancy…..Plans

I love to research, organize and plan. I love to make lists. I love to research. I love to find out about new things and gather new information. I love to organize events, parties, trips, our house, the pantry, anything really. Lists are probably one of my favorite things in the world. I make them for everything. I make to-do lists, grocery lists, cleaning lists, etc. I have lists of every meal I’ve cooked, how it turned out, and if it will be cooked again. I have an Excel spreadsheet for every year with a list of names, presents, budgeted amount, and actual spent amount for Christmas presents (and yes, it is already filled out for this Christmas). I love lists.

With the prospect of a baby possibly arriving in the next year or so, this gives me plenty of opportunities to research, organize, plan, and list all kinds of new information. I’ve researched tips on getting pregnant, information about the actual pregnancy, what to expect during labor, what to do when you bring your child home, the best crib, best brand of diapers, the best diaper pail, the best stroller, even local school districts. I’ve talked to my sister-in-law, who recently had a baby, to figure out how many diapers in each size an average baby goes through. Then when I find out I’m pregnant, I can start purchasing them to stock up. You name it, I’ve looked into it. I’ve started organizing our house. I keep telling myself “You have to get this done now because when you’re pregnant you might not feel like doing it and after you have a baby there won’t be time.” I have cleaned the closets. I’ve reworked the cabinets to make them the most efficient for when I have to cook dinner and take care of a newborn at the same time.

I’ve started making plans. I’ve thought about how to tell my husband. I’ve thought about how to tell our parents, my sister-in-law, one of my best friends that lives far away. Since my first set of plans didn’t work out, I’ve had to rethink all of the ideas I had and come up with new and more creative ways to break the news. I want it to be special and memorable for all involved. I’ve thought about doctors visits, which I am terrified of since I can hardly even stand the sight of needles. I’ve thought about a labor plan, which I’d like to try to deliver without an epidural, again because I’ve seen the size of that needle and I have a definite needle issue. I’ve thought about sleepless nights and countless loads of laundry.

I’ve started making lists. I have a list of baby names. I have created an Excel spreadsheet with several tabs. On one tab it has a list of all items needed for a baby and the second tab is where it is registered at and if we have received it or not. The third tab contains a list of larger items that we will need and a column to add different brands so I can compare each one to make sure I get the right one for us. The fourth and final tab is my favorite. The fourth tab has all the details of the nursery. Since my husband and I started even talking about babies, I have had an idea in my head of how I want to decorate the nursery. I have it divided up, boy and girl. I have room layouts, furniture pictures, color schemes. I have links to websites where I have gotten ideas. I have pictures of material that I want to use to make the baby bedding. I have been planning this for the last year. 

I’ve researched, planned, organized, and made lists for all of these things, yet I’m not even pregnant yet. I’ll be honest, when we first started trying, even though it went against everything I had read and heard, I really thought we would get pregnant right away. It didn’t happen the way I thought it would, but doing all these preparations helps me deal with the disappointment of the negative sign on the pregnancy test. It helps me to remember that even though it didn’t happen this month, it could happen next month and when it does I will be prepared. I have all of these exciting and fun things to look forward to, to plan for. I’ll get to experience all of the things that I’ve read about and seen with my friends and family. I know that not all parts of pregnancy will be fun, it’ll be stressful and sometimes I’ll get tired of it, but I still know that I ‘m excited to go through it. I’ll get to put all my plans and lists to work. I can’t wait.