Getting Ready for Baby!

We are officially 1 month from my due date. I have to admit, this doesn't seem possible. This pregnancy is flying by! I guess it took me about 3 or 4 months just to wrap my head around the fact that we were having another baby, and then another month to start to really feel pregnant, and then another month to get motivated to start getting ready for another baby.  Now I am in full on "nesting mode."

We were blessed to have a wonderful "Boy-B-Q" couples shower to help us get ready for our newest addition. Our friends Jill and Andy threw a great party that not only provided us with great presents from our dear friends, but also really helped get us excited for our baby boy's arrival.

Friends and family at our Boy-B-Q couples shower.

 We finished the nursery in early February. I wanted to do something totally different from Brady's nursery so we went with a two tone furniture set (something I never thought I would have liked) but it all came together! There is a slight nautical theme- as I am still a Floridian at heart, and a little touch of baseball- a nod to his namesake, Nolan Ryan, and a little bit of rural Pennsylvania with the red, white and blue Barn Star.

We've also had lots of visitors in the past month which was really fun to have friends and family come see our new life up North.  It was also fun to show off the nursery and make baby #2 feel more real!

A visit with my mom, Aunt Margie, Grandma and Aunt Claudia.

Visit with my Gator girls- Jill, MB, me and Lu.

This weekend we are doing a maternity/family photo shoot. I am so excited to capture some moments with Chris and Brady and my baby bump. On March 17th, some of the sweet girls I've met in PA are throwing me and another girl a "Baby Sprinkle" to celebrate our new little ones.  Then, we will be just 2 weeks out from my due date! I'm trying to think of what else I should be doing to prepare. Here's what I've done recently...

-Washed up all of Brady's old newborn clothes and all the new outfits we've bought.
-Pulled out all of the old baby bottles/pump from storage.
-Set up the bassinet.
-Packed my hospital bag.
-Picked out birth announcement cards.
-Bought some new, comfy, "post-baby" clothes.
-Began making some "busy bag" activities for Brady to occupy him while I am tied up with the baby.
-Made a grocery list to buy ingredients to make up some freezer meals for after the baby is born.

So, what am I missing?! Shouldn't I be doing something else to get ready for this little one? It's definitely a different feeling the second time around. Last time I thought it actually mattered if I had 3 bottles of baby lotion and powder ready to go. Now I know that he won't even be getting a real bath for a week or two after he gets home! Last time I was so concerned about having cute outfits ready to go, complete with matching socks and shoes. Now I know that he will most likely be sleeping the majority of the day and have pajamas and swaddles washed up... that is when he's not busy eating, pooping, and being super adorable. Last time I was worried about how our dog would react to having a new baby in the house. Now I'm completely consumed with worry about how my sweet boy Brady will react to having a new baby invade his house.

In a perfect world, Chris and I will manage to get in a date night before the baby arrives, because who knows how long it will be before we are comfortable leaving two little ones with a sitter! I'm also going to attempt to take naps or just relax when possible because I know that my days of having time to myself during Brady's nap are numbered. But like I said, I always feel like I should be doing something, so we'll see if I actually do that napping thing.

Most of all we are going to try and enjoy our last few weeks of being a family of 3- don't get me wrong, we're thrilled to be a family of 4, but we know this will be the last time Brady is an only child, so we're enjoying spoiling him just a little more. Here's our future big brother working on his new favorite hobby- golf! Daddy is so proud!