Preparing for the Twins

Adam and I have discovered there are roughly one million things to do before the twins arrive.  As quickly as we can cross things off our to do list, more and more seem to be added.  But I think we are getting pretty darn close to checking off the last few items.  

I still have a ways to go in my pregnancy.  I am currently 31 weeks along and would love to make it to 38 weeks.  But there are a few different factors that might result in an early delivery.  Our hope is that the more prepared we are, the more likely I'll deliver later rather than early.  

We got the nursery completed pretty early on.  And our sweet family and friends were so generous in filling it up for us with all of their gifts.  So we feel like we have all of the baby "stuff" that we could possibly need.  

We also wanted to stock up on all of the paper goods, cleaning supplies and other products we use on a daily basis.  So we came up with a list of the things we use, everything from shampoo and toilet paper to hand soap and laundry detergent.  Then we went to Sam's Club and bought the items we could in bulk. The remaining we either got at Target or ordered from Amazon.  We filled our cabinets and put all the excess in our basement.  Although it looks a bit crazy and as if we are preparing for the apocalypse, I'm sure we'll be happy we don't have to run out to the store when we're happily bleary-eyed from lack of sleep.  

Next up on our to do list was to prep some meals we can easily prepare once the babies arrive.  I stocked up on frozen pizzas and meals from the grocery store.  I also scoured Pinterest for some crock pot meals that I could prepare in advance and then freeze.  So our freezer is pretty full at the moment, but I'm sure we'll be thankful to have decent meals to eat while we are operating on mere hours of sleep.  

One of the things that has been in the forefront of my mind is to make sure that Jazzy is well taken care of during my hospital stay.  I want to make sure she doesn't miss any meals and gets to go on her walks. Adam and I are fortunate to have family in town and my parents will be around when the twins arrive, so there will be plenty of people around to take care of our other baby.  I decided to put together this chart to help everyone make sure Jazzy's needs are met.  We're not quite sure who will be taking care of Jazzy, but wanted an easy way to keep track of Jazzy's needs in case several people break up the responsibility. Our plan is to leave this chart on the kitchen counter so people will know what's been done for Jazzy and what still needs to be done.  

From there I worked on packing my hospital bag.  I saved this task for last because I hate packing!  Plus, I didn't really have a clear idea of exactly what I would need to pack.  I found some lists on Pinterest, but I felt like some of the women who put those lists together were packing for month-long stays on a deserted island.  Luckily, when Adam and I went to tour the maternity ward at the hospital I'll be delivering at, one of the things they provided me with was a "What to Bring" list.  The list noted all the things the hospital would provide, pointed out the necessary items to bring and included optional items I might like to have. It certainly helped me pare down to packing only the necessities.  Plus, I figure if there's really something I need, there will be plenty of family around to make a house run for us.    

Even though we're getting close to being ready for the babies to arrive, they need to stay put for a few more weeks!  (You hear that, babies?!)