The Baby Plan

Image by leezie5

I'm about to have a baby.

I. Am. About. To. Have. A. Baby!

Ahhhhhhh!!

Deep breaths, deep breaths...

OK, in case you can't tell from recent posts, I've been feeling a little overwhelmed of late. I'm fatigued and emotional. I feel awkward and...heavy. My brain has a serious case of fogginess it seems--probably due to fatigue.

I've been trying to take good care of myself by eating relatively well, drinking lots of water, taking my Floradix, etc. But my daily walks have fallen by the wayside and my much, much needed time with the Lord has gotten pretty lax. Sleeping in will do that to you.

So, I'm feeling the need to put a plan--a concrete plan--down on paper. I've had a few plans throughout my pregnancy, but I'm feeling the need to simplify and change it up even more. I want to have a plan for these last few weeks leading up to birth time, and a basic plan in place for afterward as well.

My To-Do List:
Declutter and organize house
Clean, insure and move carseats to Buick (a bigger car to fit all five of us!)
Stock pantry and toiletry cupboards
Redecorating
Get all old pictures organized and made into photobooks
Sell items on Ebay and Amazon
Labor plan for little boys
Organize boys' clothing
Wash baby's diapers and clothes
Paint hallway (This is getting knocked off since Keith says there's just no way we can do this right now. Whew.)
Stock freezer with baked goods and dinner meals
Have garage sale (And this is getting knocked off because I'm seeing the light. Who was I kidding?)
Pack bags for me and for boys
Write series posts ahead of time

My Pre-Baby "Crisis Management" Plan

1. Sticking with the basics every day.
I do need to keep on top of some simple things like my menu plan, making very simple dinners, completing at least one load of laundry a day, a quick tidy, and doing the dishes. I've learned the hard way that letting these items get out of control is disastrous for me. These are my "sinks".

2. Making time with the Lord a priority.
Instead of saying, "Oh, I don't have time for this right now!" I need to say, "I'm so tired and overwhelmed, I must find time to spend with the Lord!" It's really my greatest need right now.

3. Mini-tasking the bigger items on my to-do list.
Some of the things on my to-do list might not get done, but I've got my to-do list tasks spread out and broken down into smaller items if necessary. This way I don't feel so overwhelmed. This approach actually helped me finally get my digital pictures organized and put into photo books. I've had this job sitting on my to-do list since my first son was born. He's four and a half now!

4. Calling in reinforcements.
I just might be calling in some young girls from church who can play with the boys for a day while I finish up some of my cooking and baking.

5. Giving myself grace.
I'm trying to do this, though not always very well. I have a bit of a driven nature, so it's hard for me to allow myself to not be "up to par".

6. Loving my family well.
It's really easy for me to be snappy in my fatigue and discouragement. But the one thing that really matters most right now is for me to love well. For my children to feel secure and loved--even if our house isn't always in the condition I like it to be. For my husband to have a smile in his direction instead of a frown.

My Post-Baby "Crisis Management" Plan

1. Just focus on the basics.
I'm hoping to have lots of food in the pantry and freezer so that I won't have to do very much cooking. But I'll still need to try to do at least a load of laundry every day, keep clean dishes, and do a quick tidy each day. These are things that I know Keith will help me with. (I love you, sweetheart!)

2. Make time with the Lord my biggest priority.
I don't think I've ever taken time to spend with the Lord on a regular basis after the birth of a baby. I was just too tired. But as I just mentioned, when do we need this time most? When we're tired, overwhelmed and discouraged. All things I usually experience after a baby is born. I'd like to be able to say in a couple of months, that even when I did nothing else all day, I found time to rest in the Lord.

3. Call in reinforcements.
My mother-in-law will help me as much as she can, my husband will also do what he can to keep us is in good shape. I may be able to have some young girls come in once in a while to do a quick and basic clean of the house.

4. Doing absolutely nothing that isn't absolutely necessary.
When Caden was born, I got back into the swing of things almost immediately. I thought I felt great! But I crashed soon afterward. I ended up struggling quite a bit with a case of baby blues that lasted longer than it probably should have. When Levi was born, I had learned my lesson. I did my best to follow the above rule, and while I still had some postpartum "downness", it didn't last as long or get as deep as with Caden.

5. Focus on healthy patterns.
Since I'm prone to postpartum depression, I really need to focus on getting adequate sleep, eating nutritious food and getting some activity when it's appropriate.

6. Giving myself grace and loving my family well.
Just as above, it's more important for me to be a source of love and security to my family even if the house is in a bit of chaos for a while. And it's so important to remember that I live under a gracious God! Life will gain a normalcy and pattern once again.

Whew. I feel better having just written down these things that have been floating in my brain. Time to actually put it into practice.