Preparing for Baby

The last few weeks have seen lots of transitions as we prepare for the upcoming arrival of our little chickpea.

In early January, we transitioned Jack out of his crib and into a big-boy bed. It took a good ten days to complete the transition to the point where he went to bed without any problems, stayed in bed, and slept there all night long. I ended up creating a sticker chart for him where he received stickers and stamps every morning (or after every nap time) if he'd gone to bed easily and stayed in bed. I told him once he filled all 28 spaces on the chart, he would get a special present from us of his choosing. He chose a dinosaur AND a digger. Always one for negotiation, that kid...
The potty training hasn't really happened yet but I'm not really stressed about it. I figure it will happen when he's ready; I'm not going to push it. I did, however, buy Jack some underpants in the hopes it would spark him to want to start trying to go on the potty. While it failed to create any real action, it did inspire Jack to want to wear his undies over his clothing.
In mid-January, we ended up trading in our Jeep Liberty (which was getting too small already for a toddler and a 65 lb dog) for... yes... a mini van! Mick and I were both a bit reluctant to join mini-van nation, but the truth is that it was the most practical way for us to go given the need to accommodate two car seats, a big dog, and relatives who visit from England for long periods of time. Truth be told, I think we are both much happier with our decision to get the Town & Country than we thought we'd be...
We also did lots of work in the baby's room: painting (a soft green), John Lennon border paper, crib reassembly, etc. Jack was a huge help and enjoyed playing with his baby doll and testing out the bassinet, swing, and bouncy seat by practicing with his doll. He is so gentle with his doll and cares for it so lovingly that it makes me feel pretty comfortable about how he will act once our baby actually arrives.

During the first weekend in February, we were able to stay in our friends' condo up north at the Grand Traverse Resort as a bit of a final special weekend for Jack. My parents came up as well, allowing me & Mick to have dinner alone one evening as well as a very nice brunch at the resort. With Jack, we spent quite a bit of time at the indoor pool/water playground (which he loved!) as well as going on a horse-drawn sleigh ride and seeing a few reindeer (and even giving them apples!).


Then, the weekend before my due date, we took Jack to the hospital for a big sibling tour. He learned all about how the baby would be born, where I would stay in the hospital (he loved looking at the babies in the nursery), and how to gently hold and play with a baby. He was SO into wrapping, holding, and rocking the loaned baby doll that he had a really hard time leaving it when our tour was over. Mick and I kept reassuring him that soon we'd have our own real live baby, but it was little consolation to him. He was quite proud though of the "big brother" certificate and pin he received at the end of the class; we told him he'd be able to wear the pin when he visits me in the hospital, so he's very excited about that!

Now we just wait for the big day to arrive... my due date is Feb. 20 and I have a c-section scheduled for Feb. 28. My doctor and I have our fingers crossed that this baby decides to come on its own so I can avoid a c-section, but the likelihood is that this baby will do something similar to its brother and be well past its due date. Stay tuned!

(Pictures of all of our baby preparation activities are all posted to our group room on Snapfish.)