Getting Ready for Cinco

Last Saturday Grannie, Boppa, and Nana came to help us get some freezer meals ready for Baby Cinco's arrival.  Izzy was our crankiest baby to date and the idea of trying to prepare supper, help Sis and Eli with homework, and have a potentially hungry or cranky baby was a bit intimidating to me.  {J says this will probably be our most laid back baby yet but I want to be prepared just in case!}  We worked 4 or 5 hours but we put away around 9 meals, some/most of which should have leftovers.  I'm hoping those meals will buy us time to get a little adjusted to each other and hopefully find the beginnings of a new rhythm.  If nothing else it'll give this mama one less thing to be worried about!  You know, other than the girls trying to squish, squash, hold or do something else to their new sibling.  :)
Grannie and Boppa also brought down a couple of our Christmas gifts we were unable to pack into our car, including a new vacuum and a new crib bedding set for Cinco.  On the vacuum, let me just say the amount of hair it picks up is absolutely revolting.  I vacuumed with my old one before my parents came down and Jason vacuumed while they were here with the new one.  Wow and yuck.  I've vacuumed about every other day since and still picks up a crazy amount of stuff.

The crib bedding is, of course, darling.  It's browns, tans, greens and covered in African wildlife.  {How appropriate when the kids' Boppa works there half the time he's away!?}  Jason tried to surprise me by getting the crib set up while I was in the shower a few nights back.  He didn't count on a 4 year old coming in to tell me what he was up to!  :)  I made up the crib and Jason even put up the mobile {with little lions}.  It's all set, minus that I'll take the bumpers off before the baby actually sleeps in it.  They're just on for the cute factor right now.

The next thing I did this week was wash all of our cloth diapers.  They too are all set and ready for a new little one.

The last thing I did was start thinking about packing our hospital bag, complete with Baby Cinco's going home outfit.  My plan is for him/her to come home in the FHSU outfit.  If for some reason Cinco comes out too big for that {ours are usually borderline on whether they can fit in newborn stuff} I'll also throw in the bigger sized KC Chiefs outfit I bought back when I found out we were pregnant {even though our Chiefs are out of it...sigh}.  Packing the bag seemed a little to real though.  I stopped after three pairs of fuzzy socks and my hot pink frog pajama pants.  The bag is still sitting to the side in our bedroom and I keep looking at it like it's going to move or something.  Yeah, I'll finish packing later, probably after half a dozen different lists are made and revised.  You'd think I'd have this down wouldn't you?

The crib is kind of having the same effect, which is why I wanted it get it up {even though Cinco won't use it for a while}.  The feeling that we have a lot of time to prepare has been lingering on throughout this whole pregnancy for me {it's not like the first with Sis when it felt like it took forever} and I needed something that would remind me we have less than three weeks to go.  So now every time I walk into Eli's room I get that "crud, we're going to have a new baby home soon" feeling.  It also gives the kids {ahem, Iz} time to see it up and help a little with the idea that something is coming.  The big kids are thrilled about having a new brother or sister and Eli is dying to have a roommate, boy or girl.  I think he stares at the crib almost as much as I do and wastes no time in reminding his sisters the new baby is sleeping in his room.
Yea for new babies!  We are so excited to meet the newest member of our family!