I'm making a list & checking it twice...

But it has nothing to do with finding out who's naughty or nice, lol. Not funny?! Okay. But seriously, I have finally gotten the chance to sit down & write out a comprehensive pre-Baby J to do list. I'm nearly 29 weeks pregnant now, so perhaps I should have done this sooner...but I didn't b/c I have been crazy busy this summer. That's neither here nor there though - I'm handling it now & that's all that matters. I plan to update this every Wednesday with progress. My goal is to mark off a minimum of 3-5 items each week. Some of the stuff will need to wait until a bit later, but for the things that can be done now...then I'd really love to do them. I'm sure I'll be adding stuff to my list as the next few weeks go by & after we have the baby showers we'll of course have to go out & buy any important remaining items. The less I have to do later on in my pregnancy, the better!

So, for this list, I decided to break it up by house, baby/nursery related, financial & miscellaneous/personal to dos. Just FYI - you may have seen some of these things before in the spring/summer cleaning to do list I posted. Sadly, the summer is nearly over & all of those things have not yet been done! Some stuff is going to have to wait until after the baby gets here, but you will see a few things from that list too. Okay, enough intro, here goes!

House Related:

• Get gutters cleaned. 
• Clean under the deck area; get rid of any debris in that area.
• Buy new area rug for living room.
• Buy new throw blanket for couches.
• Clean out front closet.
• Clean out & magazine & odds & ends baskets in LR.
• Find (or make) & install valance over sliding glass door {not so sure this one will get done - depends on how much the valance I like will cost}.
• Mop hardwoods in all areas; I usually do only a few good moppings a year - I spot clean with our steam mop in between time.
• Scrub kitchen cabinets & pantry door.
• Organize pantry.
• Clean & organize Lazy Susan spice shelves.
• Make room in kitchen cabinets for baby stuff
• Clean base boards throughout house.
• Scrub walls where Dizz grease spots are --> LOL, yes my dog leaves grease marks in the areas where he always leans against the walls! What? Your dog doesn't?! Hahahaha. Who knows WTH is up with that..my dog is a weirdo - he gets bathed/groomed like every other month...promise!
• Buy & have the hubbs put together Billy bookcase from Ikea in basement office area.

I either want this one:

 

 Or this one:

I need to do some measuring down there to figure out which size would work best in the area.

• Clean out basement utility storage closet.
• Freecycle/CL any stuff hanging out in the basement that we no longer need/use.
• Buy iPod Clock/Radio for MB.
• Find & buy *small* entertainment system for MB TV (this is a DH added to do, lol).
• Do the fall decorating - this is a whole 'nother post...coming soon!

Baby J/Nursery Related: 

 
Baby J Stuff (in no particular order)- 

• Send final updates to baby shower guest list to older sis.
• Select package for & schedule 3/4D ultrasound, then book appointment!
• Buy onesie from our alma mater - she MUST have one since her daddy & I went to the same school...it's where we met!
• Make appointment to meet with & tour pediatrician's office - I think I know who her pedi will be (got referrals), we just need to make sure they take our insurance & go out to see the office/meet the Drs.
• Do hospital tour - scheduled for September 9, 2010, woot!
• Take childbirth class - scheduled for September 21 & 26, 2010!
• Pre-register with hospital.
• Gather several recipes for frozen meals (to eat after baby gets here).
• Buy a few nursing tanks, sports bras & lounge pants.
• Return any stuff we get duplicates of; freecycle/donate {hand-me-down} clothes we won't use.
• Pack hospital bag. 
• Install car seat in my SUV & get installation inspected.
• Cook freezer meals (between 35-37 weeks).

Nursery Stuff -

• Change out door hardware to brushed nickle (it's brass {bleh}, just like everything else in this house that we haven't already changed out yet).
• Find new closet door pulls & change them out OR spray paint the brass ones & see if they'll work.
• Measure & put in liners in dresser/changer combo.
• Hang curtains (on hold until we get the hardware in early Oct. :o( )
• Put up remaining leaves/berries on tree & "blow" them around windows (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Hang framed "Beautiful" & "Miracle" [ReDeemed] Unique wall art, here is a pic of it - I LOVE it:

• Have Ashley (my little sistah's BFF) do canvas art for over the closet door.
• Buy remaining frames for photo wall - more on this lata.
• Buy TV for bookshelf - yes, we are putting a TV in the baby's room...it's more for us than the baby & we decided we wanted one in there for late night sessions with the babe.
• Super secret DIY lamp project - it's only a secret for a few days until I get the post on it together. ;op
• Make pom poms to hang over crib.
• Wash all clothes & blankets; put away in drawers.

Financial Related:

• Make 529 (college savings) plan choice & get/read enrollment info.
• Decide on cord blood banking - we are leaning towards donating the cord blood to a public bank.
• Look into life insurance coverage & discuss/make any necessary adjustments.
• Find out process for changing over health & dental insurance for the baby & I to the hubb's policy - we both work for the Federal Government & it was cheaper to have separate insurance until we had a little one, then switch to the family coverage.

M'wah Related:

• Get filling in tooth where brackets previously were (I got a cavity from when I had braces & the bracket was...boo).
• Change name with electric company, school loans & long-term savings bank account (no, I still haven't done the name changes on a few accounts).
• Get physical done at PCP.
• Finalize maternity leave plan, type it up & submit it to my supervisor & team leader; put leave requests in time tracking system.
• Order Thank You notes for shower gifts.
• Get hair cut & straightened before due date. LOL, for some reason I want my hair staright when the baby's born (it's more manageable that way than in its natural CURLY state), so if I have time, I'm gonna try & keep it straight for the few weeks leading up to my due date.
• Pick out design for birth announcements (so that I can order them soon after she arrives); make address labels for envelopes.

Whew. I *think* that's it. :o/ I have LOTS to do, right?! Better get on it...hopefully I can get it all done before Baby J makes her appearance!! Wish me luck! Up next...answers all of you asked during my GTKM CSN Stores Giveaway. 'Till next time!