Holy smokes.

{This picture was taken at 27 weeks, but it is probably one of 

my favorites because I can see so many of her features so well.} 

We are 3 weeks out from the induction date and I can hardly believe it!  I'm feeling pretty good about the preparation side of things and I can confidently say that as long as we make it to the weekend, they can come whenever they please {since I obviously decide when they make their big appearance}!  Although let's be real - if I'm anything like my mom, I'll have to be induced and these girls will make it all the way to 38 weeks.  I remember making a list a few months ago of all the things that needed to get done before they came.  Just as I'd check one thing off, I'd think of 5 more things and it seemed like my list was not only not getting shorter, but it was getting longer!  However, this week I think I will finally complete it all.  Wouldn't having babies be so much easier if you actually had an accurate day to go off of?  I mean, I'm a girl of lists.  Always have been, and I probably always will be.  There's something so rewarding to me about making a list, and then getting to cross everything off of it.  I'm literally that person that will make a to-do list for the week and then if I do something else that wasn't on it, I'll write it down JUST so I can cross it off.  Hello, crazy.

I have just been writing all my lists in the "notes" portion of my phone. I'm sort of bummed that I did that because I just deleted everything as I did it, which means I don't really have record of my complete 9 month to-do list.  I used to search the internet for baby prep lists, and I felt like nothing really covered everything I needed to do.  I wish I had kept everything for future babies, but for my own documentation, some of the most important things to me were:

• Getting the nursery ready {Obviously this also has a lot of sub-lists with it, but I feel like that's pretty personal to the person/nursery situation.}
• Getting house cleaned by professional 
• Detailing the interior of our car
• Cleaning all baby clothes, bedding, blankets, etc.
• Decorating anything in the house that I didn't want to have to worry about doing once babies came {i.e. I wanted a gallery wall with their newborn pics, but I knew I wasn't going to want to work on it once they were here.  I went to ikea about 2 months ago and bought their $3.99 black frames.  I ended up sanding them and then painting them gold.  Even though I now have a wall full of blank frames, it's at least ready to go for when we print them.}
• Completing the registry {We were super lucky to be given almost everything on it, but we still had a few items left to take care of so I waited until we received our completion discount.}
• Thank You notes!  
• Packing the hospital bag {I really was dreading this, especially since there are still things you have to leave out like cell phone chargers, etc. until the actual day…but I'm glad I finally got it over with.  JD even packed his 'dad bag!'}
• Buying a brand new SD card {We want to do a lot of filming and photo taking at the hospital and once we get home.  The last thing I want is for us to run out of room and not be able to capture a special moment.}
• Getting the nursing pump {Our insurance covered our pump 100%, so I just had to look into what providers would offer it to us, what my options were, and then wait until 30 days prior to the due date to apply for the pump.}
• Storage, storage, storage {When you live in a one bedroom, 800 sq. ft apartment with 4 people, storage is HUGE!  JD and I had to turn my once walk-in closet into the girls' nursery, which meant I had a 10 tiered shoe rack, and two clothing racks to find a home for.  We spent lots of time at The Container Store, Ikea, and even Lowes to purchase wood for JD to build some shelving from.}
• Personal primping {For me this means a pedicure and getting my hair colored.  I'd also love to be able to get my eyebrows threaded and a nice little spray tan, if time permits ;)… but also I'm totally serious.}  
• Writing out our birth plan 
• Pre-registering at the hospital
• Buying a nursing bra
• Reorganizing my clothes with what I'm most likely going to be able to wear afterwards
• Taking the carseats to be installed by California State Highway Patrol {I honestly had never heard of this, but the hospital recommended it and so I set up an appointment with them and I'm so glad I did.  It was super helpful to see someone explain/demonstrate everything.}
• Taking a few classes at the hospital
• Taking a tour of the hospital
• Tedious stuff {This is different for everyone and I'm sure a few years from now when we are trying again, it will be different then too.  For me, this meant getting annoying things done that I knew I wasn't going to want to worry about with two babies - reapplying for a city parking permit, renewing our registration for the car, etc.}
• Using our last weekends wisely - of course we usually had some sort of baby thing to get done, but it was also really important to me that we were able to spend 'fun time' together as well.  If we had to go to the hardware store, we'd go to the one in East Bay after a trip to the lake with friends.  If laundry had to be done, we'd do brunch while it was washing, etc.  Our last weekends together have been really, really important to me.  I know we can always get sitters and all of that, but it really isn't going to be just the two of us again for a LONG time, so we've tried to do our best to spend our last few alone moments wisely.  

I'm sure there are about a million other things I could add to this list, but these are the ones standing out to me the most right now.  I'm also sure there are plenty of people who will read this and think I'm crazy and didn't need to do about 75% of the things on this list to be a successful mom.  However, if you're anal and a little crazy like me, you understand that falling asleep at night is sort of contingent upon feeling like you're doing just about everything you possibly could be to feel prepared for TWO children to all of a sudden pop into your life.  

I had to quit my job just about 2 months ago & it's been very interesting to see both sides of pregnancy - working vs. not.  I think there are pros and cons to both.  Working is great because it's a really easy way to get your mind off of all the negative sides of pregnancy.  However, it's difficult to get everything done as well.  Not working is great because you can get SO much done.  Still, I had to always be proactive about staying busy.  It is super easy to tell yourself that you need an afternoon nap, even though all you did was watch 4 episodes of 'Drop Dead Diva' in a row {I'm obviously not talking about myself here, or anything…...}.  Of course I have plenty of days where I don't shower until 2pm {that's what hats are for, right??}, but my days are always so much better when I make sure to plan them ahead of time.  To keep these girls in as long as I have, I couldn't be out running around the entire Bay area all day long, but I've tried to get out every day for a little bit {even if that means meeting someone for lunch or going with my friends and their kids to the park} and still check off all my boxes. If there's one thing I've learned about myself being pregnant, it's that staying active {and I'm not really talking about working out} is KEY to staying happy and content.  Every woman is different, but for me, being productive has honestly made this entire pregnancy fly by without too many rough days.  

Even though there are a lot of things that have to get done that aren't the most exciting things in the world, there are still a handful of fun things to do!  Nursery prepping was definitely one of my very favorites.  There was some sort of whimsical peace about putting together a space that my girls will end and begin their days in.  My in-laws came to help us out last week, which was such a huge blessing.  It was 3.5 days of baby fun!  We made each of the girls their own baby blankets, headbands, completed their "going home outfits," and bought material to make a blessing dress with.  {Side note: A few years ago, I went to an antique store with my mom and dad in Ohio.  We found a vintage baby blessing dress for only $38 so we snatched it in hopes that one day I'd have at least one girl that I could use it for.  Lucky me, not only do I get one girl… I get two!}  I considered buying two new dresses altogether and just giving the antique one to one of my sisters, but it sort of had a sentimental value to it all and so my awesome mother-in-law {who is a little sewing wizard, by the way} is making the second dress to look similar to the first.  Although I have to say… after picking out all the lace and embellishments, I really think this second dress is going to be STUNNING.  I told Jayme that I'm going to have to draw names the morning of the blessing to decide who gets to wear it.

I'm sure it's not surprising that I didn't mind checking all the boxes, but there really is nothing better to me than having that peace of mind that they could come and I wouldn't be lying in my hospital bed worried about things back at home.  Now we are just excited and ready to meet these littles that have been making themselves at home in this belly of mine!