Change is a-comin'....

I am a person who does not do so well with change, or at least not the thought of it. I am a worry-wart by nature and agonize over every change. The day of my wedding, I woke up crying and didn't stop for a while because I didn't want my relationship with my family to change. When I was pregnant with Caleb, I was so worried that his birth would change my relationship with Kevin. Well, it did...but in an amazing and beautiful way. We have grown so much stronger as a couple since he came into our lives. With every change, my relationships have grown stronger...so why am I so worried about the changes that this next baby brings??? I'm not sure, but maybe it's because I feel a tad guilty that I won't get to give Caleb as much attention or maybe it is because I feel like I have my hands completely full with my VERY ACTIVE little boy and can't imagine juggling a newborn too? Probably a lot of things contribute to this feeling, but I still worry. In my heart, I know that we are giving Caleb one of the greatest gifts of his life...the love of a sibling. And I know that we will work out a schedule. I know Kevin will continue to be an amazing help. I know that I will love this baby just as much as Caleb (my mom describes it as a whole new chamber opening up in your heart). But I still worry...so I am trying to just give it to God.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:6

In the mean time, I will seek the advice of others. And I will plan...because it makes me feel like I am doing something (although just praying about it should really be enough). So here is the start of my Pre-Baby To-Do List. I know I am crazy...I'm only 14 weeks along. Like I said it makes me feel better to do something. Some of these are behavioral and some are practical...but here it goes.

• Organize my maternity clothes! I am almost to the point where I am needing to wear these, but can still fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes.
  
• Wean Caleb from his nighttime bottle (Kevin has made me promise not to do this until after Father's Day. He is the one who gives him his bottle at night and it is Kevin, not Caleb, who is more attached to this time)
  
• Work on making my discipline more consistent.
  
• Move Caleb into his new room/bed. We have to wait to find out what we are having before we know exactly what the arrangement will be, but once we know that is the next step.
  
• I'm not planning on even thinking about potty-training Caleb until he's two, but if some reason he suddenly shows interest and readiness, read up on best strategies.
  
• Prepare the new baby's room.
  
• Put together "Thank You" folder with pens, cards, & stamps to make organization of "thank-you's" more seamless.
  
• Plan made for care of Caleb during and after the birth of the new baby
  
• Stock up on two month's worth of diapers (preferably at an AMAZING sale)
  
• Get and wrap gift(s) to give Caleb after the baby is born. Any great ideas???
  
• Create "activity bags" of independent activities Caleb can do while I am nursing.
  
• Teach Caleb what he is to do with the bags (in teacher language this is called guided practice...when he does it by himself, that is independent practice). :)
  
• Clean out all clutter in our house and unnecessary items that we are storing. Take items to either Goodwill or the warehouse for Nhowe Mission.
  
• A month or two before my due date, start preparing "extra" meals to keep in the freezer.
  
• Most importantly, enjoy this precious time that I have with Caleb.

Do you have any suggestions? I will continue to add and keep track of my progress on these tasks.