These days, life has been pretty overwhelming. We’re at the one month mark from when our little guy is set to come, and it feels like there’s a whole lot to do in the next few weeks. I don’t even know what I’m going to do if he comes early!

When life gets crazy, I go into super organization mode. I make tons of lists and plan life in my calendar; it becomes my happy place. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately.

Getting ready for baby #2 feels a lot different than the first. Here’s some of how we’re doing it.

All Things Baby Boy

We have lots of pink things and practically zero green or yellow, much less blue. We were able to borrow baby boy clothes from a friend (thanks Tiff!), and my mom has been happily purchasing baby boy blankets, hats, and other clothes.

I also bought a few swaddles that are in gender neutral colors. My husband protests to our son being wrapped in Gianna’s old bright pink things.

Baby Gear

Carriers: I’ve been scouring Craigslist for a double BOB stroller. I love to walk and jog so this feels like an important purchase. I also borrowed a Moby wrap and am considering getting an infant insert for our ergo.

Bottles: We weren’t successful with using the bottle for Gianna, but this time around we’re hoping that Pat gets a chance to do some of the feedings. It’s all a new world for me!

Overall, there’s not a whole lot more that we need.

Getting Gianna Ready

Gianna will only be about 20 months old when her little brother bursts into her life, and there’s not much we can do to explain to her about what major transition is coming her way. We are doing what we can via a few books about new baby (I’m a Big Sister and McDuff and the Baby) and also a baby boy doll. Lately, Gianna has been pushing “baby” around in her stroller and even took him outside yesterday while cuddling him tightly. It was super cute!

One of the more ambitious things I’ve been up to is potty training. I would love to avoid having 2 little ones in diapers, and since we use cloth, it would also be great not to have to purchase more. I started casually introducing the potty to Gianna around 13 months and just today (at 19 months), Gianna spent a whole morning in her big girl undies without a single accident. Success! That said, I have no idea how much of it will regress once the new baby comes. Potty training is a lot of work for the parents!

Setting Up

We really have no idea what we’re going to do with baby rooms. We’ll have the little guy in a bassinet in our room for the few 2-3 months, and then after that, who knows. We have the luxury of having a 3rd room that we can spill out into, so a lot of it will depend on how the 2 sleep when one of them is crying.

Also, Gianna is still very content in her crib and hasn’t attempted any climb-out escapades, so we’re planning to keep the new baby, post-bassinet, in a pack-n-play for a while until we figure out the room situation.

I’m someone who normally loves to have things totally figured out way in advance, but somehow, I’m totally fine with keeping things really up in the air this time. I think a lot of this new found flexibility comes with being a parent.