100 days to go

There are only 100 days left until our due date. That said, there probably are 100 days (give or take 10) until we have a baby. That said, there are 90-110 days until our life changes dramatically.

100 used to seem like a big number. I remember celebrating "100 days" in school. We had to bring in 100 items (I brought Cheerios or something) and we made glasses to wear that were in the shape of 100. You know the ones. By the time we had gotten that far into the school year I felt like an old bee. I knew what was going on because I had been in school for forever...

100 doesn't seem that far off now. Not at all.

My auntie Colleen used to sing this song with her kids while they were driving home. Since I spent time with them I was, therefore, also exposed to this song. You have to sing it really slowly so that one verse lasts exactly 1 mile, give or take a few...and you sing it all the way home. I believe there was a certain landmark that was the "when you can legally start sing the song" landmark...otherwise we could have sung for a long, long while. Anyway, it goes to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell" and goes something like this:

We're 5 miles from home, we're 5 miles from home, we'll walk awhile, we'll rest awhile...we're 5 miles from home...

We're 4 miles from home, we're 4 miles from home...

And I think you get the picture. My aunt was really good at making her voice all tired and...I don't know, I just found the whole thing rather entertaining. My guess is that that is why she did it. To entertain children who were bouncing in their seats.

However, now that I'm older, I don't have to sing when we're five miles from home to be able to make it in the car. In fact, I'm perfectly capable of the thought, "Gee, only 20 hours until we get home and I can go to sleep in my own bed." That thought probably would have made me cry when I was 5, but time seems to go by a lot faster now, so waiting a whole day really doesn't bother me anymore.

My perception of time certainly has changed, and boy does it seem to fly by. Let's see...100 days? That's nothing! That's not even one third of the year. To commemorate this new "100 day" and to show how overwhelmed I'm beginning to feel, I've decided to write down a list of 100 things we need to do before Rachel is born:

1) Andrew needs to finish this semester
2) Andrew needs to start and complete Spring semester
3) Andrew needs to start Summer semester
4) We need to get that cabinet thingy from Aunt Nikki so that I can...
5) Arrange the baby's room that is currently still full of office stuff and other random junk
6) I need to go to work at least 70 more days (I take weekends and most Fridays off)
7) I need to somehow convince Andrew that diaper changing isn't that bad
8) I need to make a baby blanket
9) We have to go to the doctor quite a few more times
10) We need to go to Grover
11) We need to go on a date...just the two of us...without a babysitter...or worrying about the baby (We're going to pay for our dates now and save our coupons for when we have the baby so that we only have to pay the sitter, and not for the date)
12) We need to come up with a crib
13) ...a car seat
14) ...a stroller
15) ...a snuggly/front carrier/back carrier/sling thing of some sort
16) ...a collection of Dr. Seuss books (and other great children's stories)
17) ...a list of everything else that we might still need
18) ...a birthing plan
19) We need to pack a bag for the hospital (not for awhile, but soon enough)
20) We need to choose which hospital to go to
21) I need to gain 10 more pounds (or so)
22) Rachel needs to gain 4-6 more pounds
23) Andrew needs to stop gaining weight with me
24) We need to go over our finances to make sure that we really can survive for a year with only Andrew working at a real job
25) I need to help finish planning the family reunion that I probably can't go to because it's the weekend of my due date
26) I need to help plan a Stake Primary Pioneer Day Celebration, which I also probably am going to miss because it is the same weekend as the family reunion
27) I need to go to 4 ward conferences
28) We need to celebrate my birthday
29) We need to celebrate the birthdays of Malachi, Sarah, Emily, Jacob, Reid, and perhaps Billy...we'll see if Rachel comes before or after his. Did I miss anyone's?
30) I need to finish laying out our Jordan book
31) We need to fix our screen door (we're doing that today or tomorrow)
32) We need to have FHE approximately 15 more times
33) We need to go to church approximately 15 more times
34) We should probably change our sheets a few times
35) We will need to do 30 loads of laundry? (That's a stab in the dark)
36) I will have to take a lot of naps
37) We will have to think of 100 things to have for dinner
38) Oh, a baby swing. We want to get one of those, too! (see 12-18)
39) We need to take a birthing class so that Andrew can coach me on mental exercises and breathing techniques
40) We need to go shopping about 7 more times
41) We need to have about 100 bowls of cereal each (Andrew will have only 97 due to fast Sunday). And we might have pancakes or something interesting a few of the days, so it might not be quite 100 for me, either
42) We will do our Friday/Saturday cleaning 15 more times
43) We need to fill up our car 7-8 more times
44) We will pay rent 3 more times (excluding April, which we haven't paid yet, but will very soon)
45) We need to see how much it will cost to add our baby to our current insurance plan and whether it would be worth it to switch to BYU's plan...
46) We need to make the last payment for our "labor and delivery" bill (in May)
47) We will do the dishes (what will seem like) countless times, but will really be only between 15-25. We typically only wash the dishes once or twice a week unless we make something really exciting...which we don't usually do because that uses a lot of dishes!
48) Robby (our pet vacuum) will vacuum the house 15 more times. He's the only pet that doesn't make a mess but cleans up yours!
49) We'll watch 14 or 15 episodes of "The Office"
50) We'll get 7 or 8 more pay checks
51) Andrew has to take the GRE
52) I have to consider taking the GRE
53) We need to apply for grad school
54) I will go to yoga 14 more times
55) We need to return a video to a lady in our stake...ooops! We still have it!
56) We need to become comfortable calling each other "mommy" and "daddy"
57) We need to wash our car (haven't done that for a while, a least since we got it)
58) We will need to mooch a dinner appointment off of either of our parents a few more times
59) We need to celebrate mother's day
60) We need to put some extra shelves in some of our closets
61) We need to fix the towel hook that Andrew broke a few weeks ago
62) I need to bake a whole bunch of cookies (out of the dough that is sitting in my fridge)
63) Not only do I need to gain weight, but I need to fill out my maternity shirts...people are finally starting to notice that I'm gaining weight
64) I need to sift through all of my baby clothes and box them up by size so that I can find them as my baby grows
65) I need to decide where to keep the diapers. Where, oh, where should I put them?
66) We need to get the arm for our mobile from Kelli (and a car seat, please)
67) After finals we need to go for walks hand in hand, enjoying the flowers in the neighbourhood
68) We need to make a whole bunch of Middle Eastern food
69) And have Andrew's 101 class over to devour it
70) We need to choose a pediatrician
71) We need to celebrate Father's Day
72) We need to send my sister's Christmas present up to Canada with someone
73) We need to file all of our papers
74) I need to clean off my computer desk
75) I need to take 100 more prenatal pills
76) We need to play the organ/conduct music in church 5 more times
77) I need to sit by my friend, Kim (not the yoga Kim, a different one) and borrow her babies during RS to practice for my own
78) We need to have dinner with Kim and Taber
79) I need to go swimming with my mom and sister before I can no longer fit in my bathing suit (Andrew can come, too, if he wants)
80) I need to finish the Book of Mormon again
81) We need to change the oil in the car
82) We need to get a rocking chair and then
83) Assemble the rocking chair
84) We need to move the chair that is in the baby's room out
85) We need to get some child-friendly movies (Disney, Baby Einstein, etc.)
86) We need to get a little a table from IKEA for Andrew to do his homework on
87) We need to move the big tables currently in our living room out
87) We need to get some cheap curtains from IKEA
88) We need to get the student version of CS2
89) We also need to get the student version of Microsoft Office
90) Andrew needs to rub my feet
91) We need to organize our storage closet outside
92) And perhaps put some shelves in it
93) We need to "deep clean" the house (getting into the little corners, clean the windows, etc)
94) I need to go through my old baby clothes with my mom
95) We need to get a plant that I won't kill so that our house can be beautiful
96) We need to decide on baby book/baby keepsake traditions
97) We need to figure out the system of getting a Canadian birth certificate
98) I need to go into labor
99) Andrew needs to drive me to the hospital
100) I need to deliver baby (with some help from the doctor and Andrew and perhaps a few other essential moral support agents, like my mom)

Unfortunately, it took me so long to think up all these ideas that now we really only have 99 days left. Thinking up 100 things to do was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I actually feel less overwhelmed after thinking about everything than before because some of the things I put on the list are really quite trivial.

Am I forgetting anything? Is there anything that I need for the baby? Is there anything we should do as a couple before the baby comes? Or anything we need to do more to prepare for the baby?

I really don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what comes our way. For some reason I'm really not stressed out about it at all right now. And that's nice.