Looking Ahead

With my vacation dwindling (we will likely start for home tomorrow night and arrive sometime Monday afternoon/evening), my brain is starting to look forward to what I need to accomplish in December and even into January. The list is daunting and there are some upcoming parenting challenges.

I will arrive home Dec 3rd. Between then and Christmas I plan to get a Christmas tree, decorate the house for Christmas, make a Christmas felt tree for Benjamin, make a "baby's first xmas" ornament with Ben w/a paint hand print on it, finish Christmas shopping, get a decent picture taken and Christmas cards printed, send Christmas cards, make Christmas cookies with my mom, go to Singing in the Rain with my mom, get more Christmas picture books and read them to Ben, and of course, just enjoy the Christmas season and Baby's First Christmas!!

Also, we really need to finish winterizing the house ASAP when we get back. Its been cold and snowy while we have been gone and we were not ready for that. Poor DHs motorcycle got snowed on! We need to get rid of the futon frame that is taking up the garage space and get that moved inside, put up storm windows, and possible also put the plastic seals on the windows. My MIL made me drapes for one of our big old windows, but I need to hem them to the proper length and get them hung. We also should buy drapes for the windows in the kitchen. 

Then, January 5th, Benjamin turns one year old. I need to plan his party, send invites, buy presents... I am not planning to go over the top and I believe it will be relatively small (just family, so maybe 20 people), and really only 1-2 other kids. I think the theme is going to be ABCs. I want to do an Alphabet Block Cake for him. Also, because ALL FOUR of his Grandparents will be there, which I am thrilled about, we also need to get the guest room ready for my ILs! I am so glad they are making the trip!!

Oh, and because he is turning one, its time to finally move him out of our room and into his own nursery! So, we need to get his nursery put together (yeah, still not done). The nursery in Columbus just needed some art hung. The one here in Duluth was painted by my Mom (Thank you!!), but still needs unpacked, organized, and bookshelves need assembled etc. Not to mention he does not have a dresser in his nursery because the one we bought for him in Columbus is too big for his Duluth room. I have been looking for a smaller dresser on Craigslist, but no luck as of yet (and of course I did not even look while I was out of town, it would have been too annoying to find something I could not go get!)


Once he does get moved into his own room, then the real challenge begins: Sleep Training. Its time. He is old enough he can manipulate us. He is old enough now that I can tell if he is crying because he needs something or just because he does not want to go to sleep. Tied into sleep training is his pacifier, and night weaning, and since he is hitting a year old, we will start day weaning as well. It is all tied together and I am not sure exactly what order to conquer it in.

So, its going to be a busy two months! But when isn't it?