My Pregnancy Bucket List

I’m aware that having a baby changes everything. Our family will evolve to a new routine. Come late-October, my life will drastically change from making my own agenda every day to Michael running the show… diaper changing, lots more laundry, play-dates, potty-training, nursery rhymes, bedtime stories, pre-school, boxed lunches, soccer practice, etc. These last 3 months is precious time to enjoy where it’s just me and Ryan (and Henry!).

Recently I was asked by a dear friend of mine if I had a pregnancy bucket list. I hadn’t thought about this before but it makes perfect sense – a fun “before baby” activity to-do list before a we have a newborn in tow. October is right around the corner (due date is in 77 days, EEEK!!). As we knock out our trimester checklist, that OMG-this-is-really-happening feeling is coming over us. Although Ryan and I have a busy few months ahead of us with baby prep… I’ve been drumming up a bucket list of things I want to be sure to do before a new baby takes over our world.

So carpe diem, right? Here is my short pre-baby bucket list (in no particular order). Comment below if you have an idea that I’ve left off the list! 🙂

1. Go on a spontaneous adventure. During the early stages with Michael (our soon-to-be first born!), Ryan and I will be juggling nap schedules, feedings, changing thousands of diapers, and trying to get into a routine of things… it won’t be as easy to make spontaneous decisions. I plan to soak up these last few months of being able to do make plans on a whim!

2. Go on 3 date nights. Life gets busy, fast! Ryan and I are home-bodies and when we do go out we usually go to a restaurant in the West End (one that we’ve been to already) and I usually order the same thing I ordered last time… this bucket list to-do will be different! Would love to get dressed up and go out for a night on the town… venture out to a restaurant we’ve never been to and enjoy a delicious meal while it’s still just the two of us. Maybe go dancing?!

3. Maternity portraits. As a photographer that specializes in capturing motherhood, it’s no surprise that this one is on the bucket list. You many have read in my previous post that we are working with the fabulously talented Emily Gerald Photography for maternity, birth, and baby portraits. Our maternity session is setup for early September. I have an appointment scheduled to get pampered at Avenue 42 Style Studio with makeup and hair styling. Emily and I plan to do a two-part maternity session… I shared with her that I wanted to do a milk bath session and she was all over it (here is an idea of what I’m talking about). We’ll shoot that during the day and in the evening we’ll scoot over to Tuckahoe Plantation for some outdoor portraits. This place is extra special to me because it’s where I went with my mom for my bridal portraits. SO excited!

4. Get my girl-time in. I have many mommy friends that I look up to! They are a wealth of knowledge in what worked/didn’t work with their kiddos. Their advice is much appreciated as I embark on this exciting parenthood adventure. I’m part of a bunco group in my neighborhood (#LOEN!) which is always a good time. I’m planning to join some ladies on an overnight getaway which will be a blast. Would love to plan a few more lunch and ice cream dates with my girls before the play-dates start with Michael.

5. Pamper Doggie Day. This one is for our furbaby, Henry. He’ll soon be the BIG brother in the house. While I know he will be best buddies with Michael, there will certainly be an adjustment phase in the house where he is no longer getting all of our attention. This Amazon Prime commercial will make your heart swell!! I want to devote a Saturday to pampering Henry. We’ll go to the pet store to get his nails done, buy him a new toy, take him to the dog park, grab some ice cream, give him a bath, and snuggle him up!

6. Get a pedicure. ‘Cause what Mommy doesn’t want pretty toes in the hospital 🙂

7. Finish the nursery. I’m slightly obsessed with the rustic woodlands/enchanted forest theme we chose for Michael’s nursery. I grew up with a huge creek in my backyard (the length of my neighborhood) and my carefree childhood days were filled with running in the woods, building tree forts, fascinated by the beauty of nature, and learning about all the wildlife (let’s just say I had a lot of pet turtles!). When Ryan and I moved into our house 4 years ago (time flies!), I was instantly in love with the natural reserve behind our house. We are surrounded with trees and I just pictured our kids one day running through the woods like I did when I was little. I have lots of cute ideas for the nursery I can’t wait to share more with you once it’s ready for Michael’s arrival!

8. Lazy Sunday. With all the hustle and bustle of prepping for Michael, there has been little time for having a “nothing on the to-do list” day. It seems always on the weekends I’m waking up at 7AM (without the help of an alarm clock…) to get up and be productive. I would love to have a lazy Sunday where Ryan and I have nothing on the agenda but to sleep in as long as possible, enjoy breakfast in bed, stay in PJs all day, watch movies, snuggle Henry, and enjoy the peace and quiet of our home (while it lasts!). So many of our friends are saying “get your sleep while you still can!”… I can see a day (or two!) like this being perfect to enjoy in October as our due date approaches!

9. Childhood reminisce. Would love to take a Saturday with Ryan to do an activity together that we used to love doing as kids.

10. Enjoy a romantic fire. Whether in our backyard (or at the rivah!) in the firepit or in our PJs at home in the fireplace… I want to enjoy an uninterrupted romantic fire with just me and my hubby and have our conversations be filled with exciting dreams for Michael.

11. Take a long drive with no set destination. These are the days when I miss my snazzy convertible!! Would love to take a long drive with the windows down, the music playing, and take in the sunshine!

12. Plan a babymoon getaway. We actually aren’t planning to do anything extravagant since our family now has a rivah house! Most of our weekends are spent relaxing there and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Once Michael arrives, Ryan plans to take some time off in November where just the 3 of us and Henry can scoot down to Denton Abbey for some relaxing family bonding time at the river.

PS!! Isn’t the image above beautiful?! This is the lovely Erin during her maternity session last year 🙂