I got to thinking about something- how much planning ahead should you do for a baby? I mean I know you should be doing some things, but I mean how far do you go with that? My SIL Belle put it out there like in April that they wouldn’t be traveling for Thanksgiving when she was expecting Baby Belle- but then regretted it when we were talking on Thanksgiving Day. I’m wondering how crazy it would be to host the family for Christmas if I had a baby in October?

So my question is- how far do you remove yourself from obligations and such when you have a newborn? Belle and her husband almost segregated themselves starting right before Baby Belle’s due date, which is great on some levels- no plans to travel, projects finished, nothing to distract them from just enjoying the first couple months of Baby Belle’s life. And yet it came off as a little ‘elitist’, if that’s even the right word. Like they could NOT be bothered by anyone or anything. They even told my MIL to come like two weeks after the baby was born, and while I’m sure they didn’t think it was outrightly rude, it was rude. My MIL never said anything, but I was insulted for her. It was her first grandbaby! I’m getting used to my SIL and her disinterest in anything family (or at least surface interest, because as a good Southerner she has to pretend to like us) but it felt like they were shutting out the world with the birth of their baby.

As it turned out, PPD kicked my SIL in the teeth and my MIL (and SIL’s MIL) were out there round the clock for the first three months anyway- but still the question remains in my mind…is closing off your little family when the baby is born a good thing? I get the concept of not having obligations, like its probably not the time you want to do a cross-country trip. But once Baby Belle’s due date came and went, they were bored and looking for even more things to finish up before baby arrived.

But in many aspects, that’s exactly what I want to do. I want things to be DONE before baby gets here. I have lists now, long before pregnancy- think how the lists will be when I do actually get pregnant?? Belle and husband had the basement done, the house projects done, big projects finished and everything caught up- and I keep thinking about how nice that would be, not having to think about what you could/should be doing. Having time to enjoy your newborn baby, who wouldn’t want more of that? Or just spend whatever time you have not holding/changing/feeding a baby on important things, like sleeping!

So what would the things be that you Would, or Would NOT want to have going on with a newborn?