Pre-baby Bucket List

[RebeccaCloud9]

Or... things you wish you had done more before baby was born!

DP and I are trying to make the most of our last few pre-baby weeks. We are trying to go out for dinner and to the cinema a few times and were wondering what other things would be good to do now that will be much harder later - any ideas?

[ohthegoats]

City breaks, museums, art galleries, cinema, bars.

[rosiegal]

Lazy Sunday lie ins together (nookie optional ) deciding at 8pm that you cant be arsed to cook and go to the pub, agree with op with cinema, art galleries etc (not that I'm all that cultured) Try to get away for a few days if you're able to, I'm currently 37+3 and went abroad in May which was fabulous. This is my first so I'm just guessing what I'll miss, I'm sure there's loads I've not mentioned

[curiousjess]

Lazy weekends, getting out and about and going out for dinner etc. We've only lived where we have lived for about 6 months so still getting to know the area, so are making extra effort to do things that we won't be able to as easily when the baby arrives! We've also just booked a holiday to Thailand for January (I'll be 28 weeks when we go!)

[Justgotosleepnow]

Really appreciate sleep
I know you can't tank up on it, but if you wallow in Sunday morning lie ins you may feel better about sleep deprivation when it kicks in.

[magicalmrmistofelees]

Lie ins, going out after 7pm, enjoying a leisurely Sunday lunch in a pub without having to eat one handed, lie ins, sleep, lie ins, sex...

[scrivette]

Sleep sleep sleep!
Enjoy being able to do mundane things without thinking about it, browse at the shops and have a decent hair cut, I never seem to be able to have the time to get mine done!

[ColdTeaAgain]

More meals out. Have done it once since DD was born (she's 14 months).

Holiday. Pregnancy wasn't exactly planned and I was so sick during it that wasn't worth going away. Bit gutted that we didn't have one last child free holiday but nevermind, looking forward to all the family camping holidays...

One thing we did do was have the weekend before DD was born (ELCS) to ourselves as it was the last weekend of being just the two of us

[hartmel]

Holiday- just the two of us!!

Can't complain about sleep as DS goes to bed at 9 pm and wakes up at 8 am...

Waiting for no 2 to arrive. Not that I regret being pregnant but it is so hard having a 11 month old and 32 weeks pregnant..

Oh and I want my sex life back,.. I could count on my hand how many times we did it while pregnant now.. I hate cuddling, sex and kissing.. Feel sorry for DH

[DontBeBlueBeARainbow]

I've been writing a list too!

Afternoon tea for one~long hot showers and pampering sessions~cinema trip~lots of eating out~passmy next Chinese exam

[vezzie]

swimming, where you actually do lengths (you may not like swimming, I am talking about if you enjoy it rather than trying to foist virtuous exercise upon you)

going to interesting places with lots of steps and wandering about looking at things for exactly as long as you like

Visiting friends and relations (especially those who are likely to make a fuss of you, if you have any). Arriving, going into the house and being offered tea (which you can drink in your own time and put on a table with no fear), catching up in a nice long interesting conversation, maybe having a long dinner and going to bed in their spare room without having an agonising night trying to get the baby to sleep somewhere strange, horribly aware the whole house is being disturbed. Lie in and big lazy breakfast with more interesting conversation, or the newspapers if you prefer. A walk or a film or a pub lunch or whatever. Leaving whenever you like instead of being forced out the door by constant whining and howling and grizzling because only getting in the car will put your stressed out and beyond-it baby to sleep and you just can't inflict this misery on your hosts any longer, forgetting half your stuff, feeling icky because you haven't showered because you were trying to stop the baby driving the whole house mad, getting home frazzled and desperate, feeling like you hardly saw your friends and thinking, what on earth was the point of that?

creative or crafty stuff, if you like it. Pick a project where you will have time to complete it and if possible make it something that you will be able to look at often, after the baby comes, to remind you who you are, and what you could do, and what you will be able to do again

[Clarabum]

Read a paper.
Drink a hot drink while it's still hot.
Lie in bed and take your time getting up.

[Eminybob]

I really wish I'd gone on the big, expensive once in a lifetime holiday I've always promised myself. Thailand or Mexico ideally. Somewhere with a swim-up bar and cocktails on demand.

DS is 6 weeks old and at the moment we are still managing to go out for meals, taking him along, and in fact are going out to meet friends for a bit tonight, however I know as he gets older and has a more structured bed time etc it will get harder. I'm making the most of it now.

[Flingmoo]

Just sit down wearing nice clothes, with a cup of and a or and go "aaaaah" and enjoy the lack of fear of an urgent, sudden screaming interruption. As you sit there, admire your shoulders without globs of puke on, run your fingers over your nice non-sticky chest because it hasn't been dribbled, clawed at, and leaked all over, and notice how nice and dry and soft your bra feels.

Soak up the loveliness of a half empty laundry basket. Go to restaurants and cafes and enjoy the complete apathy that other patrons show towards you in absence of any disdainful looks as their nice "quiet" meal/cuppa is not tainted by the sound of a young infant.

I could go on but I must go and gulp down a quick before my 3 month old PFB wakes up... and smiles up at me with that heart melting toothless grin that extends into his big blue eyes and silently means "mummy I love you".

(Or maybe that special smile just means "Yessss! Here comes my big squishy milk dispenser"....)

[OhPuddleducks]

Definitely cinema - been once in 3 years.

Read any books you like the look of pre-baby. Even if you have time to pick one up, you might be too boggled with tiredness to enjoy it.

Leave hot drinks on low coffee tables/the floor and just look at them for a bit. In a few months you will be horrified if anyone dares behave in such a fashion in your house!

Lie in bed (if it's comfy) and decamp to the sofa if not. Stay there all day if you fancy it.

Cook complicated meals with "grown up" flavours that use all the pots up. We were on the pasta pesto diet for weeks after my first was born. Now we live on meals from my toddler's almanac of "things I might eat (but might not)"

Enjoy all the kicks and squirms from your wee one - it sounds stupid, but I missed it a little, even though I was holding the mite who had previously been kicking me!

[Postchildrenpregranny]

Agree with the person who suggests a'craft' project (if you are that way inclined). I finished the patchwork quilt I'd been working on for years in my six weeks leave before my FB . I have happy memories of sitting on our sitting room floor in sunlight, quilting it ....and the said quilt is part of our family history (FB is now 28). It went to Uni with both my daughters and now (refurbished) belongs to FB. ( At her request I made a new one for younger DD last year -see below ) I also made name samplers for both of mine . The first one took three months with just name and dob to insert . The second took 15...

[FavaBeanPyramidScheme]

Travel to exotic places
Go out after 7pm
Drink
Get drunk
Wear your hair down
Do whatever you like doing with your free time
Eat foods containing alcohol and/or lots of salt

[Enjoyingmycoffee1981]

Can't complain about sleep as DS goes to bed at 9 pm and wakes up at 8 am...

Yes, you can complain! 9pm bedtime means you don't have much te in the event! My two do 7pm-7.30/8. He he!

Seriously though, just enjoy the peace. Go out for brunch. Oh I miss brunch with just my DH. Someone else cooking us a delicious breakfast, then reading the weekend papers over coffee, then walking home through the park. Lovely memories. We were having brunch when I went in to labour actually!

Cinema, overnight stays in hotels, just time together. Unhurried.

[Enjoyingmycoffee1981]

Te in the event should read time in the evening!

[Enjoyingmycoffee1981]

Do everything wearing necklaces.

[rallytog1]

Go to the pub.
Drink a cup of tea while it's still hot.
Do something, anything, on the spur of the moment.

[BreeVDKamp]

Me and DH are doing this :) called our Bassinet List. There's a scrapbook too hah. It's like a 4-year thing that we're halfway through, so not really the same. But your title got me excited!!

[BigBirthdayGloom]

Sleep. Then sleep. Then sleep some more. Just in case you get a baby like my third and not like my first!

[frankiebuns]

The things we did were we went out to the theatre, fetes, festivals, sex, lie ins, although I chuffin hated them at the time I loved to spend every minute doing something. Meals out, meals in, late night films, falling asleep on the sofa and waking up at 3 am and slugging off to bed, commuting to see dh at work as he worked away. I miss all of it but tbh you get used to no sleep I used to work nights before dc came along so really I'm used to it, my parents have been great and taken ds for a couple of nights so we can be us but now with 2 it might be harder but we are still young (28 & 29) so by the time ds is 18 I won't even be 50, so got all my older years to have my fun n youth back!

[SeagullsAndSand]

Reading

[RebeccaCloud9]

Some great ideas here! Love the idea of calling it a bassinet list - we have one of those bump journal things with some space to put pics so will make sure we fill it! FavaBean I should have done more of those things before BFP doh! Postchildren such a lovely idea - wish I was that creative!