Have you ever noticed that we spend SO much of our lives “planning ahead”?
Yes, I DO realize that a large portion of my income is a direct result of helping others get more organize, better manage their time… and PLAN AHEAD! And I also realize that if we never planned ahead, our lives would be crazy, chaotic, stressful, unorganized, and ultimately not very enjoyable.
However, sometimes I feel like all I do is plan ahead.
Plan our weekly meals, plan my blog post, plan my grocery shopping trips, plan our daily, weekly, and monthly schedules, plan what I’m going to wear, plan our budget, plan for upcoming events, plan… plan… plan!
Plus, over the last year, we have had some significant events in our lives that required even more long-term planning like…
- selling our first house
- buying our dream house
- gutting and renovating our “new” farmhouse {on a budget!}
- Dave finishing his Master’s degree
- the arrival of our two international students
- Dave’s new classes and commitments at school
- my new website re-launch
- the rapidly approaching arrival of our baby!
- and now the upcoming holiday season
Whew… and those are just a few of the bigger ones!
Of course many of those events would not have been possible without lots of planning ahead — and now that almost all of them are completed, I CAN say it was worth all the planning!
But right now, I feel like I’ve planned everything I can plan.
…and now I’m just waiting. Waiting for the baby to arrive! Kind-of like when you invite people over for dinner and the food is ready, the house is clean, the table is set, the drinks are chilled, the candles are lit, and you’re just waiting for them to arrive so you can carry on with the evening.
That’s how I feel right now… except I don’t know when this baby is going to arrive!
I’ve passed my first due date {yes I have more than one!}, I’m just days away from starting my self-imposed maternity leave, the nursery is pretty much ready, our home renovations are complete {for now}, my hospital bags are somewhat packed, we’ve picked out our name, I’ve scheduled a bunch of blog posts, I had my baby showers, we’ve made arrangements for our international students to stay with Dave’s parents, and now — we’re just waiting for another week or so {hopefully not too much longer than that}!
my sister and me at my baby shower last week {37 weeks}
Living in the Moment:
As you can probably imagine, I’ve gotten TONS of advice as to what I should and should not do while pregnant, at the hospital, after the baby is born, etc. etc. Some of it is great advice from trusted friends; other times, I know it’s just someone wanting to rain on my parade and try to be a know-it-all.
However, a few pieces of advice I’ve gotten OVER and OVER and OVER again are:
- Enjoy every moment
- This time goes SO fast — cherish it
- Make sure you take time to just sit and do nothing but bond with your baby
- Focus on you, the baby, and Dave… nothing else matters for a few days
- Allow others to help you so you can simply “live in the moment” and soak everything up
- Don’t worry, everything will be fine… you’re ready!
- Live in the moment
So I figured if person after person, parent after parent, and grandparent after grandparent are all giving me this advice… I should probably take it!
No, I won’t ever fully stop planning… that’s just how I operate! But I am going to try really, REALLY hard to “live in the moment” for the next several weeks and soak everything in.
Are you too busy planning ahead?
Maybe you’re not planning ahead for a baby, but what about some of these other “planning traps”.
- Planning ahead for the holidays
- Planning ahead for college
- Planning ahead for retirement
- Planning ahead to buy a house
- Planning ahead for a huge vacation
- Planning ahead for a big event
- Planning ahead for an adoption
- Planning ahead for a wedding
- Planning ahead for a big business opportunity
These are all EXCELLENT things to plan ahead for, and I would never tell you to stop planning all together {seriously, don’t stop planning!!} but I also want to encourage you to realize when you’ve completed one of your planning goals and then take the time to enjoy it before rushing to start planning for your next goal.
There is no question that Dave and I have been working long, hard hours to finish everything we wanted to finish before the baby comes {I’ll be talking more about this next week}. But we are also thrilled to have crossed almost every single item off our list… and we’ve been thoroughly enjoying our less busy schedule, inviting people over to our newly renovated home, and having a few extra free moments.
We are as ready as we can be for this baby to come and now it’s time to just sit back, relax, wait, and live in the moment!!
JoDi says
I had this poem in a frame on our nursery wall when my son was little. (He’s 22 now, and the years flew by unbelievably fast.)
http://fatduckfarm.net/attachment-parenting/babies-dont-keepthe-poem-has-an-author/
It was a good reminder that many things could wait and spending time with him was the most important thing. Before you know it they’e in school, and you’ll have tons of time again. Until then, I think there’s a happy medium between “a house that’s shocking” and a house and life that’s perfectly organized and planned out. The right amount of planning should help you have more time to spend with your family not keep you so busy that planning and running from one activity to another is all you ever do! Kids need down-time and unstructured time to just play and be creative. I think you’ll find your happy medium without a problem! 🙂
I have a friend whose daughter is about 14 now, and I remember him saying a couple of years ago how fast the time went. He said so many people told him when she was born that the years would go by quickly and that he should savor every day. He said every time someone said that, he would always think “I know, I know. It goes by fast. I get it!” And he really did take time to enjoy it, but now he says he can’t believe HOW incredibly fast it went, and that he really didn’t understand what people meant when they told him that even though he thought he did.
Janie pollard says
I am so excited for you.. 🙂 Get ready for the best time in your life!
Kristen says
Wonderfully said, Andrea! Let’s live in the moment. You have my prayers in these days and weeks ahead, as you welcome your baby girl!
Cortney says
Amen! Live in the moment for sure, cherish it all!
I will tell you though because you have such a great foundation in organization and planning ahead, life should run smoother allowing you to be able to “live in the moment.” These years you have spent creating a home, routines, and a place for everything etc. will really free up more time and alleviate stress as you will only need to tweak a schedule you already have in place rather than approach it for the first time out of necessity when baby comes! I speak from experience that the latter is a pain in the toukas…. 🙂
Oh and don’t let “know it alls” rain on your parade… I have found they usually know the least about the things they give advice on. I unfortunately deal with this with some friends who try to give me constant unsollicited advice with my oldest son who has special needs when their oldest typically developing child is 2 years younger than mine( just turned 3 🙂 )??? Its actually a little funny… 🙂 Anywho…You will be great, but I’m sure you already know that! Excited for you and praying for a safe and healthy delivery!
Heather Ratliff says
I have asked myself that very question many times recently. It seems like I’m always planning the next month of meals or planning for the next activity or just getting all the bags ready for the next day. (I even made a list of what bags I need for which day, just so I wouldn’t forget one!) Thanks for all the tips and tricks. I just recently subscribed, but am paring down my list of readings. Yours, however, will NOT be cut!
DawnW says
Right now I’m in the moment because I don’t really have much to do at home,and going out is not an option because it’s snowing (we could get up to 8 inches!).So I’m just hanging out.When you go on maternity leave,does that include time off from the blog? I completely understand if it does! Just wondering.
Andrea says
Wow Dawn — 8″… that’s a lot for October 29!! We actually just finished raking leaves in T-shirts here in West MI!
And to answer your question, when I go on maternity leave, that will NOT include the blog. I have several guest posts lined up for the first 2 weeks and then lots of pre-written posts that I’ll mix with more current posts so I won’t be AS busy.
My maternity leave will mostly be from my organizing clients, speaking engagements, some of my virtual assistant work, and pretty much all of my volunteer committee work. So I’ll most definitely have a lot more free time to devote to baby!
Enjoy the snow!
Lora says
Nice work! So glad you can sit back and relax a little bit!
So excited for you. We’re praying for you, Dave and your sweet little girl.
Can’t wait to hear the news!
🙂
Andrea says
Thanks Lora,
We’ve had a pretty relaxing weekend so far — my sister’s volleyball team was in town so we watched her play several games. We raked leaves this afternoon, and I’m washing the last of my baby gifts! Then tomorrow we have dinner with my family… so I don’t even have to cook! Hope you guys are also doing well 🙂
Cassie says
That is great advice to be given. && I would say the same thing.
After having two little boys, I cherish every moment I can, every laugh, every giggle, every new things they discover. Because I know I will never get these years back. Three and half years later (that’s how old my oldest is) I still “live in the moment.” I find myself watching them sleep, just so I can remember what they looked like, I’ll find tears filling my eyes at the thought that they are growing up so incredibly fast, I’ll focus on the way their little arms fill around my neck when they run full speed towards me and give me a hug. You want to remember everything you can. =D
So most definitely cherish every moment you can. Of course I still plan ahead for some things, but my kids really made me a “live in the moment” kind of person & I love it. =D
Emily says
You look so beautiful in that photo–you definitely have that pregnancy glow. 🙂 Good luck with everything and your planning ahead will definitely pay off once the baby arrives. Then you really will be able to just sit back and enjoy the moment, soaking up all those once-in-a-lifetime moments with your little one.
Paulette says
Andrea, the advice you received is sound. The baby will grow so quickly and before you know it, it will be an adult (I speak from experience). You will be so tired during the first few months, but your “planning” personality will serve you well if you let go just a little. You’re going to discover a new love…an intense love…and you will treasure it. We are all so happy for you and Dave!