I’m officially 33 weeks with baby #3 (another girl, in case you didn’t see on Instagram!), and to be honest, I can hardly believe it. Even though this has been my roughest pregnancy in terms of symptoms and discomfort, I frequently joke that I keep forgetting I’m pregnant. Life is busy enough with Charlie and Azelie, and adding launching/running a company into the mix has made this year quite the whirlwind.

Maybe this is an inevitable part of growing our family for the third time, but I’m struggling with the feeling that I haven’t “processed” that we’re having another baby. We don’t need to stock up on much gear, decorate a nursery, buy more clothes, or read more baby books. I barely check the pregnancy app that I re-downloaded, and when I do, it’s more to remember how far along I am than anything else. A few weeks ago, though, I realized that even though I don’t physically need to do all that much right now, my heart could use a little more intentional preparation. Dave encouraged me to think through what that could look like, so I wanted to share what I came up with. I hope this will hold me accountable too!

1. Start filling out a Promptly journal for her.

I really struggled with Charlie’s baby book, so for Azelie, I leaned into the fact that I much prefer writing over scrapbooking! I loved jotting down notes and memories in a Promptly Childhood History Journal for her so much, I ordered one for Charlie as well. The journals cover every month during the first year, and then every year after that, with simple, age-related writing prompts, plus space to add extra memories and a few photos. Promptly launched the prettiest lavender color just as I began perusing the options for baby girl, and they were so kind to send me a copy. I’m setting aside an upcoming Sunday afternoon to pour some tea, curl up on the porch, and fill in the pregnancy section.

2. Refresh Azelie’s room to create the space baby girl will eventually move into.

The plan right now is that the baby will sleep in our room for a few months, then tucked in the corner of our guest room till she’s one or so, then join Azelie in her room. With that timeline in mind, I wasn’t initially planning on making any changes to Azelie’s room right now. However, after loving the process of designing simple nurseries for both Charlie and Azelie while I was pregnant with them, I realized that not working on a physical space for baby girl has been one of my biggest mental hurdles. I think I’m going to go ahead and refresh Azelie’s room a little after all—probably just putting the mini crib in there, rearranging some of the existing furniture, switching out some of the artwork, and setting up the changing table. Hopefully, that will be enough to do the trick for me, while also starting to prepare Azelie for eventually sharing a room.

3. Celebrate with friends at my shower.

My sweet friend Stephanie and I decided years ago that we’re throwing each other parties for every baby, no matter how many babies that ends up being! (See the shower she threw for me when I was pregnant with Azelie here and the one I threw for her third here.) True to her word, she’s hosting a little celebration for baby girl in a few weeks and I am SO excited. The decor is planned around my outfit–this dress and these shoes!

4. Buy something special with her name embroidered on it.

My Southern heart cringes to admit how few personalized pieces my kids have, but I honestly monogram very, very little in our house. As a result, this one is a bit out of left field for me, but I’d love to order a personalized hat, blanket, or coming home outfit. Peaches has some of the sweetest, most classic options I’ve found–maybe this, this, or this?

Of course, we will also do things like pack hospital bags, install the car seat, and buy diapers, but I’m pretty sure we could knock out those types of tasks in a day or two. There are a few benefits to having done this before ;)

If you have multiple children, did you experience any of these feelings during the later pregnancies? Is there anything I should add to my list? I’d love to hear!