The news of a baby gives you much to look forward to. But even though my heart begins to race with excitement (and anxiety) at the thought of this twosome becoming a threesome I can’t help put feel it is the end of an era. I love my husband and our (literally) quiet life. I’m excited to see us in these new roles but I’m not ready just yet to say good by to our current roles. It is in this vain that I have created a Countdown to Baby Bucket List. It’s a list of things I want to do to commemorate this time and celebrate life pre-baby even as we look forward to bringing our little nugget home.

Here goes, in no particular order:

1. Couple/  Maternity Photo shoot.  ‘A’ and I almost never take pictures. For our wedding I placed such little emphasis on photographs that I do not have one picture of just us. It makes me so sad. So even though I still squirm at the idea of a photo shoot I know that suffering through it will be worth it.
2. Dance Lessons with ‘A’. For our recent 5th wedding anniversary I wanted to get something on theme (wood) but also something that was experiential that would serve as something fun we did before baby. I got an awesome deal on ballroom lessons (wooden dance floor) and we have yet to schedule them.
3. Date Night Once a Month until Baby Arrives. As a couple we don’t go out to eat very often. Usually we reserve those funds for when we have out of town visitors  or we are traveling. But everyone says do it now while you can because soon you’ll have to factor in the cost of a baby sitter and it won’t seem worth it.
4. Make Parent Friends. We have friends. We even have friends with kids but on account of our recent move they are everywhere we are not. As we’ve been settling in we haven’t made it a priority to get out and meet people. Before baby comes I’d like for us to have few  parent friends to take this ride with.
5. Take One Days Long Road Trip. My favorite part about being back home in CA is that there is so much to do within a days drive. We’ve actually been good about day trips but I want to go on a long weekend trip, get out on a real adventure. Maybe we’ll book hotels ahead, maybe we’ll just back a bag and go.
6. Set Up Baby Space. I haven’t begun to think about where all the baby stuff will go. There’s room, I just need to rearrange and condense. But I’m looking forward to dreaming up new uses for the space with ‘A’.
7. Premake Meals and Arrange Housecleaning Services. I’m prone to perfectionism and I stress when things don’t run smoothly. Whatever post-delivery brings I want to be  bask in it and not be overwhelmed by day-to-day activities. Best defense – plan ahead.
8. Go to the Movies. I love a good movie but inevitably I get too cold, I fall asleep or I have to use the restroom right as things are getting juicy.  And don’t even get me started on the cost of nachos. As a result, ‘A’ and I don’t go to the movies often. But everyone says go while you can and I’m going to heed the warning.
9. Make a Photo Album of Our Life Together So Far. Time to clean up all those digital files and put them to use. I hear couples say all the time that after baby comes you lose sight of your partner. I hope this can serve as a reminder of why we chose to become three.
10. Do Something Epic Just For Me. I don’t know what the epic thing will be yet but I like the idea of having a nice win for myself before my wants get relegated to the end of the list, a sacrifice I’m happy to make, I just want a little something for myself first.

What do you think? Did you/ will you make a Count Down to Baby Bucket list? What would you add? Let me know in the comments.