As we enter the last month of pregnancy there are several things Ryan and I are doing to get ready for baby T's arrival. I know we won't be completely home bound, and thanks to Amazon Prime, almost anything can come to our home in 2 days. Many people and websites suggest stocking your freezer with quick meals before baby comes, so I've done a little of that. I also saved and froze a few servings of stews this past winter knowing we might want them come this time.  When you have a big garden though, some of your stocking takes the form of freezing extra green beans, canning beets, and freezing raspberries. We also have another family member who needs taking care of, Samoa our cat. Chuck and Dons might be right down the road, but I'd rather not worry if we have enough cat food on hand when she is super hungry, and so is baby.  Here is a list of things we are doing to get ourselves ready, hopefully it gives you some ideas too:

• Ordered an extra case of  cat food .
• Bought an extra box of cat litter.
• Taking inventory or toiletries : face wash, lotion, shampoo, body soap, mouth wash etc...
• Stocking our freezer: Salmon cakes, turkey meatballs, PB protein balls, Ryan's favorite banana muffins, low carb pumpkin muffins, chicken mole sauce, beef and veggie soup...
• Freezing green beans from the garden, pickling beets.
• Making/freezing pesto and other other green sauces made from our herbs.
• Purchased 20# of grass fed ground beef and 5 beef roasts. A pound of ground beef can be thawed out fairly quickly, a frozen roast could be put in the slow-cooker/instant pot if need be, although they taste better when thawed first.
• Attempting to keep our house clean and stay on top of my chore chart.
• Spending time with friends.
• Going Fishing and spending fun time with Ryan.
• Going with the flow, saying no to activities I don't feel like making time for.
• Writing 'Thank You' letters from my bridal shower.
• Packing our hospital "Go Bag." 

My first book 'Mindy and the Good Gut Bugs is now available!!! Just got the first 50 copies yesterday and had the joy of opening the box with my husband Ryan, sister Amy, and my amazing niece Jessica.  Jess got the first signed copy. The whole family is in town for my baby shower, it's a little crazy around the house now. 

I'm hoping to sell in a few local book stores but I never started this project as a way to make money.  I just wanted to create a book that dietitians and other health professionals could use to teach kids about their digestion and healthy eating.  You can purchase Mindy and the Good Gut Bugs on BookShop.  Spread the word and share a copy with your favorite pediatrician or kid next door.