Countdown to TTC: Week 44

Planning with Pinterest!

  

The past couple of weeks have been extremely busy for me, so this past week I decided to tackle a goal that was more fun than challenging.  I started a secret Pinterest board to keep track of all of my baby-related findings.  In addition to my public Pinterest account, I wanted a page where I could keep track of my personal baby research, like links to pages of nurse midwives in my area, hospitals where I could give birth, or play groups in cities I might live in when I have little ones.  I decided to keep it private because (1) my level of obsession with this topic is a bit embarrassing given that I'm not even TTC yet, and (2) I once posted a few baby-related pins in a row on my public page and was instantly being interrogated by my social network.  As much as I enjoy sharing this weekly journey with you, I don't want my family and friends to be confused about my status. 

Secret or not, I love spending my free time researching these kinds of topics and imagining what the future might hold, but often I forget what I discovered as soon as I close all the tabs on my web browser and then I end up looking the same things up all over again (or, even worse, forgetting about a gem that I found).  But surely that is the purpose of a site like Pinterest?  Even though I keep lots of tabs open on my computer, I can never have every page I am interested in easily accessible until the time when I need it.  Invariably the moment I give up and close that recipe I had open for two weeks is the time I finally have a chance to try it.  And planning for a pregnancy that's at least 10 months in the future, I really need to be able to store up the information I find for a later date.  I have also created a Word document to track some information, like my thoughts and ideas, and a folder where I can store published research articles about topics like childbirth, since unfortunately those types of materials rarely have any pictures and as a result Pinterest won't even let me store them.  

Ultimately, this week's goal wasn't so much of a challenge as an opportunity to acknowledge that TTC is really approaching.  It's important to get my mind and body in a good place, but I also need to keep the end goal in mind and maintain my motivation to make positive changes in my life.  The day DH and I decided to start trying is now less than 300 days away!  Until then, I want to continue to enjoy this time of anticipation and preparation.  Different people have their own ways of savoring the moment, but for me one of the keys is getting to imagine and mull over every detail, even if it's just a private activity on my secret Pinterest board.   

What about you?  What's your favorite way to stay motivated to get healthy and prepared, or just to keep up your excitement for a pregnancy or baby that's still a long way away?  Do you keep a secret Pinterest board or is your baby mania out there for all to see?  

For more in this countdown series, see last week's challenge about Proper Posture.