Baby Fever: The Bucket List

So , speaking of baby fever, I recently came across a fantastic blog by the Honey B about the trials of the wanna-be-mommy. In it, she talks about her Baby Bucket List, all of the things she wants to/needs to do before having a baby.

DF and I have our own baby bucket list that we have been working on since we decided that we were serious.

1. Pay off our credit card debt
   
2. Get engaged (before 2010)
   
3. Save as much money as we possibly can
   
4. Get married (summer 2011)
   
5. Make a baby (fall 2011)

DF and I worked out a 5 year timeline that I thought we could both live with, but we didn't really hammer out the details. While most women would be looking at bridal magazines, I stole my sister's copy of What to Expect Before You're Expecting, which completely freaked me out. It showed me just how far from prepared we really were. We have accomplished several things (bu-bye credit cards!), but we have so much to do.

The revised list:

1. Get married
2. Get down to goal weight for 6 weeks
3. Get my teeth fixed (I've got some major gum issues going on)
4. Save for and buy a 4-door car for me
5. Get a life insurance policy for DF (I don't make any money, I'm a teacher)
6. Quit drinking 10-tons of diet pepsi and the more than occasional bottle of wine
7. Save a lot more than I was thinking we'd need dependent on how much time I have to/ want to take off of work
8. Go on one more fabulous vacation
   

The list seems longer than anything I can accomplish in the next year and a half. To make matters worse, I got a pink slip last month that pretty much guarantees my unemployment next year. So much for savings. I feel like if wait for everything to get done, we just aren't going to do it. And if I have to take time off anyway, maybe its the perfect time to start a family. I'm all for Justice-of-the-Peace-ing it and making a baby right away.

Not so fast.... back to that terrible book. What to Expect says its takes the average couple 6 months to get pregnant. That means if we started now, and it took us 6 months, we'd have the baby around June, right when I'd have to seriously start looking at jobs for the following year. While I think it would leave a definite impression if my water broke right in the middle of the interview, that's probably not the best way to play it.

I guess everyone is just going to have to wait and see what we decided to do, me and DF included, because right now I have no idea.