0) Congratulations!
1) Stock up on sleep
2) See #1
3) Decide with your wife if she will attempt breast feeding.
If so in addition to #1, lay in a stock of calorie dense, tasty food, preferably in a deep freeze so it will keep. I have seen a woman who was breastfeeding, eat an entire sour cream raisin pie in four hours and continue to lose weight.
4) Talk to relatives / friends / support network about gently used baby furniture, decor, strollers, car seats, etc. -- these things have a large markup and are generally not kept forever.
4a) Also consult with these people about willingness (of parents / siblings as fits your circumstances) to watch the baby for a couple of hours. Infants are *never* "off" -- even when asleep, this can change suddenly.
4b) Come to agreement with Mom, how much, umm, finger-wagging instruction the two of you will put up with from any well-meaning (or even just overbearing) relatives (e.g. how dare you take the baby out wearing so many / so few clothes for this weather!)
5) Read up on baby-proofing the house (chemicals out of reach, stoppers in electrical outlets, bannisters blocking stairs, etc.
6) Try to come to agreement about parenting philosophy (whether to allow the baby to sleep with both of you in bed as they get a bit older, or let them cry themselves out in a crib); whether you take turns getting up in the middle of the night; all that kind of thing
7) Pick a name, and have one or two in reserve. Sometimes the blessed event happens, and you say, "Wait, (s)he just doesn't LOOK like a (Wilma) Fred." You'd be surprised...
Congratulations again!
1) Stock up on sleep
2) See #1
3) Decide with your wife if she will attempt breast feeding.
If so in addition to #1, lay in a stock of calorie dense, tasty food, preferably in a deep freeze so it will keep. I have seen a woman who was breastfeeding, eat an entire sour cream raisin pie in four hours and continue to lose weight.
4) Talk to relatives / friends / support network about gently used baby furniture, decor, strollers, car seats, etc. -- these things have a large markup and are generally not kept forever.
4a) Also consult with these people about willingness (of parents / siblings as fits your circumstances) to watch the baby for a couple of hours. Infants are *never* "off" -- even when asleep, this can change suddenly.
4b) Come to agreement with Mom, how much, umm, finger-wagging instruction the two of you will put up with from any well-meaning (or even just overbearing) relatives (e.g. how dare you take the baby out wearing so many / so few clothes for this weather!)
5) Read up on baby-proofing the house (chemicals out of reach, stoppers in electrical outlets, bannisters blocking stairs, etc.
6) Try to come to agreement about parenting philosophy (whether to allow the baby to sleep with both of you in bed as they get a bit older, or let them cry themselves out in a crib); whether you take turns getting up in the middle of the night; all that kind of thing
7) Pick a name, and have one or two in reserve. Sometimes the blessed event happens, and you say, "Wait, (s)he just doesn't LOOK like a (Wilma) Fred." You'd be surprised...
Congratulations again!