Projects to tackle before baby arrives.

• Position: Pregnancy

You COULD not be more excited since receiving the wonderful news: you are going to be a mother. Right now you probably are daydreaming about chubby cheeks, adorable onesies, and the bundle of joy you will be holding in your arms this time next year and, depending on your personality and how far along you are into your pregnancy, you also may be feeling the urge to clean, organize, declutter, and redecorate.

Congratulations, you are nesting--feeling the desire to prepare your home for your new arrival. "If your inner neat freak and home decorator is making her self known to a much greater extent than ever before, don't worry. What mother wouldn't want her baby to come home to the most comfortable, healthy, and welcoming place possible?" says Princess Ivana Pignatelii Aragona Coretes, a featured blogger at Modern Morn and coauthor of A Simple Guide to Pregnancy & Baby's First Year. "Nesting is an important 'stage' of pregnancy for you and your baby and, of course you'll want to make sure that you have all of your bases covered.

"I couldn't rest until everything that might impact my babies was just right. Like most first-time parents, there was a certain amount of 'winging it' and guesswork before my son was born but, by the time I became pregnant with my daughter, I knew with a little more accuracy what I needed to do before my baby's birth."

Put your paperwork, etc., in order. Even more important than a well-decorated nursery and organized closet are your child's medical needs and daily care.

"Before you do anything else, find a pediatrician. Make sure your insurance is in order. If you'll be delivering at a hospital, look into pre-admitting and, if you think you'll be going back to work after taking maternity leave, start researching day care options. None of these are things you want to wait until the last minute on, and you definitely don't want to have to take care of them while caring for a newborn?

Tackle your budget. 'q-he exact amount of your baby-related budget can vary quite a bit depending on your personal choices, where you live, whether or not you're a first-time parent, and much more.

"Before your focus shifts to your new child--and before you become perpetually sleep-deprived--do your best to figure how much money you'll need to spend on baby paraphernalia, during maternity leave, for future day care, etc. If you'll be a stay-at-home mom and you're currently working, think about how the loss of income will impact your family...