my nesting instinct is taking over my life!

You will be ok : )   The adjustment from two to three is not as bad as the adjustment from one to two!  Really!!  And two year olds are the most stressful of all!!  My little guy sounds just like your little girl.  Into everything.  Always on the move.  Everytime I sit down to work on homework, for example, he comes up to me and says "No homework.  Put the book down."  LOL. SO DEMANDING.

The little one in the bassinet..we are doing that.  We did that with our little man, too.  We didn't even set up a crib until AFTER we moved and he was about three months old.  If you know you are moving, don't stress.  It will be fine!  (Oh, like you, I was frustrated with the arrangement, but glad that we didn't set up the crib becuase they are a pain to disassemble/reassemble.)

It all seems so overwhelming now, but you will get through it.  I am hoping that my two year old, who is just a month older than yours, will want to help do things for baby.  I'm pretty sure he will. Then, as long as he is helping (getting diapers, finding pacis, finding baby's toys), he will feel like he is getting attention AND will not be into everything because he will be occupied.

  Does your library let you reserve items online?  Mine will have them for you at the check out desk and will email you when they are ready.  (Oh, going to the library is often a nightmare with my two year old.)  Anyhow, what I do is just reserve stuff online (I live near a big city that has lots of branches..so if an item isn't at one branch, they will send it to your branch of choice and let you know when it is ready to be picked up).  So, instead of having to go in and LOOK for things, I just go to the counter and pick stuff up.  (And that usually keeps the kids busy for one afternoon.)

OH, and how about the Wii?  Do you have one?   There are games available that your 2 year old might like..one of my favorites is the U Draw Studio...lets the kid "draw" on the tv and play with many effects.   Keeps him busy just like paper and crayons would, but no mess!  How about a DVR?  We record a few of Caden's favorite shows...we don't watch a lot of tv, but in a pinch, having an episode or two of Sesame Street on hand can help us get through a rainy afternoon.

One more thing...know what helps with the diaper bag issue/ forgetting stuff?  Having two!  Keeping one in the car at all times.  That way if you forget something, you are covered. Just rotate them!  I actually haven't used a diaper bag with my little guy for over a year.  I just always keep diapers and wipes in the car.  And if I am going on a longer trip, will bring along a change of clothes.  Of course, with a baby, you will need your diaper bag, but if you can just keep some of your oldest's stuff in the car, then you will really only have to worry about your baby's stuff on a daily basis.

Alright, having said all of this, I AM nervous about going from three to four..  See, we drive our kiddos to school.  I have one in high school, one in middle school, a two year old, andthis little one.  Our middle schooler has autism, and is NOT a fan of mornings. In fact, rarely a morning goes by without an outburst of some sort. Everyone in this house is in slow motion in the morning.  This year, it has been up to my husband to get the oldest one to school, as school starts at 7:15 and he doesn't go to work until 9:00.  Well, his schedule might change, and we might lose that ability to tag team, leaving me with four kids to get out the door in the morning.(On Friday, my high schooler actually had a detention for accumulating too many tardies to school, and my husband and her and are the only ones up at that early hour, so I can only imagine how things will be if I have to get EVERYBODY out the door at 7AM)  YIKES.

Anyhow, we will get through this.  You will get through this.   There might be some dyas where you wnat to pull your hair out, but all of those moments of snuggles and smiles will get you through the rough times.