With just months to go until my twin babies arrive, I'm starting to stress about where we are going to put everything. Jack and I already struggle to find room for our own stuff.

My belly continues to make room for our son and daughter, but our rowhouse in the city won't expand in the same way.

My calls me a packrat, as piles of my old bills and bank statements fill random boxes and envelopes in most rooms of the house. Our shredder helps eliminate some of the paper trail, but there is always more mail and that nagging feeling that I just have to keep certain items.

When it comes to baby stuff, I have done my best to register strategically. I have read numerous articles on what we really need and have learned that twins don't always require two of everything.

But there is a need for two of some things, and unfortunately my house will not be doubling in storage space. We need two cribs, carseats and high chairs at the very least. I know they can share a swing and bouncer, but I don't think our girl will want to wear her brother's clothing very often.

Jack thinks children don't really need clothes at all and would be fine if they were running around in diapers and T-shirts. He cannot relate to falling in love with a baby bubble suit or bonnet.

There is room for clothes for both in our new nursery furniture, but the drawers are not bottomless. I have bought a few items, but can only imagine what my friends and family will give us once they know how big the twins are.

In an effort to make room, I have been donating clothes and extraneous furniture. With each bag I deliver, however, I receive another bag or box. My generous mother-in-law has been on a handful of baby clothing shopping sprees lately. I love the gifts, but they add to my stress.

Even though bedrest prevents me from having any showers until after the kids arrive, a few early gifts from non-shopaholic relatives have already shown up on the doorstep. They serve as not-too-subtle reminders that we need a system for the onslaught of baby inventory.

I do my best to organize the clothing by size and put it away as soon as I get them. The gear that is too big for newborns can go in the basement until they're ready for it. But the basement is another area we vowed to clean out before babies.

It doesn't help that the most unnecessary baby items are the hardest to resist. The little outfits that they will outgrow in days and the toys that the dogs might steal before the babies are even born are all so cute, but also take up space of their own.

I don't think I can possibly make enough room for all the new stuff, especially when unsolicited used gifts add to the mix. People with babies can be very generous in handing over the gadgets they no longer need, but it's also easy to become a dumping ground.

I have learned how to say, "No, thank you," and explain that we have limited storage space. I love newish items because they mean I can save money and use it for something else we need. But it's important to be choosey. I don't need that barely used bouncy seat if I already have one.

Twins also means twice the mess -- about 140 diapers a week for newborns. Our nursery may be big enough for two cribs, but I'm not sure about a stockpile of diapers in various sizes. Some moms swear by different brands for boys and girls, so I can't even imagine the diaper collection I'm about to start.

The stress of inevitable mess would be a lot more manageable if I weren't stuck here on the couch left to think instead of doing something about it. Bedrest is a major stumbling block in my quest to declutter before my due date. All my plans to organize our house have to wait until I'm allowed to move around again, no matter how helpful my husband is.

As I look over my to-do lists with multiple unchecked tasks, I realize it's time to take a step back and consider what the babies really need. I want to be perfectly prepared for their arrival, but also know that they only require so much when they are first born. I need to stick to the basics and let the rest fall into place when I can get to it.

Perhaps they will take to napping and I will find time to organize after they are here. I know that is wishful thinking, but something has to get me over this hump.

Laura Lewis Brown is an adventurous newlywed who has loved, lost and doesn't mind sharing. Her column appears every other Thursday.