Obsessed with nesting

Posted on January 3, 2010 by

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Sunday, January 3, 2010

18 weeks pregnant!
I can’t believe I’m in week 19! The halfway mark is fast approaching. It still seems like June is sooo far away (even though I am due in the first week), but when I consider that I’ve (technically) been pregnant since Aug. 31, I guess time really is flying!
Here are the important dates coming up (soon!):
  • January 13: OBGYN appointment
  • January 18: Ultrasound!
  • February 2: 3D ultrasound to find out the sex!
Apologies for being MIA this past week. I was off from work (thank God), and I’m happy to say that I really make good use of the time. I can say for sure that nesting has slapped me in the face, because even though I’ve always loved organizing, I have never been this crazy about it before.
In the last six days, I have:
  • Completely cleaned out Little Baby’s room (except for Darling Husband’s desk, which is moving this month)
  • Dedicated one corner of the room to storing Little Baby’s current “stuff” (Christmas gifts, books, stuffed animals, frames and shelves I might use in then nursery)
  • Overhauled my art closet and reorganized it
  • Sent my art desk to Mom’s for storage — since there will be a crib in its place!
  • Donated clothes/shoes to charity
  • Cleaned out every kitchen cupboard (adding new organizers and tossing utensils/dishes I don’t use)
  • Organized the medicine cabinet
  • Overhauled our bedroom closet
  • Emptied out our hallway closet and added new storage bins, drawers and a mat
  • Went through our entertainment unit and put all the DVDs, video games and controllers into wicker baskets
  • Cleaned out our storage room (with Darling Husband’s help)
I must say, this nesting thing is pretty nice. And the weird thing is, my motivation is twofold. Part of me is obsessed with decluttering so that we make room for the baby’s things (I’ve heard they have a lot of “stuff”).
But the labeling/organizing part seems to stem from knowing that people are going to be in my house after the baby is born.

Like a lot.
Like my mom. Like my in-laws. And our siblings. What if they offered to put on a load of laundry or something? My laundry closet has to be perfect! What if they offered to walk Little Dog? Well, of course her leash and poo-bags and wet-paw-towel must be organized in a way that anybody could find them easily. The cupboards must be tidy! The medicine cabinet must be easily navigated!
So I labeled. And tossed. And condensed.
Oh, but that wasn’t my entire week. After those icky two months of all-I-can-do-is-lie-on-the-couch (a.k.a The First Trimester), I have finally rediscovered my love of sewing. I think it also had to do with nesting, because I have been sewing up a storm all week.
In the past six days, I have made:
  • 10 soft alphabet blocks
  • 50 flannel wipes (8 inches x 8 inches)
  • 10 double-sided flannel wipes (8 inches x 12 inches)
  • 6 bibs
  • 6 matching burp cloths
  • A poo-bag dispenser for Little Dog’s leash
  • A plastic grocery-bag dispenser (to neaten storage area)
You know what? A week ago, I never thought I would say this, but I think I’m actually ready to go back to work tomorrow. At least I’ll be forced to sit down for seven or eight hours. It might actually be relaxing.

Weekly re-cap

Posted on January 3, 2010 by

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(Dec. 27 to Jan. 2)

Symptoms: Baby-movement (but less than the past few weeks), heartburn

Body changes: An ever-growing bump! I also think my skin is taking a turn for the worst, but I’m hoping that doesn’t last.

Energy level: Incredible. I really took advantage of my week off, and my nesting went into overdrive!
Cravings: Not anything noticeable, but since I’m no longer grossed out by chicken and mayonnaise, I made my famous chicken wraps for the first time in about three months — so yummy!

High point: Feeling relived that I tackled a lot of the projects on my list (purging the condo, organizing, cleaning, etc.).

Low point: Worrying about Darling Husband driving in the massive snowstorms we’ve been having this week. I’ve always been afraid of driving/passengering in snowstorms, so I can only imagine how much more worried I’ll be next winter, with Little Baby in the backseat.

Paranoid moment of the week: Feeling a little worried that I’m noticing less baby movement. I feel some taps everyday, but not as much as the week of Christmas (and the weeks leading up to Christmas). I’m hoping it’s because I’m eating less sugar!

"I am seventeen, going on eighteen …"

Posted on December 28, 2009 by

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Sunday, December 27
17 weeks pregnant!

Like the Sound of Music reference? It’s on TV right now. I love that movie, and that song is probably my favourite part (next to the goat-herd puppet number).
So it’s the last week of 2009, and that means we are now entering Week 18, people! That’s 18 as in almost 20 weeks, as in almost half-way!

This may sound totally obvious, but I love how each week, the number sounds more and more impressive. Reaching 16 weeks was huge, and now hitting 17 — and being in Week 18! — sounds unbelievable. Soon, I’ll be in the 20s!
Quick re-cap is necessary, since I’ve been MIA lately. Little Baby’s first (sort of) Christmas was great. I asked everyone for maternity clothes, and they totally delivered! Mom, Little Sis, Darling Husband and my in-laws all got me awesome tops, pants, dresses, leggings, tights, jeans. Yessssss!
I did a huge closet clean-out today, and yanked out everything that doesn’t fit — and won’t fit for a while — and added my new maternity stuff. Now it will be easier to get dressed in the morning, because everything in there actually fits and is comfortable. I can’t wait to wear all of it!
For someone who isn’t even born yet, the little peanut got plenty of gifts! A baby bathtub (with the coolest shower attachment) and a carrier from Best Friend and her husband, a big plush ball that makes sounds from the in-laws, and a sweet Winnie-the-Pooh hat/bootie/mitten set from Little Sis. Plus a book of bible stories I bought him/her, and the painting I made for the nursery. Whew!
I think having some actual, tangible baby items laying around the condo has kicked my butt into gear. I spent a couple of hours working on the nursery today — just clearing stuff out, mainly — and am hoping to get more done this week when I’m off.

Here’s the revised schedule:
  • Nursery cleared out, holes patched, etc. (by January 31)
  • Find out the sex of the baby (February 2)
  • Begin planning gender-specific nursery (February 3)
  • Register for baby stuff (by February 28)
  • Buy smaller desk for Darling Husband and relocate his computer to the living room (by February 28)
  • Move my laptop desk to the bedroom (by February 28)
  • Start picking up nice, used baby clothes (March 1)
  • Start working on nursery (March 1)
  • Attend baby shower (April)
  • Pick up any items we still need (by May 1)
  • Nursery finished (by May 1)
If you looked at this list, you’d guess I was due in early May instead of early June, right? Well, one thing I’ve learned about deadlines is that it’s always best to shoot for an earlier one …
🙂

Weekly re-cap

Posted on December 28, 2009 by

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(Dec. 20 to Dec. 26)

Symptoms: Lots of baby-movement, hunger attacks, dizziness — peeing has finally eased up, though!

Body changes: My back’s been a bit sore, and it feels like I’m heaving myself up sometimes.

Energy level: Good — didn’t work on the baby’s room, though, unfortunately. Christmas is such a busy time!
Cravings: Green grapes (again)

High point: Having a great Christmas with Mom and Little Sis — which included getting some very lovely gifts for Little Baby! It was emotional thinking that this time next year, we’ll have a six-month old!

Low point: Missing Darling Husband (who spent Christmas with his own fam, and worked a lot). Next year will be different for sure, since it will be the first year we’re doing our “own” Christmas, but I’m also looking forward to it — to creating our own traditions with the baby.

Paranoid moment of the week: Taking a couple of sips of sparking wine at Christmas dinner. Tried to reassure myself that women in France drink wine all throughout their pregnancies, but still felt guilty.

Weird moment of the week: While watching movies and vegging with Mom and Little Sis, I noticed that Little Baby kicked like crazy during the opening cheer of the Bring It On movie AND a New Moon preview. Girl??? Or was the baby just responding to things I like?

This time next year …

Posted on December 24, 2009 by

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Thursday, December 24, 2009
16 weeks, 4 days pregnant

Today is Christmas Eve. It’s hard to believe that one year from today, we will be hanging stockings (in our own place), putting out cookies and milk for Santa …

… and waiting excitedly to see the face of our six-month-old on Christmas morning …
Merry Christmas!
xoxo

I’m Heather Laura Clarke. I’m a writer living in beautiful Nova Scotia, I have a 15-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter, I married my high school sweetheart, and this is the story of my handmade life.

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