Feathering My Nest

35 weeks and 1 day pregnant.

I have always chuckled at moms who would tell me that they had the nesting urge. I never had the nesting urge with Snapper and Pepper's pregnancies. Never. I organized their stuff and had fun setting up their rooms. But there was never any urge to get things done. Never any urgency. Never any compulsion to prepare. Never a compelling need to shop. I just did it because it needed to be done. I packed my hospital bag when the contractions got to 8 minutes apart.

I grew up on a goat farm. Every spring our momma goaties would have baby goaties. About a week before a momma goat would give birth, she would go out an start digging nesting holes in the barnyard. On delivery day, she would dig nesting holes in the hay. I never did understand that. I mean, I understood that they were preparing for their babies. I just didn't understand why they spent the better part of the week digging holes in the dirt and hay. Wasn't one hole in the hay good enough?

Now I understand!!!

I am learning for the first time what the nesting urge is. For the last week I've had an uncontrollable urge to shop for baby things. I'm not a shopper, not a spender. This is highly unusual for me. I have indulged that urge, scouring local consignment and thrift shops for the cutest baby clothes at the best price. And people, I've scored some real bargains! Baby Gap dresses--with tags still on--for $2! A sleeper I drooled over in Dillards (somewhere around $17 new there) for $1.75 (it was that or less) in a thrift shop. And then I found the hat that goes with it in another thrift shop for $0.25! I love it!

I've been itching to get things done and ready for this baby. We got a nice hand-me-down car seat from a friend. I scrubbed car seat straps today and washed the seat liner. I put the seat back together and put in her new little head rest and strap covers. Yesterday I washed all her newborn size clothes and got them put away. I assembled the small storage shelf I bought to solve the problem of where to put her things. I put away all the basic necessities on the new shelf and put everything else in a tote in my closet. I packed her diaper bag with the things I'm taking to the hospital for her.

Today I went to Hobby Lobby and got materials to make a whole bunch of cute hair bows for her, and tonight while the kids watched a movie, I made hair bows. A bunch of them. Really cute ones. Layered ones, twisted ones, all different colors, and some flowers, too. They all clip onto interchangeable headbands that I made. I also made a hanger for all the cute bows and flower to clip onto. I have a bunch more cute ribbon to work with, so I know I'll be making more bows in the next week.

While I was at Hobby Lobby, I picked up t-shirts and puff paints for the kids. One of our Spring Break projects will be making shirts to wear to the hospital when they come to meet their new sister. I know they'll all have fun with that project!

Tomorrow I hope to get the crib quilt put together and the quilting done. I don't have the time or patience to hand quilt it right now, so I'm settling for machine quilting. It will still be pretty, and Sweet Pea will not care.

Even though I spent five days in the labor and delivery unit in September for my hyperemesis, I called the hospital to set up a time to take a tour of the labor and delivery area, and to meet with the birth coordinator. When I was so sick, all I saw was the reception area and my room. I want to see the whole thing. This particular hospital has the mom meet with the birth coordinator in advance to develop a birth plan to keep on file at the hospital. That way if Mom arrives well into labor and clouded by pain, the paperwork is already in place informing the nurses exactly what Mom wants and needs. I totally love that! I have extremely fixed notions about my labor and delivery. Having all of that settled ahead of time is a very good thing for me.

Speaking of baby, I saw the doctor today and I'm one centimeter dilated! I know that's really common for moms who are not first-timers. But still...it makes Delivery Day seem that much closer and more real. Sweet Pea is all settled in head-down. The doctor says she has a normal size head and is growing right on target. This is such a relief, given the abnormalities in Sweet Pea's umbilical cord. I am thankful for each day that passes with Baby still healthy and growing inside.

The last thing I absolutely need to do is shop for some pretty pajamas for me to wear in the hospital, and a few comfy outfits to wear in the first few weeks after Sweet Pea is born. Since my tummy outgrew all my pajamas, I've been wearing Matt's Angry Birds lounge pants and t-shirt to sleep in. Somehow it just doesn't seem like the right outfit for a new mommy to be wearing in the hospital. Not with all the photos and visitors that are sure to come!

The other last thing I need to do is purchase a new camera. My wonderful digital SLR survived way, way longer than its life expectancy. But now the quality of the photos it takes is rapidly declining. I need a decent camera before Sweet Pea arrives. We've designated a portion of our tax return money to take care of that expense. I expect the tax return to hit our account next week. At least I hope it does!

If I had a nice stall of hay, I would be digging and digging! I'm going to enjoy this nesting thing while it lasts. It's pretty fun. A little anxious, but still fun.