Nesting

I read recently that "nesting" (which I take to mean an urgent desire to get everything ready for the new baby, everything being my "nest") is a sign that labor is not too far away. I kindly disagree; I've been in the nesting phase for a quite a while now and no labor yet. Although, at my last doctor's appointment I was 2-3 cm dilated. At 37 weeks, Anna is officially considered a full-term baby, so I'm very thankful to God that we've made it this far. I've been sent to the hospital twice since New Year's Eve (my last post), both times false alarms. I did manage to get most of the pesky paperwork out of the way while I was there, so I didn't mind it too much.


As far as nesting goes, my latest room to tackle is Mary's bathroom. She goes to the dentist in two Mondays, and I know he will tell us that we need to start brushing her teeth with a real toothbrush. Perhaps most 20-month-olds already do this and more, but we've just been waiting for the official go-ahead from the dentist to start. Anyway, since potty-training is not too far away either, we really want Mary (and Anna) to have a fun bathroom that she enjoys spending time in. Enter Target's Peek-A-Boo Monkey line of bath products. I absolutely love, love, love the cute little guy, and Mary adores monkeys (she sleeps with a small one then carries a bigger one around most of the day). Today, Mary and I picked up some monkey towels, a step stool, and some sink accessories (toothbrush holder, tumbler, and soap dispenser - and I know that the soap dispenser is really unnecessary, but it is the cutest thing I've ever seen and the store only had ONE left! You understand, right?) In a couple weeks I hope to finish up her bathroom by getting the matching shower curtain and hooded towels for the girls (and maybe the monkey rug, too, but I can't decide if that's really needed or not). Can't wait! That's the hardest part about this nesting feeling - I want it all done right now so I can check it off my list and not think about it once Anna arrives. Rational? Probably not. I suppose that's why I've only heard of pregnant women having the nesting feeling.


Back to Anna's arrival . . . since I've already been the hospital a couple of times, any fears I've had about "the unknown" have dissipated (thank You, God). The nervousness, anxiety, and fear about taking care of two little girls under two (although Mary turns two shortly in April) has been replaced with excitement, joy, and thankfulness. I am so blessed to be a mama. I am so blessed to be Stephen's wife. I cannot tell the number of times Stephen has encouraged me, held me up, and prayed me through tough times. Thank you, honey! You are such a Godly leader, and I am so blessed to follow you! Again, back to Anna (sorry I'm all over the place; it's 2:30 in the morning)  . . . she feel sooooo big! She no longer has the room to do big movements, but sometimes she kicks and kicks in the same exact spot, over and over, and it hurts! My doctor said she's head-down and ready, and she told me to be on the lookout for my water breaking. Pretty exciting for me, especially since I'm so very ready to finally hold Anna and love on her. Honestly, this pregnancy has been very hard, much harder than with Mary, and I'm looking forward to the beautiful light at the end of this tunnel. January 22 cannot come quickly enough!


Speaking of light, I should probably turn mine out and head back to bed. Tomorrow (well, today, Thursday) is a big question mark around here. It's supposed to snow and there's a lovely rumor around Stephen's office that he won't have to go to work if the weather gets nasty. Not sure what today will bring, but I do know that I need some more rest. If you've read this far, thanks for hanging in there with me, and good night!