Week 27

Week 27, if summed up in one word, would be NESTING. All our "big" events are over: out-of-town guests, road trips, etc. And now, I suddenly realize how much I "need" to do--"need" in the sense of "really want to do" since based on my previous experience, I realize how very little a newborn baby really needs (milk, diapers, clothes, a box to sleep in--OK, I'm just kidding about the box--but Josiah really did sleep in a dresser drawer when he was 2 months old and we were staying in a hotel in Israel; that drawer seemed like the safest place in the room for him!) and how very little he notices (he's not a really harsh critic of nursery decorations for the first few months, or even whether his clothes match).

But I guess I feel the need to have the nest in order before he comes because suddenly, I feel intense urgency to organize THE WHOLE HOUSE, top to bottom, in the next 13 weeks. That doesn't seem too ambitious, right? :)

So far I've finished unpacking our baby clothes, sizes newborn to 6 months, and organizing them in his room. Actually, the whole nursery is organized, except for a few boxes of larger size clothes that I need to add to as I sort through David's current wardrobe...which is my next project, already in progress...organizing all of David's and Josiah's clothes, packing away what is too small for them, and bringing out the bigger stuff. Such fun!

It was an eye-opener recently for me to look at some old pictures from the time David was a newborn. In those pics, I saw Josiah wearing the clothes that David currently wears. But in the pics, Josiah was so BIG compared to David...now those BIG clothes are being worn by my little boy. How did that happen??? Do mothers ever get used to seeing their kids grow up?

Speaking of boys' clothes, I absolutely love them. It's true that every time I walk through a store that sells little girls' clothes, I can't help thinking how unutterably sweet the little dresses are...and that someday, I hope to be able to have a good reason for buying some. :) But I tell ya, when I see my little David in blue jeans and his "new" light-up sneakers, I think there couldn't be anything cuter. And when my Josiah wears his khaki pants and new belt just like his daddy, I think he's the handsomest thing around!

So besides sorting through Josiah and David's clothes and getting ready for the new season and organizing the whole house, what else is on my to-do list in preparation for Baby's arrival?
~ learn Baby's lullaby (I know some of the words, but not all of it)
~ buy a breast pump (since the one I used for Josiah got scorched by Israel electrical current even though we were using an adapter, and the one I used for David was purchased in Israel and is built for that current) -- fortunately, the kind I want seems pretty cheap on ebay
~ buy newborn diapers
~ pre-register at the hospital (for which I have an appointment on Nov. 7)
~ take the hospital tour of the birthplace there
Really, that's about all...not too bad. Whenever he comes, we'll be ready. (Though I realize I'm acting as if I'm at week 37, not 27. I know he's not due for several months yet; but like my mother often says, "Always be prepared!")

Although...speaking of his arrival...I'm enjoying this stage so much that I just want to grasp time with my hands and slow it down. I've been reading the blog of a woman pregnant with her 4th child; and I completely understand when she writes that she hasn't been at all eager to have her baby be born yet, because of feeling like she has so much to do and also because of enjoying that stage. Only now that she's gotten to 38 weeks is she starting to feel that eagerness and readiness to be done. I can relate!


In other week 27 news, I had an appointment yesterday with my midwife; and it was the lovely appointment where I had to drink the glucose drink and have my blood tested for diabetes. I've done this glucose test twice before, and I don't remember having as much trouble downing the drink as I did yesterday. For some reason, it was not settling well in my stomach yesterday morning. Fortunately, it didn't come back up; and I was able to go ahead and do the blood test which showed that my blood sugar was 83, well below the 135 limit that they're looking for. Also, my iron was 12 (it needed to be higher than 11), so they were happy with that. In other good news, my blood pressure was 122 over 74, which made me very pleased since that's my normal range. My weight continues to rise a few pounds each time, but so far no one has said it's increasing too much or too quickly. So I'll keep eating my chocolate from Hershey, PA, until someone tells me otherwise. :) I got to see my favorite midwife yesterday, and she asked me whether I'm getting all my holiday planning done early, in case this little guy shows up on the scene before we expect him. Um, what holidays? You mean, I'm supposed to be responsible for all that this year, too??? Well, if anyone is expecting a package of homemade Christmas cookies in the mail from me come December, just go ahead and tell yourself it won't be coming. :) I'm looking forward to simple holidays this year!

One last thing...baby names... Jeff is favoring a certain one, which will remain unannounced, probably until the baby is actually born and the name is engraved on his birth certificate since Jeff has a habit of changing his mind at the last minute. It never fails: we'll drive into a parking lot and by the way Jeff is driving, I'll "know" which spot he's going to pull into, then he'll suddenly veer to another side and park somewhere else. Or in a restaurant--I'll ask the inevitable question, "What are you ordering?" as if somehow his menu selection will make mine easier (what it actually does is show me how much money he's planning to spend on his because that guides my own decision...I don't want to go all out for the $15 entree if he's going with an $8 salad). :) In any case, Jeff will state what he's planning to order; but invariably when the server comes to take his order, it will be something different that he orders. Ah, my unpredictable husband! :)

So with baby names...I've already learned my lesson that what I thought we had AGREED upon was not an actual agreement...as well as the lesson that what I thought Jeff REALLY liked was not truly his favorite. Now I find myself in the same boat as all of you: still wondering what the baby's name will really be! :)

Last night as Jeff crawled into bed after giving our Old Order Mennonite neighbor a ride into the hospital where his dad was being treated after falling and getting some serious cuts, Jeff asked me, "How's little _______ (baby's name) doing?" That was the first time he had asked that or used the name in that way, so I think that's a sign that he's decided. But like I said, I'm not placing any bets on it until the big day itself!