nesting

If you're pregnant or become pregnant at any time in your life, you may find that a new question pops up in your third trimester: "Are you nesting yet?" Or, it may take the form of a comment: "Oh, you're nesting." I've had such remarks made to me so many times recently--one by a friend who just had a baby in January--that I finally asked what people are talking about.

"It's when you have to have everything clean and organized and nothing can stop you," my friend replied. Basically, the idea is you're preparing your "nest" for your child to arrive. To which I must say: I'm not a bird, people. I'm a human being and I live in a house, not a nest. And this craziness about having a place for everything (still haven't figured out where to put the vacuum, since this ranch house was built without a closet in which to put one) was going on long before I got pregnant. It's just more visible now because (a) I wasn't blogging about it, and (b) it's reached a new height now that I know that I probably won't have time to do it after the baby comes and I know we'll be having company, something that rarely happens around here. (We go out more than people come in.)

A better question (but still annoying) that people ask this time of the pregnancy (less than two weeks from the due date now) is, "You're probably ready to have it now, huh? Uncomfortable, just wanting it over with?" My inner irk isn't as pronounced when I get asked this question, although my answer typically is, "I don't want the baby to come before the house is ready." For the reasons listed above. Although sometimes at night when I try to sleep I rethink that. It wouldn't be so bad to hold the baby in my arms, to have this swelling go away, to be able to lay on my back, to be able (maybe) to sleep for at least two hours without interruption (still about forty-five minutes in between wake-up times), to let Al take the baby for twenty minutes and slip into the hot tub and ease my aching back (it's now aching when I sleep in addition to my hips), to... well, you get the picture.

Accomplished today: Big boxes and baby stuff removed from living room. We can actually navigate in there now. It's almost ready for a carpet cleaner and/or company. Big boxes are emptied, broken down, and items that were in said boxes are put together (that was a several day process, the last of which I put together this morning). And Mya and I went to puppy training all by ourselves (Al had to work) and learned that the Lion's daughter has the same name as our dog. I felt horrible when she arrived with her mom to help with training, although she didn't seem to mind (I think she's about four). But her mom doesn't know that Mya's full name is Myarrow. But how do you apologize for that? Oh, well. Off to bed.