I have been terribly neglectful of my lovely baby-blog and have no excuse other than I’ve been busy!
This will be my fourth week home on maternity leave. I have been busying myself with last minute baby purchases, laundering and preparing cloth diapers and baby clothes, and finding homes for things like those adorable baby clothes (because they can’t live in storage forever!). I’ve also been busy spoiling my husband by cooking him breakfast nearly every morning I’ve been home, preparing his lunches, and arranging or making dinner. And since I’ve decided little Howeberry will be rooming in with us for at least the first 3 months, Jason has more time to work on the nursery (more on that story later).
So what does all this organizing look like?
Basically it looks like a book shelf that’s been converted into a dresser:
The mess of clothes on top are my maternity clothes, since they do not fit into my own dresser and are best kept separate.
The bottom two shelves are bins ready to cover baby’s butt, literally. The very bottom two are filled to the brim with cloth diapers, neatly folded and waiting to be used.
The bins above contain prep items such as cream and wipes: disposable for taking care of newborn meconium and cloth for the easier to clean poop that baby will be producing later. And probably my favorite thing I’m waiting to use on baby is in the bin next to the prep-bin, which are my lovely diaper covers. In particular, my wool diaper covers. These are only water resistant due to the lanolin they’ve been prepped with, but they are so very soft! I probably will not be able to use them until baby’s cord falls off, but they are ready and waiting until that time.
The top row of baskets is full of those beautiful baby clothes we’ve been collecting, whether on our own or from our wonderful friends and family. Particular items have been set on top to identify them as baby’s first outfit.
Everything is clean and ready whenever Howeberry is ready.
And then there is the rest of the stuff. It’s still very much in an organized mess in the living room. Car seat included (which, at 5 days until my due date, should really be in the car, but we have time. Right?). The cradle is still in the three boxes they shipped in from Mom and Dad. The rocking chair is also still in the basement and the cushion covers still need to be cleaned.
But somehow, I’m not too concerned.
My help will be here next week to assemble the cradle and move the last items to our bedroom. The stack of baby books will someday have a home in the baby room. And hopefully we’ll find a suitable place for the stroller, which may end up being the back of a car. We have oodles of blankets, most of which have been washed, along with the baby towels. Again, they just need a home.
All this cleaning and organizing has taken place over the last several weeks.
However, I would say I had one day of a primal sort of nesting since I’ve been home. That was last week when I took Windex to my kitchen and discovered: how clear and reflective I can make the windows in my back door; how white the back door actually is; and how reflective the black microwave and dishwasher can become.
