Waiting
One month. 4 weeks. 25 days… No matter what way you say it, I’ve entered that oh-so-tumultuous final stretch of pregnancy. The countdown phase. One minute I’m longing for the incredible discomfort to go away, the next I am remembering how much I need to get done before this baby arrives. This period of waiting can be such a roller coaster ride… exciting and thrilling one second, nauseating, tension causing, and uncomfortable the next.
The waiting just got interesting with winter finally making a real arrival. We’ve had little snowfall so far this year up until about a week or so ago, and yesterday we were hit with the first substantial snowstorm of the year. Nearly 12″ of snow with lots of drifting and blowing. This week, the cold arctic winds are beginning to settle in. The predictions right now are showing temps of -40F or lower (with the wind chill) on Wednesday and Thursday. That makes me a bit nervous for the chickens.
The biting cold and the snow that are beginning to settle in are reminding me of the one thing I don’t enjoy about having a baby this time of year. We go to the hospital for delivery for several reasons, but it’s not the fastest drive for us. 30 minutes or so. I know it isn’t a huge deal, but when roads are bad and you’ve experienced some relatively fast deliveries, it just makes you a little uneasy. The good news is that I know I can probably get help from a neighbor, should I need it. And I have a friend who tells me that delivering in the van while your husband is driving you to the hospital isn’t the worst thing in the world!
Thursday marked the “official” one month mark until my due date. I had the average check-up, and E tagged along with me for a date. I’m trying to take each of the kids with me to one of my appointments so that we can get a little one-on-one time before the arrival of the new baby. The younger three have all come with me, so now I just have to take the older two out. When I go on a date with them, we might stop somewhere to have a bite to eat or go to the store to let them pick something special out for the baby.
Recently, I have spent my free-time doing a lot of deep cleaning and organizing the house. The goal is to ‘attack’ as many rooms as possible before the baby arrives. Things like straightening up a closet, organizing cabinets, or purging rooms of things we just don’t have time to use up. I recently gave my mom several bags of fabric… she does a lot of sewing, and I rarely do any these days. If I do, it’s typically with fabric I purchased with a specific project in mind. I’m hoping that in clearing out the sewing room a bit, it will allow me to find some time to work in the room with the kids from time to time. They all want to sew, and I want to sew with them, but the room really needs to get cleaned up again.
The “game closet” is currently a mess…. that’s what happens when a 2 and 5 year-old get a hold of things! 
My sewing room is currently cluttered with a few gifts from Christmas yet to be given, books that are to go on a bookshelf that I am hoping to build soon, and the remnants of messes from Christmas that I am trying to clear out.
Not all of my motivation to clean has to be “nesting,” but some of it has been… After all, I mopped my kitchen and dining room ceilings yesterday. Who does that?! A woman who is 8 months pregnant, that’s who! But seriously, I tried washing the ceilings by hand several times since we moved with no luck. I was given a real mop as a gift for Christmas this year and I LOVE it! It worked like a charm on the ceilings in those rooms! Now I need to scrub some walls in the basement bathroom…
Since the start of the new year, the kids have been far more cooperative about getting their chores done and doing their school work quickly. We’re getting into the swing of things enough that by about 1-1:30 most days, they have their work done. From that time until about supper time is when I get “free-time” to work on whatever I feel up to that day. Sometimes it’s tackling a fun project with the kids, sometimes it’s cleaning, other times it’s just relaxing and reading a book I’ve been wanting to read. Up until last week, I was doing pretty good with the cleaning and doing fun things with the kids, but as I near my due date, I’m starting to lose steam.
Our calender helps us stay on top of the chores that change from day to day as well as our schedule. 
These books are fantastic! They are a beautiful literary illustration of the spiritual battles we face and what it means to have faith, hope, and to love.
Since the start of the year, I’ve been doing a lot of reading. I read 3 books for my own purposes so far, and am working on 3 more. I expect to finish 2 of them in the coming week. I also read two chapter books with the kids, and we’re now working on a third. With the coming “arctic blast,” I’m sure we’ll hunker down together on the couch and do a bunch of reading!
On Sunday, I had anticipated reading for most of the day, but I was in for a surprise! Scott said he wanted to go out to eat for lunch with the family, and I was all for that. (Because who really wants to cook when they’re 8 months pregnant? Nobody. That’s who.) As we’re loading into the van he runs back into the house to get something and comes back out with a flyer he said he forgot to put on the church bulletin, so we have to go drop it off. Fine, it’s about 2 minutes from home. No big deal.
We pull into the church parking lot and I notice there are a lot of vehicles at church but think nothing of it. Sometimes there are different meetings at church, and people can rent out the hall to use. Scott tells me I should come inside with him, and I start to balk a little. It’s almost -20F with the wind chill, I’ve got a huge belly, and getting in and out of our vehicle is a bit of a chore at this point. He starts walking and tells me to come again. I go with him, the kids stay in the running vehicle. We walk in and he walks straight past the church bulletin board and I start to object. The kids are in the car, we shouldn’t stop and talk to people right now. What on earth is he doing? Where is he going? We round the corner into the church hall, and “Surprise!”
My family had decided to throw me a baby shower! It was most definitely an unexpected surprise! A bunch of my favorite ladies were all gathered together to celebrate this coming little baby boy! It was a welcome distraction to be certain. The ladies seemed to have had fun shopping for cute clothing, and I had hardly had any baby clothing left at this point, so it was most definitely a blessing. And the diapers and wipes abounded, which will make life a little less complicated for me in the first few months. Thank you, ladies, for putting this together for us! In a society that’s not always overly excited to hear that somebody is having their 6th child, it’s a blessing to know that we have friends and family who couldn’t be more excited for us and who are excited to welcome this little life into the world with us.
The haul from the surprise baby shower! Lots of baby clothes and diapers. Much needed! 
A corsage for Momma. 
Beautiful flowers from my husband’s aunt. A bit of warmth in the midst of some nasty, cold weather! 
Treats from the party… snowflake cookies decorated by my sister, as well as some Muddie Buddies, and some chocolate covered spoons for the hot cocoa. 
The party theme was “Baby it’s cold outside.” Very appropriate on a day that was nearly -20F with the wind chill! They set up a hot chocolate bar along with the other goodies and food. Everything was decorated blue and white. Perfect both for winter and for a baby boy!
Now I need to spend a bit of time finishing the nursery (he’s going to at least start out sharing a room with Miss Lady) and putting away baby clothing, books, and other goodies. Maybe today will be a good day for that… and I can go mop the walls in the basement bathroom. 😉 Did you know that mopping can be fun if you have a good mop?! I think it’s time I start buckling down on my to-do list. I really want my house clean before this little guy makes his arrival!
I can’t believe the first month of the year is almost over already! What kind of a start has your new year been off to? Don’t forget to comment below!
Love~ Danielle
2 Comments
Susan
What a fortunate fellow this little guy will be–to be welcomed by such a loving family. Will you have any help when you bring him home? There was a time when women were given six weeks to spend with a newborn, before they were expected to resume housework and cooking. That seems like such a luxury to those of us who spent 36 hours at the hospital and returned home to our regular responsibilities, with, in addition, an infant. You manage to balance all of it with patience and grace. May God hold all eight of you close.
Spring Lake Homestead
Thank you! Scott will be home at first, possibly for a week. I’ve always gotten a helping hand here or there in the first few weeks in the form of a meal, somebody taking the kids for a few hours, or even a bit of cleaning while they visit the new baby. The older kids are a big help with everything from cleaning to meals, so I know I won’t have to do it all. I wouldn’t say I always handle it with patience, but I sure try!