I know it is early for me to start writing titles like "Birth is Approaching," but after having four other kids, I realize how fast these next few weeks can fly by. My focus is all over the place as I have gone through many other, non pregnancy related transitions. I have a walking baby now, a little boy to get potty trained SOON, a girl who wishes she could go to school, and a son who just started kindergarten. There is never a dull moment. When I finally sit down, I realize how I have spent very little time bonding with the new life inside of me. I am serious about wanting to connect with my baby even before he or she is born. It is fun feeling some major movement these days. Little baby loves to jump around in my belly. It feels as if I have a built in trampoline!
As the birth approaches I am getting out my lists of supplies for a home birth. When one goes to the hospital all one really needs are some clothes, but with a home birth, I feel more obsessive about getting prepared. In preparation for my last baby, I made a plan to cook one extra meal a week, so that when I had the baby we would have about five meals all ready. People have blessed us with some great meals, but there are also days when it is up to us and my husband has been thankful that making dinner only consisted of putting a ready made meal in the oven. Some of the food I though would freeze and recook did not work out as well as I planned, so this time around I am thinking twice about my food plans.
One cannot go wrong with freezing a lasagna and some kind of chilli. These are also meals people love to hand out after a birth, so it depends on how much the family expects choices. I myself do not mind having chilli twice in one week, but every day might be a bit much. It would be nice to consider so more creative dishes. Maybe I could freeze my favorite beef stew...or perhaps chicken and dumplings (something I have never made, but comfort food is great the first month after delivery). A part of me is thinking about having some quick to make recipes planned out for my husband because I just am such a snob for freshly cooked food. I cook most nights and I can tell the difference between fresh cooked food and previously frozen stuff. It would be nice to think it all tastes the same but it does not. There are easy ways to make a quiche, or a pasta dish with sauteed veggies. These things do not take much time to prepare and can be a break from casseroles.
Apart from food I am trying to stay motivated to keep my house a little cleaner than usual. It is important to me to have a super clean house for the birth, even if I only use one room to deliver in. I usually let our bedroom fill up with stuff the kids cannot get into, but I am finding other places to store things. I may need to let the garage get a bit messy for now. I have my usual bathroom and kitchen cleaning schedule, but I am trying to vacuum a bit more and dust off surfaces. I am hoping when I get my last rush of energy to clean before the birth, most of the things I want done will already be clean so I can focus on crazier tasks like cleaning out the fridge. I like to clean, but pregnancy makes one want to clean EVERYTHING and that is exhausting.
My projects are pretty much wrapped up for now. I have a little knitting going, but nothing that needs to be finished. The project I am working on is for myself as a reminder to sit down and relax once and a while. I have a book I would like to read, but I am not stressing myself out about it. This blog is my main project right now and I hope to continue to find time to write every week.
I am starting to look forward to the idea of holding a new baby again. It will be nice to have my body back again even if it will be a bit squishy around the edges. The end of this pregnancy is in sight, but I also want to try and enjoy looking down at my giant belly and cherishing every kick. It is hard to stay positive about pregnancy when one feels like a cross between a slug and an elephant, however, this phase will not last forever. Part of enjoying the third trimester is preparing a space outside the womb for my child and looking forward to the first glance at his or her face.
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