It's not misplaced priorities, I swear ;)
I did manage to get a decent amount of organizing done on Friday (at least all of our clean laundry is put away, which comes with the dual benefit of not having to move multiple full laundry baskets to get to my closet and of no longer waking up to "Hey Em, do I have any gray socks?" at least for a few days).
Yesterday, I had one of "those" days that come with the 9-month of pregnancy - I think the most productive thing I did all day was take a shower, although my sweet husband did remind me several times that I was growing a human, which I suppose is rather productive. It seems like Julia dropped further down in my belly, which means even more pressure on already very stressed ligaments/bones/veins/etc. All of the pain / non-productivity of the day really fed the fire of the mind game that comes at the end of pregnancy....will labor start in 3 hours? 3 days? 3 weeks? It literally could be any time from now to sometime in October, and that starts to get to you after a while, I think, especially if you're a planner! Should I rush around and freeze some more meals? Or can that wait until next week? Will she be healthy? How will the labor go? Will we have to scramble when Justin's at work, or will it conveniently be after my mom has arrived to help? So many questions when you're lying on the couch unable to even roll over for the pain.
Justin got up this morning and took Anna to 8 AM Mass so that I could sleep in, and going to Mass alone at 11 gave me the much needed push of the refresh button in terms of attitude and a sense of fortitude (not self-given, for sure!) to make it through both these last few weeks (days? weeks?) of pregnancy and the crazy postpartum days. Thankfully the pain is more manageable this afternoon, too, so I've been able to move about more freely.
We got a lot of things checked off the prepare-for-baby checklist, most importantly essentials like finding, cleaning, and installing the car seat. We were additionally inspired to get things ready already when we heard the news this morning that some friends from Ithaca (due only 5 days before me) welcomed their son this morning (congratulations, Drew and Maria!) Justin brought up the remainder of the baby storage bins, so at least everything we need is in Anna's room, even if it's not 100% organized yet. I found my duffel bag to pack for the hospital and at least started thinking about what needs to go in it - getting sidetracked by a sewing project to add some length to the tunic I plan to wear home from the hospital (I put a ridiculous amount of analysis into determining the optimal coming-home outfit after my flounder as a 1st time mom wearing a still-too-tight and not-easy-to-nurse-in dress). Again, priorities ;)
And, as I said...my sewing/craft/office space is now completely organized and functional. While this probably doesn't seem as exciting to anyone else, it really is helpful for me to have a space that allows me to easily do the things I need and love to do (pay bills and sew things, respectively). After setting things up here, I realized how scattered my things were at home in Ithaca. If I wanted to make and mail someone a gift, for example, I would go to Anna's closet (trying not to wake her up) for sewing supplies, back to our room to sew, back to her closet for markers or cards/stationery, downstairs to the den for the envelopes and postage meter, into the kitchen for my address book, and the living room for stamps. It made sense to store each of the things where they were, but it resulted in a wild goose chase to get things done. Oh, and I didn't have a set place to store or use my computer, let alone office supplies. Now everything is in one room and I'm already noticing how efficient I can be, and therefore how much more of the things I enjoy (mailing cards/letters, sewing things, doing little projects with Anna) can be completed. (At least theoretically!)
It's not quite Pinterest-worthy, especially since it's just a temporary space and I didn't do anything permanent to the walls (the dolphins came with the territory, and I don't want to put any nail holes up anywhere) but it really is an exciting and relaxing (and did I mention FUNCTIONAL!) space for me!
You can catch a glimpse of the finished tunic dress on the door - it is literally the only item of clothing that I have worn at both 0 months and 9 months pregnant, so it's clearly the optimal choice for immediately postpartum! (Plus it's comfortable! Plus it's easy for nursing!)
(Hopefully) I'll have some pictures to share (soon!) of the other upstairs rooms. We're getting there :) And if nothing else, Julia and I will just do a lot of sewing... ;)
P.S. Yes, I do have 3 sewing machines (two regular and a serger). I use them all for different things (and can do so much easier now that the other two don't have to balance on the ledge of the footboard on our bed while in use!)
Isn't it frustrating that you have like a 6 week window where you COULD go into labor! I'm still mentally preparing for this baby and very slowly getting prepared with clothing and all that other fun stuff.
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