154 Days to Go

I get these goofy emails from some baby website that come each week reading, “Your Baby – XX Weeks Pregnant.” It also boasts a proud picture of what New Baby looks like . It comes each Wednesday as a lovely reminder that we are one week closer to being a two-kid family.

But today, the note said, “Only 154 Days to Go!”

At first, I thought, “ONLY 154 more days? That is forever!!” 154 more days and nights, 154 more days to pack on the poundage . . . and if Jim remains gone 4 out of every 7 days, that means about 88 more Jim-less days and nights until he’s home again for a nice, long stretch of time. 154 days seems like so LONG from now. Heck, finding out the sex of this kid in just eight days seems like an eternity right now.

But more than that, I thought, “154 days – that’s not enough time!” I have so much to do in these next 5 months . . . paint, decorate, gather necessities (more a problem if it’s a HE rather and a SHE) . . . can I do it all in only 154 days?

I think this panic is normal for all pregnant moms, be it their first, second, or fifth time carrying a child. We all go through the stage where we feel a bit overwhelmed at all that life has in store. We all get a little sweaty in the palms about the things that have to be done before baby comes . . . or, at least, the things we WANT to have done before baby comes. I guess it is the ‘nesting’ instinct you hear so much about. Am I nesting already?

I totally ‘nested’ like a madwoman with Meg. As a matter of fact, the carpets were cleaned the afternoon before she was born . . . not because I planned it quite that close, but just because Meg was a little early and I wasn’t DONE nesting. I still had a pantry to clean out and some items to pick up from every mom’s favorite – Babies R Us. We made it through . . . and the ‘nesting’ was done once Meg crossed the threshold of our home.

But is it REALLY a nesting instinct, or is it just good housekeeping? We all know how much our lives are going to change with baby . . . for goodness sake, strangers tell you that when they see you prego in public. Maybe it’s just the good brain of a mom-to-be that kicks in and tells you to get a whole bunch of stuff DONE around your place before the baby arrives so that you can devote 100% of your energy to the new little one. ‘Nesting’ to me sounds like you are preparing the place so it’s all dreamy and clean for a baby . . . but, I think that even more than that, you are just trying to actually DO some of the things you have been wanting to do around your house. Maybe it’s more ‘pregnancy motivation’ than a ‘nesting’ instinct.

For example, my cousins’ wife has had a few weeks between jobs, so she’s been very busy cleaning out her laundry room, organizing closets, getting her home office in order, and working on smaller projects with her son. If she were pregnant, everyone would be saying, “Oh, look at you NESTING! How endearing!” Instead, because she does not have a bun-in-the-oven (unless you count the countless delicious muffins this chick makes), her actions are just seen as a smart use of time. ‘Vacation motivation’ if you will.

But, we pregnant people get unique names for everything. ‘Gestational Diabetes’ and ‘Pregnancy Gingivitis’ are a couple of things that – when not pregnant – have regular old scary names. But, if you have these symptoms AND are pregnant, then it’s different. 'Morning sickness' is another one that comes to mind . . . really, it's just plain old puking at any time of day. So, I guess it’s the same with plain old smart housekeeping during pregnancy . . . for heaven’s sake, if you are doing that, you MUST be ‘nesting.’

Okay, so back to my original thought – only 154 days until this baby pops out and Meg becomes a big (jealous) sister. And, I might not even make it that far . . . if this kid follows in big sisters footsteps, my best guess is that really I only have 133 days to go.

If you’ll excuse me, I think I have a closet to clean out right about now . . .