Nesting on Crack

So what does a woman do that is waiting for a baby to come? Usually, if you are me, you get really impatient/annoyed/frustrated. I am five days over my due date and this baby still hasn't graced us with her presence. I've been getting a lot of sympathy lately, but I am really I fine. I feel like I have been blessed with more patience this time than last time, for sure. Part of it is not having the pressure of my mom flying in and needing to have the baby within the window of her being there. It always ended up working out, but it was still stressful.

It's at the end when I keep asking myself how many more times I will have to go grocery shopping, or mop the floor, or clean the bathroom, or make yet another dinner (ugh, dinner). Jared was so excited last week when I went grocery shopping for the last time before the baby... but it seems as though we are running out of food again and guess who you think will be dragging her fat self to the store once again? Me. I can see it happening anyway.

Usually what ends up going down is that I get really mad the day before or the day of having the baby. Maybe that's what sets me into labor, who knows? I haven't been that mad yet... until today. It annoys me that everyone keeps asking me when I will be induced, as if that is the only way I would ever have this baby and the only way that people seem to have them anymore. It annoys me that inductions are so prevalent. I don't want to force my body to do something when it's not ready. Call me old fashioned. I have had one induction where I was tied to the bed for the entire labor, I have had one c-section which was not a good experience, and I have had two amazingly wonderful natural water births where I went into labor on my own. Yes, I was past my due date on both of those, but the births and recoveries were night and day from the births that required interventions. If I had the choice I would do it that way every time. I feel like women are made to have babies, and while I am grateful for modern medicine/technology/interventions in some cases, I don't feel like they are necessary in the majority of cases. Look at other parts of the world where the c-section rate is very low compared with ours that is over 30%. (Okay, I really need to get off my soap box... but let's remember, I am almost 41 weeks pregnant and I am annoyed!)

So even though I am somewhat bothered by the various women in the neighborhood that are waltzing around with their two and three week old babies when they were due the same time or after me (who also incidentally were all induced or planned c-sections), I can't complain that much because it means I will hopefully not have to have the same interventions. My midwives have been great about not pressuring me. They are leaving it entirely up to me, so that's nice.

Back to me having patience... I think one reason I have been okay is that I've been filling my time with completely unnecessary projects that I enjoy doing. Just think how much more I am getting done that those suckers who already have their babies. Normally I would be cleaning out closets and scrubbing the baseboards, but I decided that since all of that cleaning gets reversed so quickly, that it is not even worth it to try. My nesting has definitely reached a new level of insanity, but I'm hoping at least this stuff will endure. Here's a sampling:

1. I sewed a nursing cover. I have two from the last baby but I never really liked them that much. So here's the cuter one.

2. I sewed a car seat cover. I've never actually had one before. I always hoped that I would have a super creative and generous friend that would make one for me, but since that never happened, I had to take matters into my own hands.

3. I painted and mod podged these new letters to replace the summer one. And it is finally feeling like autumn too. Halleluah!

4. I made two big flannel receiving blankets. I wanted something that wouldn't come undone when swaddling, and also I couldn't find too many other ones from previous kids.

5. I made a changing table cover. I couldn't find the one I had before either.

 ...and another one. I guess the ombre pattern is in right now. Kind of cool.

6. I painted this canvas for above the changing table (inspired by pinterest)

7. I made these canvas bins out of diaper boxes (yes, also pinterest). These were actually quite a process. First, I had to spend all this money on diapers so that I could have the size box I wanted. Cheap project made expensive by the cost of diapers. Then I covered them in canvas, bought some material and made the liners.

 

This is what they looked like at first. But, after I made them I decided I didn't like the fabric.

 

So I got this black and white fabric instead and liked it way better (more wasted time and money). I spent all this time making ties and threading it through the liners only to change my mind and put the aqua ribbons on the front instead.

This is how the baby station it is looking so far. I still want to do some other things on the wall, but that's it for now (unless I go another week, I suppose).

 

8. I ordered some fabric from fabric.com for pillows in the living room. This color wasn't quite what I wanted for that room (you never know when it's online), so I started recovering an old rocking chair that had been given to me. The only problem was that I only had enough for the seat and I am now waiting on the rest of it to come this week. Here's the cushion. I still need to paint the chair (another project).

9. I sewed some pillows for the living room. I am loving how it is looking so far and am amazed at the transformation with such a little thing. I am also waiting for more material for some other pillows. Maybe that's why I haven't had the baby yet.

 

10. We are also in the process of making magnetic boards. I guess I should go sand and paint so I can add those to the list. 

 ... or... I could continue to get angry at my predicament and at all those well-meaning but no good people around me making insensitive remarks at my expense, so that I go into labor sooner rather than later.

She will be here soon enough. Until then, I will be avoiding most outside human contact, and doing all the various "tried and true" ways to induce labor naturally. Anyone have a mini trampoline I could borrow? Wish me luck!