Getting Ready!

Both physically and with other things. I actually have felt some uterine activity, both last night and today. Not much, not very exciting, but hey, I'll take whatever I can get LOL. I seem to be having occasional contractions when walking around, and the baby is so low that I have to pee every five minutes or so. This morning I woke up really nauseous, and was wondering whether that could be a sign of impending labor. It obviously wasn't :-) I am still waiting to lose my mucus plug, which has happened a few days before the birth for the last four kids. I really want this baby out before the mother-in-law's arrive, only four more days!

Dh was home today, so I volunteered him to help me to clean up a desk. This is a desk in our living room, which is one of those perfect clutter magnets. All the mail that comes in goes on it. All the magazines I still want to read are on it. All the books that I am reading, or just read, or was going to read. A bunch of cute baby presents that I have been showing to people. Anything that was on the floor close to the desk and got 'cleaned up' by the boys. Everything that I was holding in my hands when I was in the living room, and one of the kids needed attention. A big mess!

There were stacks and stacks of mail and other stuff. Every time I would add something, a stack was in danger of falling over. Every time I needed something, it took me hours to find it, because it was so hard to dig and not have everything out of balance and falling off. Every time I looked at it, I would feel guilty. But not guilty enough to actually clean it up :-)

Today was different. Could be a sign of impending labor, right? Today, I actually got my act together and we did it! Took us quite a few hours, with numerous kid interruptions. 'Mom????? What sound does the W make???' 'Mom!!! They are standing on my bed and won't go off!!!' 'Mom!!! I've got BLOOD!!!!' 'Mom???? Can you print out a picture for me???' And that was only during the first ten minutes or so... Repeat ad infinitum during the rest of the process LOL.

But we did it!!!! The picture on top is the before picture, the picture on the bottom is how the desk looked after we did it. Wow!!! Quite a difference! Now how long will it take before it will look like the before pic again?

We also sterilized towels, wash clothes, and some diapers, and will put them in the birth kit tonight. We will sterilize the scissors too, but I'll do that after I post this blog entry. Getting closer and closer to ready. Dh got one of those plastic chests of drawers out of the basement, which I am going to use for the new baby's clothes for now. I really want Jane's clothes to go to the girls room, Erik's clothes where Jane's clothes are now, and then the new baby's clothes where Erik's clothes are, but I know that it's unlikely that I will get all that done before baby is out. So for now the chest of drawers seems like a perfect compromise.

I was going to sort through the washed clothes tonight, and put them in the drawers, but, as usual, life got in the way. I am pretty tired now, so I think I'll just do it tomorrow morning. That will enable Tara to help me, which she really wants. And it gives me an excuse to just sit down and relax right now, and go to bed soon :-) Have to be well rested before labor starts, right?

Today, we went out and got a birthing pool, an inflatable kiddie pool. Not the famous fishie one, but one that's close. I am still not sure whether I am going to do a water birth or not, but we figured it would be nice to have everything in the house if I do decide on it during, or shortly before labor. We also got an electric pump, since dh spent most of my labor with Jane inflating the stupid inflatable pool with a small foot pump LOL. That is not going to happen to me again :-)

We also got a few more presents 'from the new baby' for the older siblings. We always do that when a new baby is born, and the kids definitely like that tradition :-) I had most, but not all, but we are all set now! I have ordered a few more things on line, but wanted to have things on hand just in case they didn't arrive in time. Another thing to cross off the list.