Am I nesting yet?

I'm officially in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, and the heartburn serves as a great reminder that the day I get to hold my daughter in my arms is creeping ever closer. I find myself trying to prepare for something that's somewhat impossible to prepare for. After all, you can't really understand what childbirth is going to be like until you go through it. You won't know what it's like to raise a child until you try to raise one.

At the same time, it doesn't hurt to have a few things in order. I've been stocking up the freezer, finalizing the registry, and and trying to create space for this wonderful, new, tiny human. The concept of nesting has felt very real these last few weeks, even as my ankles swell.

Freezer meal fun

Pregnancy makes you think about food in weird ways, though I haven't really had any bizarre food cravings. Sure, there's been more ice cream, but this time has also made me think about what food I'll want after my baby is on the outside.

Friends of ours gifted us a chest freezer, and I am thrilled. It fits perfectly in the garage, and I've already starte stashing away freezer meals for the months ahead. I've been buying a little extra and making larger batches of dinners so that I can put away some for later.

I also had a friend come over to help me prep, and we spent the day getting a bunch of meals made and set aside. Oddly enough, most of them involved pasta, but hey, when you like something it ends up being what you make. From buffalo chicken mac n' cheese to pulled pork, I feel good about what I've made so far. (But if you have a favorite freezer meal recipe, feel free to send it my way.) It feels good knowing that I'll have something that will make one thing simpler, a confirmation that I can focus on other things that will be harder to navigate.

Registry struggles

I feel weird about asking for gifts from people, but at the same time, I'm not going to say no to baby gifts. Creating a wedding registry felt different. My husband and I were both living on our own before we got married. I had an apartment. He had his house. The things we put on our registry were items that would be nice to have, but there wasn't a ton of pressing necessity.

This feels a lot different because this is our first child, and we're starting from ground zero. It's different from asking for a nice set of dishes when you already have a set you picked up at Walmart when you moved out of your parents' place. It more like, "Yes! Please get me baby clothes and that carseat I picked out. I'm so new to all of this."

I've tried to keep things practical, but at the same time, ad companies feel the need to sell you the moon and a million accessories that really aren't anything your baby needs.

Letting go to make room for the new

Decluttering remains something I think about and try to do regularly. For example, I think it's helpful to go through your wardrobe about once a year to evaluate your clothing situation. This also holds true for your junk drawer, because you know the stuff has built up in there since last time.

But with delivery getting closer, I've started thinking about decluttering differently. My mindset has shifted to thinking about my daugher and the space I want her to have, a space that isn't cramped with things she won't need.

Suddenly, you don't need those 20 towels in the bathroom if it means you can make space for the baby's bath and diaper things. I don't need all the little nick-nacks I've accumulated. Even the ones I want to keep are slowly going into storage as I thik about how quickly my little girl will be mobile and grabbing whatever she can get her hands on. Guess that little figurine might need to find a new home for a bit. I'm thinking about the season ahead and what I will need for that season.

Who knew you could love someone this much?

I'm preparing for what comes next, whether you want to call it nesting or not. It's crazy and exciting. I'm excited to start this next chapter in my life, even though I know it's the beginning of one of the hardest things I've ever done.

I haven't met her yet, but I love her so much. Through all the struggles and constant doctor's appointments, I already love this kid more than words can say. Right now, it's all just glimpses like grayscale pictures and kicking. Yeah, it's a lot of kicking. I think she's going to love karate when she's older. But there's something about knowing that she's in there, preparing herself for the outside world. It makes me want to make sure things are ready for her.

One day, I'll get to meet her. Finally hold her in my arms. But for the moment, it's the waiting and trying to prepare one day at a time.

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