Well, I had emergency surgery about a week ago. Baby girl is fine and so is Mama. But that was kind of nuts. Having surgery when you are pregnant is a bit of a different experience.
Since that time, I've had a small party for Henry's 3rd birthday, accidentally erased all of the video footage of said party, got someone to help me clean out the attic, switched two kid rooms to arrive for the coming little one (also with help), taken no less than 18 bags to the Salvation Army (oh, it feels so good to "purge" your house), and knitted. Well, honestly, most of the knitting was done prior to the surgery, but I guess what I am saying is that I'm not the best at slowing down. I only took the day of the surgery off (which is my fault entirely) from work. I "nest" terribly when pregnant, and I have a whole list (not as long this time) of things I need to do before SHE gets here. I'll admit--I'm a little scared of the chaos of four kiddos. I mean, I feel like a train wreck most of the time NOW....so I guess nesting is our body's instinct saying "let's try to control things a bit." You feel this urgent need to get all kinds of things done that before you were okay with putting on the back burner. Like organizing your photos or cleaning out a sock drawer. Crazy, huh?
But my body is telling me, "uh, no, I don't think so." So, I'm trying to listen and let people help when they offer. It sure is different being pregnant at 37 than 29....
Fueling my nesting instinct is a wonderful e-book called "One Bite at a Time (52 Projects for Making Life Simpler)" by the author of the blog SimpleMom.net. I like the way she takes things one "bite" at a time. So, basically, you take on a project a week. Hey, I can do that. And all of the projects are geared to make life more simple, not add another thing to your "to do" list. I was pleasantly surprised that I had about a fourth of the projects already in my routine, like downsizing your email. I think I've unsubscribed from about 25 email lists and newsletters recently.
But back to the knitting (off on a tangent again)--here are some of my projects for the little one. I have enjoyed the book Welcoming Home Baby the Handcrafted Way (so has my sister who is due three weeks before me). Everything is knit on really big needles, so it serves me well....Knits up fast and I feel satisfaction at having finished something. I love these cocoons to swaddle her up in and take precious pictures. The bottom photo shows two of the hat patterns in the book. All of the projects in the photos were done in a night or two each. My kind of time line!
