Okay, so it’s not like I’ve asked my husband to like rip out the kitchen and re-do it or anything, but ever since like week 15 I’ve been seriously purging, cleaning, and organizing our “nest” to prepare for this baby.

Are you ready for the crazy? We’ve had five rooms painted and are about to paint another. I’ve given two van-loads of things away or to Goodwill. I’ve bought numerous containers and organizational bins from Target and Ikea. I’ve cleaned out my closet, dresser, the office, the kitchen pantries, the cupboards, the freezer, and the fridge. I’ve filed or shredded all the paperwork that had piled up around the house and reorganized under sinks, in the laundry room, the spare bedrooms, the closets in the spare bedrooms, and the bathrooms. I’ve cleaned out our junky spare room and moved Lucas into his new room, decorated it, bought and built Ikea furniture for it (that’s love right there).

 

I’ve just begun the deep cleaning process of the nursery (because let’s face it- I never moved the heavy furniture in the past three years to vacuum, and it’s absolutely necessary at this point). I still have the rest of the nursery and downstairs  to attend to, the rest of the guest room (which I’m turning into a sewing room as well since I also bought a sewing machine that I don’t yet know how to use), my vanity and bedside drawers, the garage, the vegetable garden in the backyard, and the linen closet to tackle.

Have I lost my mind? Is this some sort of hormonal imbalance? Why does all of this feel so necessary? I’m pregnant. Aren’t I supposed to RELAX?!

Part of it is that my three year old is suddenly fitting every stereotype of toddlerhood ever: as in, it’s like someone flipped a switch to crazy-town. Suddenly, if I don’t understand what he says the first time or I sing the wrong song, he loses his damn mind in a fit of tears. I can’t tell you how many times a day I now ask the question, “WHY ARE YOU CRYING?!” I’ve even had the joy of becoming “that mom” in public: calmly but sternly half carrying, half dragging my screaming child from the store because he’s suddenly lost his shit and NO ONE CAN FIND IT. If this hasn’t happened yet to you, and you’re sitting there thinking, “2 isn’t terrible! What was everyone talking about?” Let me tell you. Those people were mistaking age 2 for age 2 1/2-3 1/2. They’ve blocked 3 from their minds in order to preserve that deep well of love they still have for their children. I have five months to go until we hit 3 1/2. I’m counting.

So naturally, in my mind, if I clean and organize the entire house from top to bottom, I have some semblance of control SOMEWHERE. This will apparently make having a second child in the mix easier. At least, that’s my pregnant mind’s theory. (Please don’t debunk it; it’s all I have right now.) Also, I fear that once this child arrives, nothing will ever get done again ever ever ever ever. So I have to do it all now, right?

I bet some of you are thinking, “Did she buy that book? That Japanese organization book everyone keeps on about?” Yes, I did. Yesterday. Because I like to torture myself into thinking there’s possibly MORE I could accomplish in the next three months. However, all the crazy that has happened up until now was all my own (and Pinterest), not KonMari. But here have been my favorite changes as a result of my extreme nesting:

My bathroom with our garden tub is now a super relaxing space where I look forward to laboring:

Only clothes that fit me right now (or that will for the remainder of my pregnancy and during post-partum) are in my closet:

Toys are no longer overtaking my downstairs living room:

The office is actually clean and not the “catch all” room anymore:

I even organized my mailing space within the office:

I have my own sunny office space to work/learn to sew/hide from my family when needed:

I let go of a lot of junk to make room for only beautiful things on my bathroom counter:

Finally, we had where I spend 90% of my life painted a happier color (instead of that light(soul)-sucking flat beige) so that I don’t feel like I live in a dungeon five times a day:

So, what projects/nesting did you do when preparing for your baby? Are you as ill as me? Should we form a support group? Perhaps at The Container Store? Or Target?! Who’s in?