On nesting and preparing.

I'm sure we all feel the same, but I've been sat wondering where this year has disappeared to. We found out that baby #2 was on the way back in April, but decided this time to make sure everything was looking OK at our 12 week scan before we shared the news with anyone. That's perhaps one of the reasons this pregnancy has absolutely flown by, but I suppose that life is also much busier than it was the first time around. Finn is keeping us very busy with his curious, active mind, and we still have the same responsibilities of work and running our home, with added hospital/midwife/doctor appointments so each week has felt very full. 

My nesting instincts this time have felt pretty strong, but in a different way than with Finn. I remember obsessively cleaning the bathroom every night before bed and having everything in his nursery meticulously organised. This time around I know we have time post-birth to get the baby room sorted because he will sleep in our room for the first few months, and all his clothes are already washed and ready to go. We do need to get some things back out of storage, but I've focussed on the bigger things we needed like a double buggy, cosy wintery clothes and a better moses basket that should last longer this time. Instead of the things I obsessed over last time like baby toiletries (most of which I donated because Finn has sensitive skin/eczema so we only really use one brand or prescription cream), I've been trying to stock up on pantry items so we have easy things to cook & reach for when we need it post-partum. We have the added benefit of knowing the things we actually needed for Finn, so that has helped cut out a lot of unnecessary spending, which is a blessing because our budget will be very tight! 

Everything in me wants to hibernate at this point, and I feel happiest when I'm at home, in my matching pyjama set (secretly hoping Santa might bring me more PJs!) with a hot chocolate. Our festive decorations have been up a while because it helps me feel so cosy, and I can't even say how many Hallmark movies I've already watched and it's not yet December. We are trying to cut down on gifts this year and keep everything minimal as we need to prepare for me going on Maternity Leave. We are focusing on the theme of "Something to read, do, share, wear, need and want," which has meant sticking to a budget and not going overboard. I wanted to start this now so we can continue this tradition down the line and not give in to the pressure of overspending at this time of year. I think it also makes you shop more creatively which is fun! I've also taken a break from social media which usually helps me focus on being present, and takes another distraction away (or temptation to shop based on whatever has come up in my feed!) I do this fairly regularly when my brain is feeling a bit overloaded, but it's also nice to not feel compelled to share so much about my daily life and just enjoy whatever each day brings.

I bought these from Etsy

I can feel myself getting pretty tired at this point, so I am trying really hard not to push myself but instead find ways to make life easier. That has meant switching to online grocery shopping, saving trips until the weekend so we can go together, or doing a lot of my Christmas shopping spread across the last few months and wrapping as I go, so most of that is already taken care of. I'm still taking Finn out for a walk every day which is good for both of us, but I've cut down on extra trips throughout the week as it is a bit of a strain for me to get him in and out of things or up and down the stairs all day. In my mind, I almost feel like I'm admitting defeat much sooner than I did last pregnancy, but in reality, we truly haven't had a week without extra appointments, random things going wrong in the house, sickness (and therefore extra Dr visits), disturbed nights due to teething and everything in-between. I have possibly mentioned this before, but we live fairly far from most things, so any trip to the hospital is about 40 minutes there and back and requires extra planning this time around as Finn likes to see what's going on and roam around, so it's easier not to take him! This week I have picked up a version of what Finn is at the tail end of, which means a sore throat and feeling rundown so we are preparing for a slow and easy weekend.

For now, I'm going back to my bubble as we take time to slow down, enjoy everything about the festive season and get ready for the arrival of baby boy. Lots of love, Sarah x