A Nesting Frenzy

Tomorrow morning, I will be 26 weeks pregnant, which means I only have 13 weeks left to go . . .  eeeeeek! This is starting to get very real for me and very scary. In fact, last week I woke up one morning in a terrible anxiety-ridden frenzy, which unfortunately, has not left me. I felt this overwhelming panic because I had no clothes for the baby to wear and no school books for the kids when we start back in just 2 weeks from today. Mr. Level-Headed, who I am pretty sure has never had an anxious day in his entire life, just laughed it off and assured me everything would be fine. He kissed me on the forehead, told me I am cute, and left for work.

Yeah, like that's gonna make me feel better . . . . grrrrrr!

So, I got to work. I had a few errands to do that day, one of which was a doctor's appointment and so I showered, ate breakfast, and ran out the door. Still propelled with this intense desire to get things done, after my doctor's appointment, I hit Walmart, where I bought the baby some adorable plain white onesies (my favourite) and all of the kids school supplies. Then I did the groceries and headed home. I thought that as soon as I had these few items in my hands and neatly stored away at home, that I would feel better. WRONG! 

Nope. I woke up the next morning, feeling the exact same way. So this day, I ordered all of our homeschool curriculum, went over our homeschool schedule for the year, came up with the five science experiments we are doing in September, made up a list of all the library books we are going to need for our unit study on Ancient China, and then made a list of which libraries they can be found at. . . .  phew!  That night I went to bed feeling like I had really accomplished something and I was hopeful that I would wake up the next morning feeling more relaxed. WRONG AGAIN! 

Nope. I woke up the next morning feeling frazzled, frenzied, and even more freakishly neurotic . . . aaaaaahhhhhhh! So, we cleaned the house. While I cleaned out, organised and labelled our craft drawers (I really am sick), Mr. Level-Headed, who had came home early that afternoon, cleaned the kitchen, Baby Girl cleaned the bathrooms, and the boys cleaned and vacuumed the basement. Instead of being all appreciative of what everyone was doing, I became a highly-critical drill sergeant, demanding they do this and that until everything was just right. Ugh! My poor family. That night as I laid on the couch, resting my tired achy body and putting my swollen feet up, I thought surely this has to be over, but I was wrong yet again. 

The next day, after I devised a detailed budget for our family expenses clear until the end of October (I am a NUT!), Baby Girl and I went shopping. The boys were spending the weekend at their friends' camp (I have the best friends ever! Thanks a million, Lisa) and Mr. Level-Headed was working on a book report for one of his classes. It was so much fun having an entire day to spend with just my girlie. In the end, she found a couple of great dresses for the upcoming youth conference she is attending in Quebec City, and I bought a ton of baby stuff. I just have to say that Frenchy's and Value Village have become my new favourite baby boutiques . . . tee hee! I bought baby towels, 7 pairs of sleepers, an armload of onesies, a sleep sack (I guess you are not supposed to put blankets on babies when they sleep anymore . . . who knew?), and a cuddly, fuzzy, snow suit complete with bear ears on the hood to wear on our winter walks (I guess you are not supposed to put babies in snow suits when they are in their cars seats anymore either. . . again . . . who knew?). Surely, with a boy-free weekend and spectacular girl's day out complete with baby shopping and a very yummy salad and poutine for lunch under my belt, my anxiety should once and for all be gone, but . . . . nope. Grrrrr! That night, I cried to Mr. Level-Headed that I felt so restless and wanted nothing more than to crawl out of my own skin . . . do you know what I am talking about? It's the worst feeling ever, and no matter what I do I can not seem to get rid of it. Darn pregnancy hormones! 

 Anyhoo . . . that is where I am at right now, and it is no fun at all. No amount of nesting, or eating, or warm bath taking, or hard work can seem to shake off this feeling. I guess, like my first trimester morning sickness, I am just going to have to wait this one out too. 

But, in the meantime, looking at all the goodies I now have tucked away for Thing 4, sure puts a smile on my face.

And really, there is nothing better than animal faces on baby bums. The sheer delight I get from holding these outfits is ridiculous!

Oh, and don't think for  one moment that the above outfits are too boyish for my little  __________ to wear, that is if, in fact, Thing 4 is a girl, because they are not. In my house, girls wear green, they wear grey and they especially wear outfits with animal faces on the bum and on the footies. Yes, this drives my poor mother-in-law crazy, but it's the way we roll here at Shenanigans Inc.

Okay, so as I was writing that last paragraph, it occurred to me that most of you do not know the names we have chosen for our precious little baby. Now, it is not that we are keeping them secret, but rather, very few people like our names and since I am in a particularly surly mood lately, if I see another person roll their eyes at them, or laugh or gag when trying to say them, I am going to lose my mind. So . . . it is probably best to put the names out here on the blog. That way, you can all make your faces, call us crazy and even cry if you want to, and then clean yourself up and put your fake smile on the next time you see me. Now, before I impart the names, you need to know this. Names are SUPER important to me. I lose many months sleep over them and they have to be just right. I test them out by saying them out loud randomly throughout the day, I write them down, and I say them alongside all my other kids' names. For me , the name has to be just right, and after only two months we found Thing 4's names. They are perfect!

If Thing 4 is a boy his name will be Leif Christian Webster. All of my kids have a family members name in them, and since both of my boys have already taken their grandfather's names, we decided to choose a name for Thing 4 that would be a nod to my Danish heritage. We wanted something masculine, but also intelligent, and I think this name has it all. Leif is after the viking Leif Eriksen (you can't get much more manly than that) and Christian is because well, we are very proud to be christians but also because of Hans Christian Anderson, the Danish author and poet. We love it!  

Now, if Thing 4 is a girl, and this is the one people seem to have the most trouble with, her name will be Harriet Wynona Grace. Wynona is Mr. Level-Headed's mother's middle name and Grace is because it was only through the Lord's grace that we were ever able to have another child, and they just flow nicely together. Harriet, which is probably the name you are all gagging over right now is awesome! I know it sounds like a very old name, but to me, it does not. For me, and thanks to a children's book I used to read to Zoe over and over again when she was little, Harriet is a rambunctious little girl, who although tries to be very good cannot but help get into trouble every second of the day. Does that not sound like one of my children? I ADORE the name Harriet!! For me, girls' names need to be intelligent, strong, and serious. I want a name for my daughter that she can be proud of saying when she is standing in front of a large auditorium of scholars defending her doctorate thesis, one that makes people think that this girl is not to be trifled with, and one that can be lovingly whispered to her by the man who will love and cherish her for all eternity. Oh, and if you really can't bear to use this name, the other reason I chose Harriet is because it has the most adorable nickname, which I will graciously allow others to use, but to me, my little girl will always be Harriet. The nickname is Hattie. So there. You have nothing to complain about now . . . tee hee!

Harriet from the book "Harriet, You''ll Drive Me WILD!" by Mem Fox

And now I am off. I am sure there is some list for me to create, something for me to organize, or someone who needs to be yelled at. Man, I really hope this frenzy ends soon. Pray for my family. 

p.s I also really like names that are not heard of often so if you are pregnant PLEASE do not even think of stealing my names. Seriously, I am in no mood to be trifled with . . . tee hee!