5 little things: the waiting game

so things have been pretty interesting around here for the past days- or pretty uninteresting. It depends on how you look at it. 

we're in the midst of waiting for our little one, and while there's no way to tell if he'll arrive in 2 days or 2 weeks (or the next few hours...) we've been trying to go about life as usual. 

I do not do well with unknowns. I mentioned in my last post that it's a funny feeling, knowing that you're about to give birth and become a mother because you can't really prepare for it. I feel like I have all this time on my hands and yet I'm not really able to use it to prepare as I would like to. Of course there are things that need to be done to get ready for baby...but once those things are done, there's nothing much left to do but wait. 

or at least that's how it feels. 

so here are 5 little things that I'm filling my days with to help me enjoy this crazy and exciting time in our lives and this pregnancy.

1. reading on the balcony

this has been a seriously welcome part of my daily routine. For several years we lived in an apartment without a balcony, and now that we have one, I'm using it to it's full advantage. Every morning I sit out there for an hour or so, with breakfast or a warm drink and read a little. I've been reading books about parenting and childbirth but also this and this, with this up next. 

2. neighborhood walks

for the last week or so, I've really enjoyed going on nice, rambling walks around our neighborhood. I've explored some new streets and wandered without destination, but we're lucky enough to have a bakery, farmer's market and a park with a coffee cart all within a short walk's distance from our apartment. I've been enjoying heading to one of these spots to buy fresh flowers, or croissants, or sip cappuccino with Waldi. 

3. educating & preparing myself for childbirth and baby

so obviously I've been doing this for a lot of my pregnancy, but it's been good to use these last few weeks to squeeze in a bit more preparation. I've deep cleaned baby's room and done lots of adorable laundry. We've packed our bag to bring to the birthing centre. I've been filling up our freezer with healthy meals and snacks for after baby's arrival. 

I've also been getting my body ready for childbirth by following a few tips I got from my midwife and birthing class. This has mostly involved diet (raspberry leaf tea anyone...?) as well as some massage, breathing and exercises. I've also been reading a few last books and even watching some Ted Talks about parenting and childbirth. Mostly I try and do all this with an open heart and mind, since I know that baby will come when he's ready, no matter what I do, and his birth will be what it is, depending on him and me and many other factors I can't control. But it still feels good to do something.

4. writing things down

I've become rather quiet and introspective in the last few days. I suppose my mind and heart are just preparing themselves for what's ahead, as is my body. I spend a lot of time wondering what our baby will be like, how the birth will be, how Waldi will be as a father... it's overwhelming at times. I'm trying to document some of it in journals and our baby book and a little on Instagram (or this blog), because even though I'm not always finding this time easy, I know that in a blink it will be over. And I want to remember feeling this way.

5. trying to relax

this is a big one for me. I'm focusing on taking it slow and not giving in to anxiety or worry, which some days feel like giant tasks. Mostly I've been enjoying being at home together with Waldi, cooking meals, watching Netflix, or talking about our little one. I've been working on a few projects- mostly socks, as that's serious comfort knitting for me, but also some crochet coasters (pictured above) and dishcloths. Mostly I'm just trying to take things one day (or hour...) at a time and go from there. 


Also, I realize that over the past few weeks, this blog has been completely overtaken by posts about baby... it's just such a huge change and sometimes it feels hard to talk about anything else! My crafting and knitting has absolutely decreased in the last little while, but I do have some projects planned for the summer and hope to share more craft related goodness soon! If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with me through this time of transition.