The Nesting Instinct

When I decided to take a month off before my due date, I was worried that I would be bored out of mind at home. There are only so many episodes of A Baby Story and Bringing Home Baby that I can watch. During my last days of work I complained about how I wouldn't have anything to do at home and the ladies at work knowingly shook their heads and said, "Oh, you'll always have stuff to do..."

I'm beginning my 3rd week of maternity leave and what those wise ladies knew would happen, has happened. The nesting instinct has kicked in. It's defined as: "a powerful urge to prepare their home for the baby by cleaning and decorating. Or perhaps you'll want to tackle projects you haven't had time to do, like organizing your garage or closets." And hooo boy, do I have it bad.

Last week, we completed the nursery and I organized everything from the baby's closet to our tupperware drawer (complete with labelled drawers...must not get the "Onesies" in the same drawer as "Hats/Bibs/Socks", right? Right?!). I cleaned out the pantry, freezer, refrigerator, and had the carpets cleaned. I am obsessed. I am walking around with a bottle of 409 in one hand and a label-maker in the other. Today alone, I washed all our pots and pans, cleaned off many months' worth of grease and food debris from the stove top, cleaned the oven, and even scrubbed all of our cookie sheets clean.

I'm already planning my chores for tomorrow...don't worry...I'll take it easy. I'll just organize the Hats/Bibs/Socks drawer by size and color (must not mix the 0-3 month socks with the 3-6 month socks, right? Right?!).