Among the many warnings I have received from other parents about what to expect when the baby arrives, one is really starting to hit home.
You cannot believe how much “stuff” a baby requires, they told me.
No kidding. He isn’t even here yet — though he should be within the next four weeks — but the complete takeover of our humble abode is in full swing.
On three separate occasions, we have spent an entire day organizing the mountain of stuff taking over the nursery, only to acquire a new mountain the following week. That’s a good problem to have, I suppose, rather than feeling like we don’t have any of the necessities. Nonetheless, it is a bit overwhelming.
The UPS/FedEx/USPS delivery folks on our route probably get together and complain about us. Some days, all three of them have a package for us, some big, some small, some so heavy the box is obliterated by the time it gets from the truck to the front door (but the glider wasn’t damaged, thank goodness). I feel like we owe those fine folks thank-you cards.
I am a bona fide Grand Master of Some Assembly Required, a true wizard with an Allen wrench. Can we build it? Yes, we can. But we might have to say a few dirty words in the process.
The blankets. Oh my, so many blankets. “You can never have too many blankets,” they tell us, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to put that claim to the test.
You can check out photos of all the stuff populating the nursery on BabyJarrett.com, but the hostile takeover is hardly confined to that one room.
Luckily, we don’t really use our home office area thanks to owning two laptops, because that space is now occupied by a stroller and play yard.
Hey, didn't you used to have a home office?
And the former guest bathroom? It’s like a fancy baby spa in there now. His whale tub is too big to store anywhere other than inside the shower/tub, and he his towels, bath accessories and terribly cute little robe have taken over two shelves in the linen closet.
The guest bathroom has company.
He also took over some prominent space in the kitchen cabinets, and I’m sure he will claim even more space soon enough.
For the longest time, it seemed kind of silly that we were acquiring so much stuff so early, but then we woke up today and we’re at 36 weeks. That’s a week shy of “full-term,” for those of you scoring at home, and it also means we get that one last ultrasound Thursday and get a better look at the new king of our little universe.
What this is missing is a picture of his whale tub. It sounds too adorable to be allowed.