We’re officially waiting: like really waiting for the baby to arrive. It is his due date today, I’m 41 weeks pregnant and there is no sign that he will be coming anytime soon. Tomorrow we’ll have an appointment at the maternity to check everything and decide what to do. Meanwhile I’m drinking a homebrewn raspberry leaf and sage infusion, which has not a lot of flavour, unlike my favorite GreenMa teas and infusions that I can’t wait to drink again soon. The cats are more clingy that ever, Per Hammar has been connecting with his new best friend on my belly every single day for the last months. He purrrs loudly and the baby kicks back. It’s adorable and we can’t wait to find out how the cats will bond with the baby. Also, they love love love all the cozy blankets, nests, baby seats, changing pillows, and the little crib. Of course these are all not just newborn sized, but also the perfect size for a furry cat. They adopted the Stokke Tripp Trapp chair with newborn set since the day it arrived. And how can you blame them?! We love it too: the oak wood has a soft matte finish, the chair is engraved with our baby’s name (hidden by some washi tape for now!) and this durable Stokke chair will grow with our son over time…
In these last weeks we’ve had lots of rain and lots of sunshine. Which means there’s also a lot of disco glitter now that the sun is in fall/winter modus again and shines through our living room windows again. When Lise from Botanopia saw pictures of our colorful baby room, she knew their Botanopia Rainbow Maker Stickers would be a perfect match. And they are! I put one on the window in the baby room, even though there’s not a lot of sunshine at this time of the year. But on the livingroom windows they are amazing. It is daily joy to see where the rainbows appear, reflected on our furniture and walls, or even on the cats’ furry coats. The simple joys of life <3
Keep going to keep growing… Rainbow Making Sticker from Botanopia.
When the baby will be here, we expect some family and friends to come visit: which means the guestroom will be occupied again <3 The other day we added a little Shorty locker from Mustard for more storage space. For now it holds some extra care items, like more pillow covers, a candle, our book… but maybe I should add some ear plugs?!
The wire baskets, here in lilac, are also from Mustard: the fit perfectly on the shelves inside, but you can use them for so many things: shoes, books, magazines, clothes, plants, anything really! They are very versatile!
I love that these lockers will only become prettier over time with dents and scratches… worn in!
According to Robert I’m currently “very pregnant”. I’m feeling good and I feel so lucky to have so little aches and discomfort in these past nine months. Of course growing a human requires a lot of energy and resources, but overall it has been pretty smooth sailing. I’ve been fortunate that Robert has been doing so much at home, like cooking, dishes, grocery shopping, cleaning, building furniture, dealing with all kinds of daily stuff. And we don’t have any small toddlers running around that need to be taken care of. Except a trio of cats, but they’re easy-going most of the time and sleep a lot as well.
For future mamas I do have a few tips:
- don’t wait until you’re 8 months pregnant to prepare the nursery or do some kind of renovation. My hormones got the best of me and I painted the entire toilet (4 layers) and baby commode at 36 weeks and I wouldn’t recommend it. Being done with everything physical, but also administrative, like planning your maternity leave, before the third trimester, makes everything so much easier.
- attend some prenatal swimming classes. They were optional when we started our “birth preparation classes” with a local midwife, and I was rather hesitant. I ordered a maternity bathing suit from Vinted, because my normal pool wear didn’t fit and went to the first class. It was bliss! Here in town they have these small classes for up to four mamas in a balneotherapy pool, which means it is VERY warm and relaxing. Movements are all very gentle and you feel weightless in the water and it is super relaxing. I would sleep for several hours after class. Speaking of siestas: enjoy them! I never liked sleeping during daytime, but in the last month I’ve slept for an hour every day and truly needed it.
- do some kind of birth preparation class with your partner. In France, Social Security offers up to 8 free classes to future parents, often just for the pregnant woman, to prepare for birth. Ours also welcomed partners into class, and even though Robert has two grown kids and knows the “mechanics”, it is nice to get an update (also because things in France are slightly different from the Dutch situation) and bond over the upcoming “event”. It adds a little layer to the preparation process by sharing our opinions, discuss, explore and feel more ready for this new adventure!
And this is where we will hopefully spend a lot of time in the coming weeks: our cozy bedroom! Hopefully we’ll get some sleep, and can cuddle, relax, heal, nurse, bond, and get to know the baby here. With some fresh Rose Duo bed linen from French brand Bonsoirs. I didn’t expect the pink hues of the percale cotton to match so well with the pale yellow tones of our bedroom, but it makes it look refreshed and soft. Perfect for this new start with the baby!
See you in a few days/weeks/who knows! I may be sharing more updates on my Instagram if you like to follow along…
