Bless this Nest

When your body is naturally getting ready for the labor process, women start feeling this instinct psychologists call "nesting." It is an intense urge to get everything in the house perfect to prepare for the new baby to come home. The amazing thing is that you actually experience a burst of energy to accompany that urge. Let me tell you, when I was going into labor with Jack Everett, I nested like a mad woman. The house was already far cleaner than it had ever been before, from weeks of preparation. The nursery was impeccable, all laundry done, all dishes clean. I mean, it looked like a showroom.

At 5:00am on August 2nd, I started having real contractions (don't worry, I won't go into the "birth story"...) However, even though I was a week overdue and absolutely huge, there I was mopping the kitchen floor and washing baseboards one last time... between contractions. No joke. I HAD to do it. There was no way I could head to the hospital knowing I'd be bringing my son home to a "dirty" floor. I knew right then that the nesting phenomenon was no myth. (The funny thing is that I am not sure that that floor has been mopped since.)

So, back to my initial inspiration to write this morning ... at 8:23 am. When I got the news that this baby might be born prematurely, I knew that I needed to speed up preparations in the house. I don't mean finishing little decorative touches, mind you. I mean that about a week ago if you walked into the nursery, you ran a high risk of tripping on an old computer printer, stepping into a bag of Christmas ornaments, and landing on a subwoofer.

I knew that I NEEDED to clean and prepare, but that's far different than "nesting." This was the same to-do list without the innate, uncontrollable motivation. On the contrary, this is the same list of crappy chores to accomplish accompanied by a complete lack of motivation. Burst of energy? Nope.

So, thank goodness for help from family. After several all-day help sessions, the nursery is "ready enough." The carseat is ready, and the newborn baby clothes are washed and ready. A fine start. However, the living room and kitchen need quite a bit of help, and our bedroom is still a complete disaster.

Tomorrow, I head to the doctor's office for the baby's Biophysical Profile (BPP) and if the results are anything but satisfactory, our little one could be born tomorrow. Not to be dramatic, but that is a reality. So, last night when I got into bed, I prayed that the urge to nest would come over me in the morning. I laid there hoping that even though I wasn't naturally feeling the labor process beginning, that I would at least feel the nesting feeling, just a little bitty bit.

It sounds crazy, but this morning, at 7:15am, my eyes popped open and I hopped up. I grabbed the bottle of "Greenworks" and started in the kitchen. No joke. I woke up and thanked God for this rejuvenated feeling, amazed that I was even out of bed. About five minutes later, Jack Everett came out of his room, (an hour earlier than normal), and he was in a fabulous mood. To add to my great morning, his Pull-up was dry!

I folded and put away the towels, emptied the dishwasher, and headed back to my room to make progress. I opened my devotional and the verse for today was this: "For the time being, no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11

The reason I write about this is not that I really believe that housework is truly this important, or that a clean room will really make me feel that much better if I have to deliver my baby 8 weeks early.

I write as I was reminded again today how God calls us to turn EVERYTHING over to Him, no matter how small. He wants us to seek His help, even for motivation to clean the toilets. He does not delight in my anxiety, procrastination, or feelings of inadequacy. He can pull me up when I don't feel the "natural" urge to do what I need to do. I feel very thankful.

So, as for my motto: "If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done..." I better get off the computer and get back to my productive day - a day that indeed the Lord hath made!