nesting | Don't Blink

We have just about reached the final countdown for the debut of our daughter. Although the official due date is April 7, smart people who have medical degrees have told us chances are good that she might come a couple weeks early. That means we could very well be parents this month! With the greatest day of our lives quickly approaching, we took some major steps to prepare ourselves this weekend.

A few months ago when my sister asked through a group message if Sidney was “nesting” yet, I thought Miranda was a victim of autocorrect. Unless it had something to do with birds, I had never heard the term in my life. But as the time went by, I became quite familiar with the word and everything that went along with it. While I have watched and helped Sidney “nest” over the last several weeks, it seemed as if our “nesting” (sorry for all the quotations) became more intense over the past two days.

Yesterday, my in-laws came over and the four of us combined to prepare the house for a newborn baby. I scrubbed toilets and my father-in-law mopped floors downstairs. But it was upstairs where the major work went down. Sidney and her mom deep cleaned the nursery, guest room, and top level bathroom. They also did the monumental task of going through all the baby shower gifts and sorting, opening, and placing them. They then came downstairs and also cleaned the areas where I might have missed. At the end of the day we had a sparkling house and a beautiful baby-ready nursery.

Our nursey and home are both ready for a newborn.

Today, Sidney and I started to “baby-proof” our main vehicle. Sidney completely vacuumed out the Toyota RAV4. We then took it through the car wash. When we arrived home, we installed the car seat base and placed the actual car seat on it. We then fastened the baby mirror to the head rest of where the car seat is. Finally, we put on the window shades that will keep the sun off of our daughter. A little later in the day, I met with our neighbor’s son-in-law who is in law enforcement. He checked the car seat base to make sure it passed inspection. He gave us his approval along with some tips on how we can be sure that it is always secure.

After our baby is born, we will be able to take her home from the hospital because our car is ready to go!

With so much necessary work completed this weekend, Sidney just told me, “Okay, she can be born now!”

As I write this, Sidney is sleeping on the couch next to me. She has reached the point where she is now very ready to become a mom.

Sidney has reached the home stretch and is in that not very fun stage of constant discomfort. With some major tasks now off our list, how can you blame her? I can only hope that the remaining time goes quickly for her. Big thanks to my in-laws for the tremendous help they gave us this weekend. Don’t Blink.

Thank you for once again returning to Don’t Blink. It is another Thursday and that means I get to bore (I mean “entertain”) you with another rundown. And we are off…

Patriots Day – I want to start off my Thursday Rundown with “Patriots Day” just because it was such a great movie. Sidney and I went on premiere night last Friday and we really enjoyed the film. It managed to effectively capture the spirit of the city of Boston. It also kept our eyes misty the whole time, especially at the end. The performances by Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, and Kevin Bacon are solid. The last outstanding movie I saw was “Hacksaw Ridge” and although I would say “Patriots Day” might not be on its same level, it is still a film I recommend.

I recommend the movie “Patriots Day.”

Long Hair, Don’t Care – Most people know I used to have really long hair and most people have seen a couple of the classic photos that are widely circulated. However, not everyone has seen this horrific mug from my junior year of high school. Sorry to make you throw up your dinner.

This was my junior year high school photo.

Getting the Ax – Because I am a social media professional, I always pay attention when other social media professionals get fired. Last week, the social coordinator for a school district was let go after she had some fun with a student who misspelled the word “tomorrow.” I make it a point to never get sarcastic or condescending with anyone while I am behind the accounts of my employer but I know several counterparts who will push the envelope. Not saying that it is bad one way or the other, I just choose not to. Anyway, I actually reached out on Twitter to the woman who lost her job and she responded. Our conversation is below.

I had a Twitter conversation with Katie Nash, the social media professional who was fired from her position at a school district.

Inaugruation – As I have mentioned before, I am looking forward to tomorrow’s Presidential Inauguration from a historical standpoint. For someone like me who is a fanatic of the United States Presidency, I am mesmerized by the peaceful transition of power. I hope the big day goes by smoothly and everyone stays safe. Despite what we all think of President-Elect Trump becoming President Trump, take time tomorrow to appreciate one of the defining principles of our democracy.

Baby Update – Sidney hits the 29 week mark tomorrow. This past weekend she dressed up the crib for our daughter who will be here sooner than we know it. Sid is in full nesting mode and has gone about preparing the nursery with enthusiasm and care. The daddy is doing his best to get himself ready for the amazing gift of human life that is about to come.