a mama crane is nesting.

So I've idealized bringing baby home for quite a while. A winter baby so it's cold outside and the three of us just snuggle in our cozy house. But let's be honest, those first few weeks I'm just going to be struggling to keep my head above water. Feed, burp, change diaper, teeny nap, repeat. Pump. Not entirely sure where showering, cooking, dishes, and laundry will fit in but they'll squeeze in there. The one thing I don't want to worry about is cleaning. And I don't want to avoid having visitors because my house is in hopeless and complete disarray. I'm sure no one is expecting me to be Martha Stewart but I refuse to have my guests sit on a dirty toilet seat or feel like they spent an hour in a musky, dusty cave. I don't care if women say this just happens when you have kids. Gross. I have a plan.

I will completely admit something: there are some cleaning tasks I only do a couple/few times a year. They are on my "nesting list". I'll first start with the stuff I do least often: washing couch slip covers, washing Winnie's toys (and throwing out the ones that are way too ragged to even be used), organizing Brian's dresser and my dresser, throwing away socks with no match, donating things, organizing the linen closet, washing the oven mitts, etc. 

Then I'll move on to the stuff I want to avoid doing at least the first couple months the babe comes: cleaning the microwave, windexing windows, dusting moulding, etc.

Then in those last few weeks the higher traffic areas will be cleaned.

I will still be doing a little cleaning those first few months. Thank God cleaning companies have made life so easy. 

Things that always offer a quick fix, that we love:

1. Clorox wipes. When Brian moved out of his parents' house he told me he didn't know how to clean. My cousin told him: Clorox wipes. And guess what? He used them, and they were completely 23 year old guy proof. I love them, and buy those in three packs because I will inevitably use them. Best things ever for a quick 2 minute toilet seat cleaning. 

2. Clorox toilet wand. If you don't have this, I pity you. Brian found that Target carries a 20 refill pack, so you better believe we bought that bitch. Cleaning your toilet has never been so easy - and so much less gross than a nasty wand you've used for years. 

3. The vacuum and swiffer ritual. Take a few minutes to vacuum and a few minutes to swiffer, and voila, the house smells good and just looks a thousand times better. I never want to have real hardwood floors because this routine for laminate wood is amazeballs. Vacuuming a carpet just makes a room look so clean. I only wish I could figure out how to do what Mama Godfrey used to do. The woman bought this scented stuff for her vacuum, and after she'd vacuum the house smelled amazing. 

My house has slipped while I've been pregnant. And even Brian has told me this. He's said, "this is so not my wife." And it really isn't me. I now can't get my vacuum downstairs so I require a lot more help. Plus things like bleach, because of the fumes, freak me out. Especially now that I can't open windows to ventilate. Oh, and my body is tired from growing a human. So I thought I would splurge and get a one time cleaning of our house in January but unless I find a stellar groupon deal, that's too much. So the hubby will help carry my supplies to the floor I need them on, and I'll get busy. 

Oh and future morning sickness cleaning tip for women who plan on doing the pregnancy thing: find a natural lemon scented cleaner. Lemon neutralizes odors. It was the only smell that didn't offend me. So I bought Mrs.Meyers Lemon cleaning products. Using that on my counters allowed me to walk in to my kitchen. Granite is porous, and you WILL smell everything that has been prepared on them. I can't stress lemon enough. And put a sliced lemon in your disposal to freshen it. 

Now I need to go and start my very, very long nesting checklist...

But before I do can I share something unrelated?

The thing I'm so looking forward to in two months (besides the obvious), is not being so fragile. It's felt like forever since I could live my life without constantly having to think about my body: things affecting my baby, my fertility or resting/healing post treatments/surgery. Seriously, I couldn't even drink last Christmas because of being post IUI. I can't wait to not have to think like that (though I won't get bombed while breast feeding). And once breast feeding is over, I get this body to myself! YAY! No more medicine, no more "taking it easy". Boom - awesome!