Preparing for Baby: Hearts and Home

How long we’ve awaited the arrival of the month of March. What once seemed a lifetime away, has finally come and with it, the arrival of our precious baby.

I began composing this entry on March 2nd, and within one and a half sleeps, we went from preparing for baby to welcoming baby. And with that, I should feel quite accomplished if I have this published before the calendar declares it April. But I won’t fret terribly, for there is nothing pressing, just a modicum of musings to share.

As the calendar turned to a new year, and before we knew it, January became February, the countdown changed from months, to weeks, to days and so the time beckoned for us to busy ourselves tangibly preparing our hearts and home for the arrival of a most beloved babe.

While our tiny dwelling is still under renovation (though we had greatly hoped for otherwise), we have all needed the heart and hands of our dear Mr. Hackett on evenings and weekends in ways that have not permitted him to continue renovations at the the same pace as we had previously been accustomed. If I were to measure the value of our days against our written goals, we may likely feel a great deal more disappointment. However, I have come to know the invaluable gift of receiving a bit of extra rest, and for the girls to have their daddy to play with, as he can afford a great deal more energy than I have been able to give. It is when I choose to dwell in the gratitude of all that is good, I continue to glean the daily lessons of what is essential and what is not.

We have a warm place to call home, we have good food to fill our bellies, we have each other, and for the first time in nearly two years, we have hot water!! Not that I didn’t actually enjoy washing dishes one boiling kettle of water at a time—because the truth is, I did. I found a great deal of calm and even joy in my morning routine of boiling a kettle of water for coffee and using the remaining water to clean our breakfast dishes. The trouble always came in the afternoon, when the pace of the day had picked up and I’d fall behind, often facing a sink full of dirty dishes when it was time to prepare dinner—which doesn’t work when you only have exactly one of each dish per person. So in preparation for life with a newborn, it seemed a might bit more important to simplify this process, as it has been the intention all along to have a working water heater. And you may never know how grateful you are for such a gift, until you have lived so long without it. For all that is finished, and all that is yet to come, gratitude abounds.

As for tiny living, I’m not sure what I expected to feel about the idea and challenge of fitting another baby into our home, but I’ve been overcome by a peace and calm that have allowed me to revel in the gifts of limited space (250 sq. ft) and and financial means, which have allowed my heart to focus on deeper kind of nurturing over material conveniences.

As a family we opened bags and boxes which had been thoughtfully tucked away from when the girls were babies. From the tiniest onesies, the blanket which bares all the little peccadilloes of a new mother learning to knit, the wool lamb mobile I felted during the months of awaiting their arrival, vintage sweaters passed down from grandma, and antique treasures found and collected over time—memory upon memory. The girls were giddy to recall the tender stories of each little thing, many they have memorized from countless retellings as they open our treasure box of printed pictures. And with each tiny article of clothing they too were carried off to daydreams of the little bundle who would come to fill each piece, adding to the richness of such sweet memory.

The needs (and indulgences) which remained happened to be so very few it was a joy all its own to collect these goods with the utmost intention for nourishing every heart in our home. Here’s a list which has been accompanied by some sentimental ramblings and links where applicable.

From the very beginning when we shared our good news with the girls, that a baby was growing in Mama’s belly, they lovingly gave it the name “Honey Bear”. And so the name became part of our everyday vernacular and a hundred thousand conversations and dreams, and eventually the inspiration for creating a special little “honey bear” stuffy, made with matching Chasing Windmills Long John scraps— a gift to be shared with our sweet baby, and to cover with snuggles and loves as we patiently waited. How sweetly the words would ring out as the girls climbed into bed, “Mama, I’m going to snuggle Honey Bear to sleep tonight.”

Despite my minimalist approach to most things, I was deeply charmed by this little knit bear from The Simple Folk, for I so badly wanted to purchase just one special gift for this baby to call their own, and such sweet joy has been found in holding it close as I waded through the long and lingering days of the third trimester.

When necessity meets heirloom, thats how I feel about the tiniest wool bonnet, lovingly knit by my dearest friend Marlys (available for purchase on her instagram page). The girls each have a matching style bonnet, also knit by Marlys, that they’ve been wearing since Autumn of 2019, and for Christmas she made them a matching hat a scarf set for their dollies. For all of these reasons and more, the tiny wool bonnet (pictured above), not only warms my babies tiny little head, but all of hearts just the same, an heirloom indeed.

A wool sweater, bloomers and tiny mushroom, all knit by another friend in the most delightful exchange for some gifts I was able to sew. I’ll never tire of sharing the joy of creating within our strengths to fill needs and bless one another though the work of our hands. A forgotten tradition that I am striving to revive.

Two ring slings made for me by my mother in law to carry the girls when they were but wee babes and used so long into toddlerhood that I never actually got around to putting them away before learning we’d have another baby to hold close. We dipped one in an avocado dye pot this summer in hopes of masking some old stains, and now I think it lovelier than ever—seeped deeper into memory, having created something new alongside the increasingly capable hands of little girls who were growing bigger than the sling could hold, with the long held dream of the tiniest heart which had just begun to beat.

A new set of cloth diapers and wipes; a decision made after evaluating the condition of our previously used collection and concluding a new set was most certainly warranted and in order — I had originally purchased them secondhand from a friend who had used them for both of her children, and after 10 years, and four babies, they had done their job and expired their lifespan without some arduous maintenance. It may seem crazy, but I really do love using cloth diapers. I don’t really find them to be extra work, rather I find them easy on my heart, knowing they are good for my babies skin and keeping unnecessary waste out of the landfills makes the whole process a joy to tend. And poofy diaper bums are just the cutest!

A mini gather mat for a changing pad; ideal for anyone, but especially for our tiny dwelling.

A new Solly baby wrap. While I was sad to need to purchase a new one, as our previous wrap was taken with the diaper bag that was stolen from our car when the girls were little (why would someone break a car window in the middle of the night and take only a diaper bag???), I was positively delighted to have the opportunity to get a wrap which was designed in collaboration with one of my favorite artist, Lore Pemberton.

Two tiny glass bottles as a gift for the big sisters to be. This time around I really didn’t want to have to have anything to do with a pump or bottles and bottle parts and extra dishes and the need to store it all. But for months the girls have been dreaming of and talking about helping care for our baby and how they will feed it milk from from a bottle (Jane will hold the baby and Lucy will hold that bottle—a carefully crafted plan by some very loving sisters), and I couldn’t bare the idea of robbing that highly anticipated joy from them.

Elvie Curve pump— During my two years of nursing the girls, I suffered a number of clogged ducts and multiple bouts of mastitis. It all seemed logical to me that I may not experience as many troubles only feeding one baby rather than two, but I did want to be prepared with some sort of relief and I figured if I was going to get the bottles, I’d need a way to get milk to fill them. After a bit of research, I found he Elvie Curve, which takes up almost no space, has exactly two parts and does not need to be plugged in. Update: having used the Elvie Curve for two weeks now, I am very pleased to report that it works just exactly as I had hoped; collecting just enough milk (an ounce or two) from the let down on the opposite side from where baby nurses.

Also for the girls to share in their love of books, something beautiful and sturdy enough to be met by baby hands—a beautiful set of My Little Adventures board books with stories containing many of our favorite elements of seasonal living, the outdoors, and growing food and flora. Reading together has been one of our most treasured experiences and I can’t wait for the girls to share this joy all the the same with our new little love!

A few new to us Tubby Todd essentials for mama and baby; belly oil, freshening spray, nipple balm, and sweet cheeks diaper cream—wonderful additions to our favorite Tubby Todd products we’ve been using for years.

And I think that just about wraps things up—everything else we already had, or decided we didn’t need.

If I’ve come to learn anything in this process, it is that it takes very little to welcome a baby into a loving and warm home. Even among the items we saved from when the girls were babies, we found that some of that no longer served as necessary. It’s really given me a lot of peace not fussing over extra stuff, instead I’ve been very intentional about what adds to our clam and what simply takes up space and time.

As for storing baby stuff in our home, I’ve given up one of my drawers to hold clothing essentials, a couple special pieces hang in the closet, and two knit hats added to the peg hooks. Diapers and changing necessities are stored in a basket, and the Moses basket moves wherever needed during the day. Tiny living is like a game of musical parts—you move things from here to there and back again, a tender dance of heart and home. I thought perhaps I’d have more to say about making it all fit in a tiny space, but after careful consideration of what we needed, there wasn’t a whole lot that needed fitting. It’s possible I’m overlooking a great many details that just feel normal to me at this point, and if that may be the case and you have any questions, go ahead and leave them in the little form below. I’ll take any that come and do my best to answer in detail.

As for preparing hearts, these dear girls have loved “their baby” from the very first mention. They’ve spent months practicing and asserting their roles as big sisters. We’ve giggled endlessly (and I’ve even cried a little too), at the confident declarations of their growth, because they are “not little kids anymore”, they are “big sisters now”. It’s all been so beautiful and sweet and a little heart wrenching to acknowledge how grown they really are, but given that they must grow, I wouldn't have it any other way than to grow deeper into love.

We’ve talked endlessly for months of our dreams and expectations for when the baby arrives. They’ve been steadfastly watching for first signs of springs and learning the order of the months and seasons as we go along. Just as March was was approaching, any sighting of a new bud was enthusiastically remarked upon, “look mama, the flowers are budding, and Spring is coming, soon our baby will be here”.

If there was any concern at all, it was that of whether the baby would be a brother or a sister. The girls were very heart set on having a sister, and their dear old daddy did all that he could to encourage the idea of brother—the joy of the great mystery in not knowing. There was a point in which we feared if we did bring home a baby brother from the hospital, they may altogether reject it. But sometime in early February their tender hearts shifted and one morning they said with the most sincere innocence, “Mama, we’re sorry we said we don’t like boys, if God gives us a baby brother, we will love him.” And with that I breathed a very big sigh of relief, letting go of any fret as to wether the baby may be a boy or girl—though I was always confident that all would be right either way just as soon as they set eyes on the little love.

Endless as the winter days can seem, the sun came out to beckon Spring, bringing forth blossoms anew, and with it, our dear baby too. With happiest hearts and the utmost joy, we’d like to introduce to you to our sweet Emma Catherine, a perfect and beautiful baby sister.

Thank you always for joining along in the joy of our journey. I’m sure there a number of things I meant to say, but didn’t get to, as this entry has been very sporadically worked on in rare moments where time finds me and my eyes are able to stay open. Do know I’m always happy to dive deeper into a conversation if your curiosity finds you wondering more about tiny living, or cloth diapers, or anything else at all. Comments and emails are always welcomed, and I’ll do my very best to reply as soon as I am able.

Wishing you all a joy-filled Spring.