I'm weird. I really am. I plan ahead. I like to be organized. I have systems.
When thinking about having a third baby I had a few things weighing on my mind. Of course I had the thoughts of:
Can we afford this?
How will this affect the boys?
Has too much time passed?
How will our family react?
But 2 big questions secretly holding me back from baby 3 were:
Can I handle scrapbooking a 3rd child?
and
Am I ready to make another Christmas stocking?
Caleb is the blue scrapbooks. Carter is the red. The navy ones on the left are our engagement and wedding. All the other colors are our family albums. The red, green, and cream one on the other shelf are Christmas albums. My goal before giving birth was to get all books caught up through Christmas 2008. I'm proud to say that I have accomplished that. I know that adding a third child will add a lot more scrapbooking, but at least I'm doing less in the other boys because they are getting older and I can break things into seasonal pages, not monthly changes like in a baby. And then I think... what on earth am I going to do with all these books once they've grown. Am I delusional enough to think my boys will want them? Or their wives? I'm sure my future daughters-in-law will not be too happy to inherit all these book showing how wonderful my boys are. So, I may just keep them for myself. When I'm old and gray I'll have something to look back on and relive.
So, now I'm having to think about undertaking another scrapbooking series. Oh, I already feel the stress.
My other big project: The Christmas Stocking
When Steve and I got married I cross-stitched our stockings. The precedent was set. I worked on Caleb's the full 9 months of pregnancy and had it done before he was born- except adding his name. I started Carter's even before he was conceived. We knew we were going to have a second child so it just gave me something to do in the evenings when Steve was traveling and Caleb was a baby. So, when thinking about having a third... my big questions was "Am I ready to make another stocking?" Some of you know how much time this takes. It really does take many many months, if not a year to get one done. I try to work on it every afternoon or evening and have done so since January. I took this picture this morning. You can tell I'm just over 2/3 the way done. Thankfully the top part is much simpler than the rest. But then I'll have to go back and add all the black outlines and embellishments. I know there's no way this will be done before baby gets here, but at least I have hope of finishing before Christmas. I just know my time to work on it will be greatly dimished once Bug makes his/her arrival.
So, yes I'm weird. This is where my focus is. Not on organizing baby supples or shopping for baby. It's the stocking... Must.Get.It.Done.
10 comments:
Happy Birthday to Elfy. And, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm 3+ years behind on scrapbooking. Mia has 1 book and that is her China book I made 2 years ago. Nothing else. I'm very behind, but trying not to stress about it. After all, life happens and with moves/deaths, etc. scrapbooking hasn't been priority. Plus I don't have my Jenny to do it with ;)
The scrapbooks are wonderful -- your obsession is probably caused by the lack of a baby book from your mother. :-)
The stocking will get done before Christmas (or at least before Bug's 2nd Christmas). We'll have everything ready at your house for baby's homecoming.
Enjoy your last few days with the brothers (Big and Bigger).
I'm so far behind on scrapbooking that I sold it all to go digital! :) I had to giggle at your priorities - sounds like something I would do.
Girl, your stocking is like my guest bathroom. Probably doesn't make much sense to anyone else, but it's something that just has to be done. I completely understand -- and it looks great, by the way. (Your stocking, not my bathroom.)
I totally get those priorities. The scrapbooking thing causes me great stress but I'm just letting it go ... I'm way behind. And the stocking causes my mom stress ... she makes our stockings and she can't stand the thought of making antoher one.
Your stocking looks fantastic!
Just think Jenny if this baby is a girl then she will love the scrapbooks. If it is a boy, maybe this one will have a wife that will love them. Jason is the third baby and was lucky to have baby pictures taken so just think of what you are giving your kids. Oh, and I was making Jackson's stocking in December, so you are way ahead of where I was. Everyone nests differently! Enjoy these last days of your pregnancy!
That is so funny!
I worry about odd things like that too. :)
I started tearing apart our spare bathroom while pregnant with Brendan. I was still tearing off wallpaper when he arrived so he just hung out with me during my maternity leave and watched me redo the bathroom! Looking back, I think I was a little nuts.
Keep on scrapbooking. I look back at my albums all the time and remember all the milestones and fun times. You will be so glad you did it (especially when all 3 kids have left the nest)
Your future daughters-in-law will LOVE the scrapbooks! My mother-in-law gave us one of my husband. She made it a few years ago. My boys love to look through it. I like to scrapbook, too. Although, I'm still working on last summer...I've had similar thoughts about whether my boys will want them when they're older or when I'm gone...maybe you'll have a little girl and she'll want them all!
A couple of comments here: One, you too are crafty, Two, Yes you can afford it, duh!, Three, the boys will be great, and Four, you are a crazy scrapbooking fool but hobbies could be worse. Can't wait to see all of those fun changes. M-
Jenny, you absolutely amaze me. That stocking is GORGEOUS! What an heirloom for your kids. And you crack me up about being caught up on your scrapbooks...oh to be organized! :-)
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