baby things

It's hard not to get sucked into the whirlwind of consuming when you're pregnant. With big box super stores out there, a person may start to think that baby comes with some assembly required. Besides the obvious big ticket items (crib, changing table, car seat, stroller) there are hundreds of thousands of little things that a person can pick up. Most of it seems practical, but when it comes down to it, who knows what we'll actually use?

Dave and I have been fairly good about what we've bought and what we've left at the store. Many of the clothes and everyday use items are second hand, either purchased a thrift stores or hand-me-downs from friends. Growing up in a home daycare, I feel a strong urge to put things away, have things out of sight. Clutter disturbs me, though Dave would probably laugh to hear that. The sections of the house that I think of as mine are always left to piling. The yarn, the sewing supplies, the books. I don't organize, I pile. Sometimes I put things in drawers at random, but for the most part I leave them out in the open and then act surprised when the cat drags them around the house. We've found spaces that work for this purpose, baskets of yarn inside of closets, a bookshelf that is designated to be random things that I put down and can't find later. For the most part, my clutter is contained.

Dave is the exact opposite. He always, always cleans up after himself. Always. The book he's reading? Back on the shelf. The records he was playing? Either in the "now playing" box, or put back into the lineup. Important papers always filled out in a timely fashion and filed away. Sweaters hung up, towels where they belong. The only thing he doesn't put away is socks, and honestly, who can complain? Having a husband who is extraordinarily tidy I think the least I can do is ignore the socks lying around the house. Besides - they're all rolled up in little balls, not strewn about all untidy like.

The baby, I think, will change things. Babies come with stuff. Bibs, rags, socks, hats. Things that fall off or get thrown. I don't know how our house will look 6 months from now, but I picture things strewn all about, the dog and cat sneaking away with toys and clothing as the baby discards them. Our feeble attempts to "tidy up" will be stuffing everything in a closet and hoping no one peeks inside. I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to be fun for me, the baby, and for the pets. I think Dave will adapt too, he's normally a little less tidy-minded in the summer. Or maybe, if I'm lucky, the kid will inherit the Dave-clean-up gene. Every time we finish playing with a toy or reading a book, back on the shelf it will go. A place for everything and everything in its place, right? Elaborate filing and shelving systems, all dedicated to being the tidiest baby on the block. I have a lot of hopes for our unborn child, and many of them are that he or she will inherit things from Dave - his beautiful blue eyes, his passion for learning and reading, his dedication to nature. Maybe the tidy gene, too. A girl can hope, can't she?