Nesting
By Paul Morrone CFP®, CPA, MSA
Over the last few weeks we have been ‘nesting’ as my mother likes to call it. I like to call it doing housework. We’ve started to make measurable progress getting the house ready for a new baby, but for some reason I feel like I still can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. The inventory in my basement is slowly transforming what’s left of the open space into what looks like a Babies R Us going out of business sale. Boxes are piled nearly to the roof, furniture is arranged like a jigsaw puzzle and toys, books and clothes have accumulated everywhere. Each time I look at the ever-growing pile I think to myself, where is all of this stuff going to go?
If it were up to me, I’d still be procrastinating, but with the weather finally starting to be spring-like and the summer social calendar getting more packed by the day the chances of me getting much done later this year is slim at best. In the back of my head I know I’ve simply been delaying the inevitable. I finally used the last rainy weekend to clean out and paint the nursery, which is probably the single most time-consuming activity that I had on my honey-do list before the baby arrives. Knowing that he is coming on or around September 5th, ready or not, has certainly provided some incentive to get moving.
The delay doesn’t fall entirely on my shoulders, however, as some decisions needed to be made before I could paint. Big decisions such as, which room to use as the nursery? What color to paint it? After finally deciding on a room and a theme, we picked out our furniture. Our plan is to have a travel inspired room, complete with maps, animals and methods of transportation. We figured if nothing was too blue, it could be unisex and fit for a second child later down the pike if we have a girl (I can’t believe I just put ‘second child’ in writing…). Then we had to pick out the crib and dresser, so of course we could match the walls to the furniture (isn’t it usually the other way around!?). I’m not sure why, but I feel like this whole process is entirely backwards.
With the painting behind me I feel like I can take a break for a week or so. It’s so easy to say ‘I’ll do it tomorrow,’ but we’re rapidly approaching the point at which there will be no tomorrow. As the piles in the basement continue to grow, the tasks become even more daunting. The scary part is, we haven’t even had a baby shower yet! From what I hear, putting everything together is not as simple as it seems and some of these baby items are more complicated to construct than an IKEA bookcase. Friends have warned me to make a cocktail before starting because without an engineering degree, you’re out of luck.
