Nesting

These last few months as I’ve been preparing to bring a new life into the world and take on all of the responsibilities of becoming a mother, I hit a stage commonly known as “nesting.”

Many parents probably recognize this term, but for those of you who may not, nesting is the urge an expecting mother often gets in the third trimester to clean and prepare the living spaces around her to prepare for a new baby. And I have definitely experienced this nesting instinct these last couple of months.

Whether at the office or at home, I’ve been working to get everything possible prepared to be out of commission for a while. At the office, we’ve purged old documents and unnecessary items from our storage closets, and I’ve prepared lists and walkthroughs for typical tasks I do so that my coworkers don’t have to go into a task wondering what to do. At home, I’ve worked on freezer meals and lots of cleaning. My husband graciously goes along with all my whims, like completely rearranging our bedroom and living room, dusting and vacuuming every nook and cranny, and putting the bassinet back together (without directions) after I tore it apart so I could wash all of the cloth pieces.

As I’ve been going through this nesting stage, I’ve realized how fortunate my little family is already. The closer we got to Baby’s arrival, the more I realized how loved Baby already is by not just our family down in Southwest Iowa, but all of our friends and “family” members here in Northwest Iowa. Even after less than three years living here, the support system we’ve gained is immeasurable. Our church family is ready to help us when we need someone (or many someones) to help hold and care for baby when we need a break, our work families are helping us make sure we can take off some time and not feel overwhelmed when we come back, and our community is so welcoming and kid-friendly that we are excited to raise our family here.

We are so thankful for such a wonderful community to live, work, and start a family in. We truly do live in a Corridor of Opportunities that we can’t wait to share with our little one.

The Corridor is happy to announce the birth of Jeremiah Dean Petersen, born on March 4^th, 2021.