Nesting and nest building

I might as well come right out with it: We've been nesting as frenetically as squirrels store nuts when greeted by the first fall frost.
I had heard about the whole nesting phenomenon, of course, but now I understand it. And I see how expectant parents are hard-wired to nest in anticipation of a child's arrival.
There's the practical, logical stuff. You know, hunkering down, getting ready, making lists both mental and written, deciding what's left to do.
Stockpiling meals is part of that. We decided that we -- well, mostly Anni -- would make those first few weeks and months of parenting a bit easier by stashing home-cooked meals in our freezer. They will serve as a quick meal after a long day, a dinner in a pinch, a bite to eat in between a diaper change and a feeding.
So, to her credit, Anni's been churning out batches of soup and other easy-freeze items. She's split recipes, putting portions on our dinner plates and the rest in the freezer. I have a grand plan -- it's on one of those lists mentioned earlier -- to whip up a few of my favorite recipes and freeze them as well. (Although, when Anni asked to hear those items, I could only think of two.)
Anyway, nesting certainly isn't limited to food prep. Anni's going to take a few days off soon to get things ready around the house, tie up loose ends, take care of everything I haven't thought of and hopefully get some much-deserved time to relax.
There are other nesting tasks. Thanks to Laura and Jim, we've got a crib and a dresser/changing table to assemble and locate. I decided we should reorganize kitchen cupboards and dedicate one cupboard or drawer to baby stuff. We need to make room in the bathroom closet for other baby stuff. I walk around the house now thinking, “That cabinet's going to need to be baby-proofed sometime,” “I wonder on which side of the table we'll put the high chair,” and “Soon I'll have to stop leaving tools on the floor, especially the sharp ones.”
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So there's the practical elements of nesting. But then there are the not-so-practical, maybe even irrational, nesting habits. What's on that list? Well, it includes cleaning things I haven't cleaned in months, if ever, for no other reason than I think that given the coming events I won't get around to cleaning those things again for months or longer. (Next up are those wooden grates on the cold-air return ducts. The ones nobody notices.)
Another item on the list? Packing overnight bags and a small cooler to bring to the hospital. Pack clothes? Maybe. Pack crackers and sodas at this point? That can wait.
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There's nest building under way, too. I'd post a photo of the progress I've made on the remodeling upstairs, but you'd question my use of the word "progress." Perhaps I'll wait until it's insulated to provide another photo update. (No, it's not insulated yet. Yes, I know it's January.)
Still, progress is being made. For instance, the ceiling is reinforced, the closets larger, the walls sturdier. And I'm looking forward to when Anni can stack her children's books on the built-in bookshelf I'm attempting to build in the nursery.
The nest building continues. It's enjoyable work.
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The irony in nesting, though, is that it is peripheral preparation.
For instance, we'll have a place to change diapers, but when it comes time to change that first diaper, will I know what to do? Maybe. (Just recently I learned of the term "blowout.")
We'll have baby food stocked, but do I know how frequently a baby needs to be fed and what's best for a baby's diet? Nope. (How soon can it eat ice cream with Dad?)
We've got a kit of medical stuff for newborns, but do I know how to detect an infant ear infection? Nope.
We know where the baby will be delivered, but do I know what I'm going to do the moment the nest expands from two occupants to three? Nope.
I hope that just as the hard-wired nesting instincts kicked in, whatever child-rearing intuition I have will do the same.