Looking forward to… Spring 2021

Here’s a fun fact: In Denmark, the seasons start on the first of the month, instead of around the 20th like in the US! At least, that’s what we learned in one of my Danish classes…

So that means today, March 1, is officially the first day of spring in Denmark. Yay!!!!!!! I’m sure we’ll still have some cold weather, but officially, winter is behind us.

I always get excited about everything that comes with a new season (and I can never pick a favorite), so I thought I’d start a series of things I’m looking forward to each season.

Here’s what I’m looking forward to in March, April, and May this year!

Getting ready for baby

So this is really like, 50 things in one. But baby is due at the end of May, which means spring is crunch time!! I won’t even try to list all the things we need to do in the next (less than) 3 months here, but I will keep y’all updated!

Basically a lot of nesting

We obviously need to get our apartment set up for the new addition, but I didn’t realize the can of worms that would open when we started. We are lucky to have a second bedroom in our apartment, which has been a guest room/office/random storage space for the last 2.5 years. We’re converting that into the baby’s room, which means all the stuff that was in there before needs to go somewhere else. We’re getting rid of a lot of it, but some of it just needs to be moved elsewhere in our apartment. This has prompted a lot of reorganizing and redecorating already, and I’m hoping we can get it all finished — and make the apartment feel organized and cozy — by the time the baby comes. So I guess that’s “nesting.”

Finishing up my spring capsule wardrobe

I’ve been using capsule wardrobes — basically smaller selections of clothes that you switch out each season — since college, and I don’t think I could ever go back to not using them in some form. I love the process of shopping my own closet for clothes to wear each season; everything old is new again! And having an organized collection of clothes that I am excited about wearing every day gives me so much satisfaction and makes my life a lot easier (goodbye, decision fatigue). It’s been a little harder to build capsule wardrobes the last couple of seasons because, erm, pregnancy. I’ve had to buy more new clothes than I normally do and quite honestly, it feels like a chore since I’ve had to shop online, and I really have no idea how clothes will fit me when they arrive (it’s been extremely hit-or-miss). So I’m hoping to get my spring capsule finished up this week, and be DONE shopping for a while.

Socializing more, especially outside

In Denmark, we were lucky that we actually didn’t spend much of 2020 in strict lockdown compared to many other places (especially in the US). But we have been pretty locked-down since mid-December. Denmark is starting to slowly re-open, which is lucky, because warmer weather makes me want to spend all my time outside enjoying it with friends!! Here’s hoping that we can start having more (safe) gatherings over the next couple of months.

Going on a babymoon… mayyyybeee?

This is another Covid-dependent one. I know “babymoons” aren’t as much of a thing here as they are in the US, but the idea is for parents-to-be to go on a small trip before the baby comes. We had scheduled a weekend trip to a spa hotel in Denmark, but (surprise!!!) that’s been canceled since some restrictions are continuing into April. We’re debating if it’s worth rescheduling at this point, but it sure would be nice…

Easter break

I mean, school breaks are always exciting (I’m a teacher, for anyone new here!). We get 10 days off for Easter in Denmark–the week before Easter plus Easter Monday–which I love. Coming back from a break on a Tuesday is so much better than coming back on a Monday, am I right? We don’t have any big plans for the break (since our spa trip was canceled, anyway…) but sometimes that’s the best kind.

Starting my maternity leave

My maternity leave starts six weeks (six!!!!!!) before my due date, so my last day of work will be in mid-April. (It should go without saying that I am incredibly grateful to be in Denmark, where new parents are afforded such generous leave.) Of course, it will be sad to leave my class before the end of the school year, but I’m looking forward to having that time to focus on getting ready for the baby.

Celebrating birthdays — and finding a good gluten free cake recipe!!

We’ll be celebrating a lot of birthdays in the spring. All of my husband’s and my immediate family members have birthdays in April, May, and June (and coincidentally, the baby will also fit in here). So I’m excited to celebrate all the birthdays, hopefully with loosened Covid restrictions. And since my husband’s birthday is in April, I want to find a good gluten-free cake recipe before then! (Obviously I’ll share that here if I’m successful!)

Your turn! What are you looking forward to this spring??