In these last days before dash two arrives I have been busy finishing details in the nursery, taking leisurely afternoon naps, enjoying blissfully long nights of sleep (with the exception of middle of the night bathroom breaks) and munching on whatever pleases my palette, which has been lots of peanut M&M's, potato chips and other random sweets. In short... it has been wonderful!
I am starting to get a little anxious though! I will be 39 weeks on Tuesday and I know the day is arriving... if I only knew when! There is excitement in not knowing, but also a bit of stress as I can't really make a plan. And I am girl who really does not do well without a plan! I worry about James even though I know he will be fine. And I worry about the pain... since I will be going epidural free this time. I know I can handle it, but if I start thinking about it too much it really freaks me out! It's definitely better for me to keep my mind off of the actual labor and delivery.
So I have been busying myself with nursery details and it is just about finished. I am waiting on a picture I had framed, which should be done later this week. But otherwise it is all ready for our sweet boy! James is so cute. When I tell him we are going to the baby's room he runs right up the stairs and down the hall into his room. He has recently started giving my belly kisses. I pray all the time that these boys will be fast friends, fiercely loyal and protective of one another. I can't wait to see them playing together one day in the not so distant future!
We now have two nurseries side by side... who would have thought? I love it! They are both so sweet and perfect, but in very different ways. I am really happy with the way they have both turned out. Here are a few pictures of our "new" nursery.
I wasn't going to get a new nursery chair because I thought I could just take James' out of his room, but when it came time I couldn't bear the thought of taking it away from him. He loves his chair and we sit in it all the time! So, I decided to spring for a new one and I love it! It is super comfy and I am sure I will be spending lots of time in it!
Early on I knew that I wanted light colored furniture since we did mahogany in James' room. I love the dark wood, but it is a pain to keep clean! Plus, the woodwork in the room is an off white color so I thought a cream color would be so pretty. Of course, I was picturing a pink nursery of sorts and God has given us another little boy. So, I had to revamp my plans a bit.
I knew that I wanted to do something with the alphabet, but I wasn't quite sure what. I didn't want it to be a totally alphabet theme, but I did want to incorporate the idea. I saw these really neat vintage canvas prints on the Restoration Hardware site, but they were well over $300. I thought that was crazy! A few months later I was searching on Pinterest and found a woman who had replicated the Restoration Hardware idea for around $20. I was so excited! I borrowed my moms' Cricut and all of her scrapbook papers and set to work. I ended up deviating from the vintage look and just did my own thing with the letters and pictures, but I love the way it turned out! I am so not "crafty" so I was very proud of myself for taking on this project. The total cost ended up being around $40... mainly just the cost of the canvases and some spray adhesive.
The bookshelves were another Pinterest idea. I wanted a bookshelf of some sort, but didn't want to spend several hundred dollars on the one that went with his furniture. Plus, I just wanted something different. I had set my heart on using inexpensive spice racks from Ikea, but was disappointed to find they were out of stock indefinitely because everyone else in the Pittsburgh area had the same idea. Then I stumbled upon these and thought they were really cool! I knew Paul could make them and he did such a great job! I absolutely love them! We still need a few more books, but I am so pleased with the way they turned out.
I also love this ABC lamp, which my mom found at Pottery Barn Kids. It fits the room perfectly!
We put his crib on an angle for a little more interest and I chose this sweet bedding from Glenna Jean that just about sent me over the edge because it took eight weeks to get here! It was worth the wait though because I do love it. My mom just recently found some of the fabric at Hobby Lobby and made a valance for the window, which we still need to hang.
The last project I completed was the tree wall decal. I don't know what I would do without the internet because that is where I get pretty much all of my ideas! Again, Pinterest inspired me and I saw this really cool tree that a woman had painted on the wall in her nursery. For a brief moment I thought about painting one myself. Then I remembered that I am not a good artist and an even worse painter! I typed in "wall tree decal" on Google and low and behold there were hundreds of sites. This was one of the first ones I looked at and instantly loved it. It was a bit labor intensive to install. I had to cut out each one of the leaves individually and stick them on, but I love the way it turned out!
Lastly... the closet. I had this old bookshelf from when I lived in my apartment and we really had no other use for it, so I thought it would be good for extra storage in the closet. My original diaper bag is on the top shelf, which I still love but don't use very often. I traded it for one that has a messenger strap that I can put across my shoulder and keep in place more easily. The green box is James' "buddy box" that was suggested in a book I read. It is filled with little treats that will hopefully keep him occupied in the beginning days when I have to feed the baby all the time. We'll see how well it works!
It really came together much better than I had even imagined. I can't wait to get him settled in there! Now all that is left to do is wait.
I am praying that the Lord will bring this little baby soon and that he will come strong and swiftly into the world. I have complete confidence that He is in control and already knows every detail, therefore it's silly for me to worry. It is in His hands and I trust in His name. Praise Him!
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
~Psalm 52: 8-9
And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
~Hebrews 6:15
