Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Nesting

Last weekend we set out to rearrange the upstairs bedrooms in preparation for the arrival of our little girl. Augustine (19 months) moved from the nursery into our guest room, which required assembling an additional crib and cleaning out many of the items we were "storing" in the guest bedroom. It was somewhat time consuming, but thankfully the upstairs of our house is now very organized!

The nursery was painted in a sky blue, perfect for a baby boy. I wasn't in the mood to paint anything, so I opted instead for a few quick changes, and I'm pleased that these few things transformed the room into a girly nursery.

First, I cleaned and ironed Gianna's old pinked checked valences, and I love the way they look on the windows with the sky blue paint. I then cleaned some of Gianna's old baby blankets to add a nice touch to the crib and chair. I purchased a new changing table cover (pink polka dots). And finally, Gianna helped me decorate the room with butterfly and flower stickers. I was a little worried that these wall decals might look tacky, but they added a great touch, transformed the room, and will be very easy to remove when we want to change things around. We still have a few pictures to hang, but overall this nursery redo took about one hour, and cost under $20!




And I should also add that I sorted, washed, and folded all of our baby's clothes. In the process I a came across this adorable dress, and had tears in my eyes as I remembered our baby Gianna getting her first set of baby pictures taken in this dress.



And then it all hit me. We are having another baby, another little person will soon join our family. My pregnancy has been so difficult that I have been counting down the days until our baby's birth, all along thinking of the birth as an event that will make me "unpregnant!" But seeing this dress brought me a lot of joy. I sighed, I got nostalgic, and I was suddenly excited. Our baby girl is arriving soon, and in the end, THAT is all that matters.

At my midwife appointment yesterday, after discussing my latest aches and other health ailments, my midwife looked through my chart and commented that I have really had a rough pregnancy. After this comment, she handed me a form for my birth plan, or as they like to call it, "Birthing Hopes and Dreams". I laughed and said, "In all honesty, I only have 3 goals for this birth. I want a healthy baby, under 10 pounds, and I don't want a c-section. I'm sorry if these goals are a little lame for you and this all-natural birthing center!" She looked at me and said, "with what you have been through, I think those are GREAT goals." And so they are.

And I will keep this little dress out to remind me of my baby girl, and my very simple birthing hopes and dreams.

10 comments:

B-Mama said...

I can't wait to meet the little girl who will don that dress! She is going to be a remarkable addition to your brood... How wonderful that God will reward your 9 mos. of aches and pains with a beautiful little girl. You can make it through anything for that!

B-Mama said...

Oh and the nursery looks fantastic! Way to get things in order. The FlyLady would be so proud.

Nori Coleman said...

Looks great! Sweet and simple.

Kat said...

Red, the nursery looks beautiful, just perfect for your new baby girl!

Karen said...

It is so much fun to get ready for a new baby. I thought it was a stock picture at first. Praying all your birth dreams come true.

Kristen Laurence said...

The room is beautiful, Red! I'm so excited to see your new baby girl. Soon, soon!

Amy said...

I remember sewing that quilt on the crib for Gianna before she was born. I am so glad that you will soon have another sweet baby girl to cuddle in it!

Right Said Red said...

Thanks Ladies, I appreciate your comments and compliments on the room.

Kristen, a compliment from you on the room means a lot, it is as if the Catholic Martha Stewart told me my room looked beautiful! I am always so impressed by your decorating skills.

Amy, I love the quilt! I still remember discussing how you couldn't use the bear fabric because you decided the bears looked angry. Haha! So funny. Gianna used the quilt often as a baby and now our new little girl will put it to great use. You are so sweet to have taken the time to make it for us. I thought of you when I pulled it out of the bin on Saturday. I hope you are well and enjoying married life.

Mary Alice said...

Red, I am always so impressed by your "just do it" attitude. You keep your home simple but your rooms are all decorated just enough to feel like home. I make grand plans, get exhausted and over whelmed and my windows are still bare!

Kate E. said...

Red, I love that we are having another baby due at the same time (although you lapped me and had one in between our last birthday boys). Because I did the same exact nesting last weekend! Got down all the gear, did the washing, and cleaned out a guest room with way too much junk. I didn't find any cute baby girl gear since this is our first girl, but I did sort out all the lovely unisex clothes and decided that I need to continue my nesting with some girly knitting to spice up these plain basics.

Your nursery pics have me all excited, we aren't doing a nursery since we are doing a big home renovation when the babe will be about 4 months so we are waiting to decorate but you have me inspired for then!

Wishing you an event free birth, those goals sound good to me :)