Nesting

Dan and I just started our birthing class this week. I'm 36 weeks pregnant and there are a total of 4 class sessions, so we are cutting it pretty close, but it's when we could fit it in -- and when they could fit us in! We learned about the signs that labor was approaching. Nesting, occuring 1-2 days before the onset of labor, was listed. Dan has attributed my flurry of activity around the house to nesting, but I'm pretty sure that this is just general preparedness, my way of getting my head around the fact that we'll have a baby in our arms, soon! But yet, since there are some bird elements in this nursery, I can still call it nesting.

The nursery has been the most planned room in our house, by far. It is one of two rooms that are painted, the guest room being the other. Choosing the color alone took many paint swatches. I wanted to do the room in a light blue-green with pink and coral accents, but I was had difficulty finding the correct shade in the blue family. I finally tore a picture of a tiffany blue journal from a magazine, brought it to the store, and matched it up at Lowe's, and lo and behold, I was in the very palest of the greens! (I still think it is blue, but I'm no expert.) Dan's parents helped us paint when they came out in July and brought the crib for us to use as well.

Next up, I snagged cute curtains at Gabriel Brothers for less than $20. Then, inspired by their cheery colors, I repainting a cabinet formerly used for kitchen storage a nice bright green. I giggled along to Tina Fey's Bossy Pants while sanding, priming, and painting it. Then, I regretted my decision. Oh, not about Bossy Pants, although it is decidedly difficult to chuckle while painting with a full bladder. The regret was about the very bright green. After moaning to my sister about it for several days on the phone, I decided to wait and see if the other things in the room toned it down.

Here's how the nursery looks now, to the best of my photography abilities. On the left, we have the dresser (purchased from Ikea) with a changing pad on top. There's enough space for wipes up there as well, as well as whatever else we want handy. The green cabinet has more diapering supplies, both cloth and disposable, extra crib sheets, and swaddling sacks. Above the dresser is her special shelf, which I had when I was a girl. Her crib is on the right, with clothing for the months and years ahead stored underneath. (I might want to come up with a way of concealing it better, but plastic tubs are so convenient!)

Items on the special shelf include knick knacks from when I was a girl, Dan's embroidered birth announcement, a cross stitch one of his aunts made him, and various bird houses. We'll switch things out as other items become special. Also, notice the little horse on the changing pad. Of course it won't end up there, but we love it. Dan's mom, sister, sister-in-law, and nieces bought it for the newest addition to the family while at the beach! Dan has declared that THIS will be her stuffed animal. 

Across from the changing area, we have the crib and the mobile my sister and I made! Also, we have the quilt my grandma created, which goes perfectly with our color scheme. And yes, the boppy is in the crib. It won't stay there, don't worry. 

For a few more details, we've got polka dot sheets (and pink and flowered!) and a sweet dust ruffle with a little purple ribbon running around the edge. The dust ruffle came from my friend Mary, when I was helping them pack up to move (weep, weep!). She had several in her basement, still in their original Pottery Barn packaging, and I fell in love. She told me I could take one, and I've been hiding it my closet ever since, hoping to have a little girl. Look who got her wish! 

The bird mobile was a blast to make. Joanna and I found the pattern for birds on Pinterest, and we sewed and stuffed them while hanging out in New York a few weeks ago. The actual construction of the mobile was done by Dan the Man, who used fishing line to suspend it above the crib. The bunting was a shower decoration crafted by Joanna, and the wall art were Goodwill frames that found new life in our nursery. (First I decided to spray paint them all pink, then decided it was too much pop!, and consequently painted three of them gray.) They are filled with fabric left over from the bird mobile, some of the deconstructed bunting, and a quote from the internet. The sweet giraffe stool (currently the home of a plant) is from Dan's sister, too. I love it!

A nursery would not be complete without a chair of some sort. Dan's sister spotted this one on a mother's group garage sale, sat in it for us, and declared it super comfy. We both agree. We both like to sit there and pray for our little one in these weeks leading up to her arrival. We've a library to the left, thanks to the shower attendees, and a basket filled with blankets, burp cloths, and a baby carrier plopped on top. Other baby stuff is stashed behind the chair. I know her arrival is imminent, but I don't care to clutter our downstairs in these last few weeks of pre-baby-ness. (Who am I kidding? We have her stroller and car seat parked in our dining room.) In any case, that's where some extra stuff is stashed right now. 

So the nursery is pretty much set! I need to wash all her clothes and cut off tags, and perhaps organize her dressers a bit better. The only other thing is something I have a question about is... lighting! There is an overhead light/fan combo that I was thinking about putting on a dimmer switch. Let me rephrase: There is an overhead light/fan combo that I was thinking about asking Dan to convert to a dimmer switch. But for night time diaper changing and feedings, does anyone have advice for a lighting source? Will a bright night light do, that I can switch off and on? A small lamp? Or just put the overhead lights on dim? Advice, please!