It’s me here—Alma—and I’m still waiting for the baby to come. I’m at 39 weeks and for some reason I really thought that he’d come before now. Probably I felt that Murphy’s Law would have him come on Christmas. He didn’t! And I even went on a walk through a foot of snow on Christmas night to see if I could put myself into early labor (or really to bring down my blood sugars after Christmas dinner because I have gestational diabetes) and he still hasn’t come!
At least I feel prepared on the home front. After last writing about baby preparation, I went out immediately and bought all (most) of the items on the lists that I linked to, plus all (most) of the items that you recommended, too! Thanks so much for your help!
I thought today I’d show you my nursery progress. It’s funny that I’ve put so much effort and emphasis on getting this room all ready when really, he’ll be sleeping in our room for a while in a bassinet. Oh well. This room will at least be ready for feedings and diaper changes and for accommodating my mom who will be staying with us for two weeks after he is born.
Here is the crib. In our prenatal class, a pediatrician really recommended against bumper pads, so I just decided to put our bumper pad around the base of the crib to hide everything I’ve stored under there. Above the crib is a darling mobile that Mike bought for me for Mother’s Day all the way back in May when we were just so excited to have a wee little embryo. You can also see a bobby pillow that I bought for feedings. When I bought it, the cashier commented on how cute it is and I refrained from saying that it made me want to throw up it was so ugly, but I’ll be covering it as soon as I possibly can. Sorry if you have this at home and love it. To each his own, I guess…
Here is the glider chair. A friend found it for us this summer at a garage sale for $5. I can honestly say it’s one of the most sturdy and comfy gliders I’ve sat in, so we’re excited to have it! I’ll be recovering the cushions maybe while my mom is in town to help so that the chair fits into the room well.
Here is our guest bed, all made up and ready for my mom. There is a green wall behind the guest bed that Mike will make into a simple mural in the next few months.
I took KJ’s advice on getting an organizer for the back of the door. So far you can see that we have minimal small baby items like toys and rattles and stuff, but I’m sure that this will fill up easily over the next several months!
This is, perhaps, one of my favorite features of the room! We have a very roomy closet in the baby’s room that I have organized to the point that only baby stuff is inside. A baby dresser with a changing pad fit perfectly in the space. Behind the changing pad, I’ve hung a laundry hamper so that it’s just right there! This is a very practical and usable space now!
There are still things to do, like sew cushion covers, replace the accent pillows on the bed, etc. One major thing is actually hanging artwork on the walls. I have a lot of really great prints to put on the walls (most of them bird related, actually) but as my dear, patient husband can attest, I have a phobia of actually nailing anything to a wall. (This is why our living room has been littered with artwork around the baseboards for the last four months.) Maybe this will be another project that I can get my mom to help with…
I’d love to know anything that you’ve done in your nurseries that you’ve loved and recommend, or that you found didn’t work at all!
Do you have a dimmer switch for your lamp? I tell you that was my saving grace of keeping my baby asleep during night feedings, and with you it will help with your mother as well. There is nothing worse than being blinded by a bright light in the middle of the night. The dimmer switch is very easy to use as it has a slider so you can adjust the light as bright as you want when you want. I think we got ours at Home Depot. Cheap and simple, but a wonderful addition to any nursery or any room for that matter. Good luck and congratulations in advance!
it’s so exciting! I think the room looks great, ( I love the dot bedding) and you seem really prepared. I wish there were a way to prepare you for the way your heart will turn to a puddle of goo once the baby arrives and again every time he coos or wiggles. Good luck! I went into labor 2 days before my due date, and hadn’t had a single contraction (or any kind of activity) up until that very night and then it all happened at once. Have your bag packed and don’t leave your camera in the car!
Good luck, and I hope your baby’s birth and the recovery is quick and everything goes well! The only suggestion that I have is to relax and love this time, and remember the baby won’t know whether the whole house is spotless. I remember I was a mess thinking that I needed to get EVERYTHING in order for my first…for the next two I didn’t let myself stress as much, just did what I could and let myself enjoy it much more.
I’m 35 weeks and feeling so ready for the end too! We’re all about getting the nursery together too. Our first one didn’t have a nursery just a crib in our room (which I’m sure is much more practical) but I’m having so much fun doing the nursery. One tip…that I did in my son’s room… A clothesline on the wall. When they are little you can display pictures, tiny clothes and fun stuff. Now that son is bigger, I use it to dry his paintings and creations. I’m sure I’ll have pictures of our room soon too!
Good Luck..can’t wait to hear about your new little one.
I just bought ‘THE blue ghost’ at target for our baby due in Jan. Thought it would be a good night-light for him when he gets a little bigger, but also a good night-light for me when I need to get up and feed him over the next few months. You can charge it during the day, and then remove the cord at night and carry it around with you! It’s the coolest! Oddly enough, friends with their 2 year old just stayed with us, and they brought their blue ghost with them on their trip (not knowing I had one). Their daughter sleeps with the blue ghost in her crib. We laughed but both agreed, it’s one of the best products Ikea has ever come up with!
I agree with dim lights – don’t wake that baby when changing night diapers!! Keep him as sleepy as possible. Diaper stackers are lame. Oh, i LOVE our fisher price lullabye thing – it attaches to the side of the crib and it has a night setting that has a very soft light, wonderful music AND it projects little birdies and butterflies onto the ceiling!! My little guy would be mezmorized by it and it helped him fall asleep for every nap as well. :) And congrats on the baby – my first was TEN days late, yes, TEN! And right now I am 37 weeks preggo with baby #2 – a little girl. Anyhoo – hope he makes an appearance soon! Congrats, best of luck and have fun!
My daughter would like this.
i like that it helps you connect with you daughter, wich i think im having some trouble with.
thanks
mommy2skie@yahoo.com
i dont know how i messed up with the comment thingy. but i ment to tell you that its beautiful and i wish a quick delivery.
Alma,
Where are the lists you linked to in an earlier post? I am adopting in less thana month and am scrambling to get everything ready! I need all the help and lists I can get! Thanks!