Rocking in the chair.
Sitting cross-legged on the rug, in the middle of the floor.
Just waiting.
And imaging how it will probably never be this quiet in this room ever again.
And that makes me pretty excited.
I remember when we started this nursery project. The red walls and empty space was a bit daunting, not to mention, overwhelming.
I knew it would be a process to turn all of the images, dreams and schemes in my head into a reality...into a room fit for our little bean.
Even before we knew if bean was a he or a she, we tackled those stripes and bought the worlds most comfiest chair.
And then we waited. And waited. And after many weeks, after we discovered we were having a girl, I made the very long to-do list that, after all was completed, would turn that empty striped room into a nursery fit for a queen.
But I knew I was in a race against time. A deadline. September 5th. No. That wasn't bean's expected arrival date. That was the date of the first Cowboys game. The start of the National Football League and the beginning of a steady decline in my husband's "free" time. I knew I had to get him motivated to get everything on the list done before then. Because let's face it, building bookshelves or painting dressers would be competing with Tony Romo and that wasn't a battle I was willing to face. At least not when it comes to bookshelves or paint. But should I go into labor and find myself competing against Tony for my husband's undivided attention on Thanksgiving day well, let's just say, I'll win that battle, hands down. Besides, we all know Tony doesn't do well under pressure. Especially pressure from a pregnant woman under the pains of labor.
Anyways, enough about the Cowboys. Back to the nursery. First on the list was the baby furniture. Olivia is lucky to have cousins that were gracious enough to pass down their crib and changing table. They were a perfect fit for her room and have a special meaning because of babes that slept their before. The only stipulation, some assembly required. And the assembly of the crib went pretty much like you see in the movies. The pregnant wife giving directions and the husband refusing to read the instructions or take any suggestions. Well, maybe it wasn't quiet as bad as the scenes from the movies, but still, I was glad to get "set up crib" crossed off the to-do list.
It just so happened my parents were in the process of cleaning out some of their old (circa 1980's) stuff and happened to have a dresser. At first glance, this dresser was nothing special and certainly nothing I would have selected for our nursery. But with a little convincing and creativity from my husband, after looking past the surface, I knew it would be perfect.
But the first dresser problem was that it wasn't the right height. Cue in my handy husband and four dresser legs from Home Depot. All we needed to do was secure the dresser legs to the bottom of the dresser to add a few inches of height. Of course, nothing is ever as easy as a pregnant, non-handy, "never-used power tools" woman imagines. And so, when Kev flipped over the dresser to "just screw on the legs" he discovered he had his work cut out for him. But with a few 2X4's, 4X4's and a little bit of patience, he accomplished it and we crossed off "add legs to dresser" from the to-do list.
The next dresser problem, as I'm sure you can tell, is the color. Now, I'm sure this wood was popular in the 80's but fast forward 20 years and well, I'd say it's a bit outdated. And the knobs, yes, those had to go too.
After debating colors and looking at swatches in Lowes, we finally settled on a color. Not black or even white. Those colors were too predictable. We settled on yellow. Bright, sunshine, mustard-colored yellow.
First we sanded it. Then we primed it.
And then we painted it bright, bright yellow.
And replaced those outdated knobs we diamond, flower-shaped ones...the perfect touch of bling.
There was only one missing critical furniture element. We needed a little table or nightstand next to the chair. Luckily, after scouring a couple of thrift stores, I found this little beauty and bought it for less than $20. We painted it the same bright, bright yellow and added the same bling knobs.
With all of the furniture built and painted, all that was left on Kevin's side of the to-do list was hang the flat screen and build the shelves inside the closet.
The shelves in the closet were simple and within a couple hours, he had them assembled and I had them filled with blankets, baskets and extra bedding.
Hanging the flat screen was really Kevin's idea and if it meant he'd get to spend time rocking his daughter back to sleep at 3AM while watching Sports Center ,while this mama got an extra hour or two of sleep, well, sign me up.
But putting a TV on a wall is a challenge in itself. Hiding the cords so they don't dangle down from the TV to the outlets is a whole other battle. Nothing though that Kevin and his brother and a Sunday afternoon couldn't fix. And just like that we were watching ESPN in bean's room in no time.
Now it was time for bedding, curtains and accessories. I wanted to continue the theme of not having a theme. I wanted bright colors. Patterns. Flowers. Polka-dots and stripes. Girly, but not too much pink. I wanted everything to coordinate, but nothing to be too matchy-matchy.
And so a quilt from Etsy. Paired with a bed skirt from one website. Coordinated with a bed sheet and bumper pad from another website. And then as a final touch, we added the softest stuffed owl.
When it came to a mobile, I was determined to make something different and unique...especially after seeing the lack of options available in the stores. None of them fit the concept I was looking for. So, I simply bought two of those Styrofoam balls from Hobby Lobby and disassembled lots of old flowers and with a little hot glue and fishing string, I had these flower balls hanging from the ceiling directly above bean's crib.
An owl cookie-jar turned piggy bank sits on the left of the bright yellow dresser. And on the right, a turquoise and coral vase of flower stems and a metallic rocking horse, a garage sale find by Olivia's cousin. He thought she would love how shiny it is. He's right. She's going to love it.
An owl pillow is the final touch to the worlds comfiest chair. And those pink curtains, although I originally bought them online, when they were delivered, they were too long and not wide enough for the windows. But they were the perfect color. So rather than sending them back, I sent them home with the woman who can sew and fix anything. My mom. Bean's grandma. Somehow, she managed to rotate them 90 degrees and sew a new curtain pocket on them so that they fit the windows perfectly.
And there you have it. Bean's room. It turned out just how I wanted and imagined. Perfect for her.
All that's missing, is bean herself.
And so, until she gets here, we're still waiting and enjoying these final couple months.
Sitting in her room. Waiting on her and picturing the hours we'll spend playing on the rug. Rocking in the chair. Changing and dressing her on the table. And watching her sleep peacefully in her crib.
Some days I still can't believe it.
But each day it becomes more and more real. Each kick in my tummy. Each blanket washed and folded. Each diaper put in the drawer.
And each doctor's appointment where he reports the number of centimeters my stomach measures. Yes. Bean is indeed growing. As is evidenced by the bump below. 32 weeks and still growing. Growing and waiting.
