If You Build It, They Will Come

Weeeeeeeeee're ready! Well, as ready as any first-time parents can be. The nursery is painted, the furniture is assembled, and Nathan is so excited that he doesn't even mind how cutesy everything has become. Mom and I painted the room a couple of months ago, but the room has come together just recently. It only took Nathan 25 minutes to put the crib together. (I was timing him, much to his consternation.) The painting of the dresser and toy box took a little longer--we had to put two coats of stinky primer on, and nearly two coats of paint.

Here you can see the toy box (newly painted) that my dad made for me when I was a little girl. Also, the rocking chair I got for $2 (!) at a garage sale last summer. I am planning on reupolstering it.

Here you can see the lovely dresser that my mom bought when she was a teenager, and that I used when I was growing up. Over the years it had turned a little green, but now it is bright white again, looking better than I've ever seen it look. Above it is the picture that was my inspiration for the whole room, a poster of a little girl fairy sleeping on a mushroom. The paint (a rosy kind of pink, not pastel-baby-girl-pink) was picked to match the picture.

There are also smaller pictures of little girl fairies around the room.

I promised earlier that I would talk about the baby shower (back in February) and now I will. We got so many cute and useful things that it would be impossible to name them all. The shower was thrown by my good friend Heather. I was surprised how many people were able to come. We got stuffed animals, a receiving blanket, bath supplies, a car seat, crib sheets, homemade burp cloths, toys, and oodles of darling little girl clothes! Later we got more things from family, like the crib, a high chair, an AngelCare baby monitor (that monitors breathing), and a stroller. It was more than I ever thought we'd get; we have been very blessed. Once little Annalee is born I will post so many pictures of her that it will probably overload the Google server, but when they get that repaired you will be able to see all the cute little outfits and various other gifts in action.

Right now we are just waiting. Nathan was disappointed when she didn't make her appearance on April Fool's Day, but so far it seems she is determined to hold out for three more weeks. Her mommy would be very happy if she came any time now, since things are getting more than a little uncomfortable. The doctor says she is head down (as if I couldn't FEEL her head with every waddling step!) and that she is cleared to come any time. Because of that, Nathan and my brother Steven have gone into panic mode. They carry their cell phones around with them religiously, and every time the phone rings they freak out, thinking that I am in labor. They also can't seem to grasp the amount of time required for a baby to make its appearance. They talk about "rushing to the hospital" even though I've tried to explain to them that it wouldn't make sense for me to go right away because first babies take so long. When I stayed after church last Sunday for a 1-hour meeting Nathan made sure that the ladies with me knew how to get ahold of him. (The church is a block from our house.) I just laugh and shake my head. Nathan is trained as an LPN and he can quote for you anything about labor and delivery that you'd like to know. But when it comes to his wife and his child, the male-panic-instinct takes over and he is just like every other dad-to-be!