Peach Kissed: A Nursery Story

Finally! It's about freaking time, right? You wouldn't expect a mother to take 11 months to finish a nursery and then find time to take pictures but...who am I kidding? It obviously took this mother that long! So forgive me. Here it is: Anna's precious nursery, her safe haven, where she lays her tiny head at night.

As most of you know I was absolutely thrilled when we found out we were having a girl. I couldn't wait to dress her up in ribbons and bows and pretty little outfits. But when it came to the nursery I knew I didn't want to go the traditional route of pinks. Let me tell you though, it's difficult trying to decorate a room for a little person you do not know yet. You don't know their personality, what they're going to like, who they're going to be. I tried to find colors and styles that I knew I liked and hoped that it would match with our baby's personality. And it's been perfect for Anna! I wanted a room that felt soft and delicate and sweet. I wanted lines that were fun to look at for a little person. I wanted colors that were feminine and clean. And I wanted a room that anyone, especially Anna, would enjoy spending their time.

Half of Anna's furniture is from Ikea. The other half is the furniture I used as a baby and little girl. Like this dresser below:

 I knew I wanted a special place to hold all of Anna's bows. I found the perfect idea on pinterest (gosh, I love that site!) for this adorable frame with ribbons. I also collected Anna's first hat and hospital bracelets and placed them in a mason jar next to one of my all time favorite pictures.

I love these three shelves. They hold so many precious ornaments and mementos. The doll on the top shelf was handmade especially for Anna and given to her by her Great-Grammy. The book next to the doll was a gift from her Great-Grampa and was written in the early 1900s with the main character named Anna. The picture on the top shelf was illustrated by a family member on Travis' side. The clear mason jar on the bottom shelf holds shells collected on our babymoon last year with Anna in mind. And the blue mason jars were a gift from Anna's Grandma.

The little rocking chair and cradle were mine from when I was a little girl. I still remember sitting in that chair reading to my stuffed animals and putting my dolls to bed in that cradle. I look forward to see Anna do the same. 

I knew I wanted to make Anna's mobile and this little guy was completed only days before she arrived. I never expected Anna to love it as much as she does. Whenever I pick her up out of her bed in the morning or after naps she looks towards her birds with an outstretched hand and when I ask "Anna, where are your birdies?" she immediately looks to them.

So now that you've seen all the tidy pictures, here's what Anna's room usually looks like:

My hope is that Anna will continue to love her room (because God knows how long it took us to finish!) and enjoy spending time learning new things here. I hope it's a place she feels safe to explore, to play pretend, and a place comfy and cozy enough to sleep and be blessed with many great dreams. 

Nursery on a budget

Crib and mattress, chair, shelves, lamps, frames, curtain rods, vases, waste baskets, mirror: Ikea 

Dresser, little table, little chair, cradle: hand-me-downs

Bookcase: Craigslist, $30

Pillows, curtains, changing pad cover, mobile, Little Blue Bird, "Take Heart" picture: handmade by me

"Adventure is Out There" picture: Urban Outfitters, $10

Rug: rugsusa.com, $25

Letter A: cardboard "A" from Hobby Lobby, $1 and fabric 

My Baby is What Size?!

Ok, riddle me this: how does my baby go from a mango to a cantaloupe in one week?! I'll tell you what, whether it's true or not, my belly sure feels like I've got a cantaloupe inside of it! Just in the last week I feel like so many wonderful things have happened to my body and what's going on inside. Praise God for the miracle of pregnancy and the joy it has brought to me as a woman! (Travis is kind of jealous) Some days I wish I could take a peek inside (I guess I did that a few weeks back during my ultrasound) and see my baby girl doing her kicks and flips and somersaults and see the beauty of her growth. I can tell she's growing like crazy because I'm eating like my 14 year old brother who goes through a bag of Doritos in one sitting, and when I wake up in the morning my belly hasn't disappeared like it did in the beginning--oh, it's there and oh, it's quite a feat just to get out of bed! Her movement isn't in question any longer. I don't have to ask myself "was that gas or was that really a tiny kick?" No, that was definitely a kick! The one kick I felt last night was like a bomb had gone off inside of me--my whole belly shook! It was a very funny and special moment Travis and I got to share together since his hand was on my belly during the war that was waging inside :) 

We are half way there!! And while I relish in the everyday joys of being pregnant and anticipate the upcoming milestones, I have to be honest and say the reality of being a parent is beginning to sink in. Yes, I've wanted to be a mother all my life and yes, I definitely want to be a mother at this point in my life but so many new changes are to come in less than 5 months and I have to wonder to myself am I ready?! Am I ready to love all the time, discipline when needed, be ok with a messy house and spit up on my clothes, be ok not taking my Sunday naps, be able to really demonstrate Christ's love so our daughter will really know Him? Veteran parents out there, please reiterate what I've already heard you say a quadrillion times: "you're never really ready!" Ok, thank you, I feel much better now!  

How far along? 20 Weeks! 

Total weight gain: 7 lbs since my first appointment

Maternity clothes? I received my maternity clothes in the mail on Friday!! Some of the shirts are still waiting for my belly to grow a little bit more but I absolutely love my maxi dress! :)

Stretch marks? Nope but a few spots left over from poison ivy on my belly could pass as stretch marks :( hoping those go away soon!

Sleep: I'm having to definitely sleep on my sides now, sleeping on my back is causing headaches due to Juice Drop pushing down on a major blood vessel (or so the books say lol)

Best moment this week: We picked out fabrics to begin decorating Juice Drop's nursery!

Miss Anything? Being able to walk fast especially when I have to pee!
Movement: Like crazy! She's doing flips, kicking, and moving all over. *see first paragraph*

Food cravings: Water, juicy fruit (not the gum lol)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Queasy/sick, no; dizzy, lightheaded, and headaches, yes

Gender: GIRL!!!

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms: positives--crazy movement from Juice Drop, long nails, good hair, bigger belly; negatives-- headaches, almost peeing in my pants when I sneeze or cough or laugh or when I have to go really bad, aches in my lower back

Belly Button in or out? I think I officially have an outie! 

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy but the mood swings hit pretty quickly and Travis gets the brunt of it; sorry, babe!

Looking forward to: We're heading to Greenville this weekend :)

Take a sneak peek at the colors and textures of Juice Drop's nursery. I'm in love! <3

Going into the fabric store we knew we wanted peach, black, off-white, and cream to be the colors. What we found exceeded our expectations! I love it all! The peach fabric is cotton. The black and cream polka-dot fabric is corduroy. The black and white striped is outdoor fabric. And the beautiful flower piece is satin. 

The clock from Ikea was our starting point. The picture below was our inspiration. We won't be able to get everything from our inspiration because it's so darn expensive but with enough creativity flowing through the both of us I think we can come up with something like the Neutral Niceties and maybe love it even more! 

Our inspiration was found here.

I can't wait to see Juice Drop in her own Nursery!