The past five weeks have gone by in a flash. It’s amazing to me just how much time each day is spent taking care of this little one. Truly, from the time I wake up until I go to bed my world revolves around this baby. Which is why I’m glad that before he arrived, we spent so much time making his room perfect.
Well, there are a few little things I would still like to do such as the mobile to go over the crib and the throw pillow that I’m going to make for the rocking chair, but other than that, the room is complete. And I absolutely love it.
My favorite part has got to be the soft, suede chair where I have spent hours rocking Henry to sleep (and hours spent trying to keep myself awake, I might add). It really is the most comfortable chair on earth and it is perfect for a nursery.
Then we have the shelving/storage unit. The CPA put this together and we happened to find the matching bins at Lowe’s hardware store of all places.
They fit just right and they hold all kinds of goodies like stuffed animals,
baby rattles and teethers,
books,
and toys for Henry to use when he’s a bit older.
The closet beside the storage unit holds the rest of his toys,
as well as most of his clothes.
We even found these great little clothes dividers that allow me to organize them by size. Very helpful when you have everything from newborn to 24 months in one space!
On the other side of the room is the dresser. We got it from JC Penney which is the same place we got the shelving unit. The great thing is that even though all three pieces in the room were not from the same collection, they all match and they were all very inexpensive.
We went with a standard dresser so that after we stop using the changing station on top, we’ll still be able to get plenty of use out of it. But in the meantime, it’s main purpose is to serve as a place to change the baby’s diapers.
The insides of the drawers are full of things like socks and hats,
bibs and burp clothes,
and receiving blankets.
On the other side of the dresser is the crib. Right now Henry only sleeps in it during the day because at night he sleeps in a pack n’ play in our room, but I’m still very pleased with it. I decided not to go with all the fancy bedding although I will say that I was definitely tempted – there’s some beautiful stuff out there! But in the end I figured that he won’t know the difference and I probably won’t use most of it anyway.
As far as the details in the room, we incorporated various maps and travel-related items since we love to take trips and hope to pass that hobby on to our little one. There is the world map decal over the crib and the vintage old world maps on the wall by the door.
Even the initials over the dresser have maps in the background.
The bulletin board over the shelving unit is full of old postcards from places around the world.
But my favorite travel-related items include the globe standing on the floor,
and the globe bookstands on the display shelves.
There are so many other details that I love in this room such as the clear globes hanging from the ceiling fan,
and the toy train and red truck that are perfect for a little boys room.
All of these things add up to make a beautiful nursery.
It’s a place where I’ve already spent many hours and where I plan to spend many more.
It’s taken me three weeks to write this. I think it has something to do with the sleepless nights, the hours spent holding a fussy baby, and the limited amount of time I have to do the basics (such as shower or use the bathroom). But right this minute I have a little one snuggled against me in his baby carrier (our first day trying it – let’s see how he likes it) and I have the use of both my hands so here goes.
My due date was officially Monday, February 8th, 2010. I was excited that it was drawing near, but knowing that only about 15% of women actually deliver on their due date, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In fact, I’ve heard that for first-time moms, labor can come as long as two weeks after the expected due date. So that’s why I was almost glad that my doctor suggested that we induce a few days early since he was worried that I had a mild case of pre-eclampsia. Well, that and the fact that I was officially HUGE and ready to not be pregnant any more.
(This picture, while not the most flattering, was taken the day before delivery and shows just how big I had gotten.)
Thinking that the doctor knows best, we headed to the hospital on Friday afternoon, the 5th, ready to get the show on the road. Now let me stop here to say that there was a big concern at the back of our minds during this whole process – our area had been placed under a severe winter storm warning and the forecast called for 24 inches of snow over the weekend. We were so concerned about the weather that we had my mother, who was to fly in Saturday morning, come Thursday night just in case (it was a good thing too, as all weekend flights ended up being cancelled).
The snow was already coming down but we had made our way to the hospital — my mom, my sister, my husband and I. The problem was that there was no labor room available for us. So we were put in triage room and and tests were run that determined that I didn’t have pre-eclampsia after all. That was the good news. The bad news was that if I wanted to be induced, I was at the bottom of the list and would have to wait quite a while.
It was a dilemma, I tell you. One part of me wanted to stay and get things going and an even greater part of me was terrified of going home and getting snowed in during labor. But on the other hand, sitting around the hospital for hours with the hopes that maybe they’d be able to get to me didn’t sound appealing either. So, even though I was already 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced, we decided to head back home.
It’s a good thing we left when we did because the roads were already getting bad and by Saturday morning, they were impassible. (The picture below is our car in the driveway. With snow like that, we weren’t going anywhere.)
With all this snow, we needed a backup plan. My mother called the police department and asked what the procedure would be if I were to go into labor during the storm. They assured her that the fire truck and ambulance would be able to get to me and take me to the hospital without any problems. (Now that would have been a story!)
But, on Saturday night, a miracle happened. A snow plow came through.
I say it was a miracle because we live at the end of a cul-de-sac and whenever it snows we are the last ones to have our roads plowed. But there it was – we could see asphalt and everything! (The picture below shows the clear sky and the plowed road that greeted us Sunday morning.)
That is why at 4:45 on Monday morning when I felt my first contraction, I didn’t panic (not too much at least) and I turned to my husband and said “this is it.” It wasn’t too painful at first, more like having menstrual cramps. I had also begun bleeding, which had never happened before and when I called the doctor, she told me to head on in to the hospital.
I was pretty calm as I woke everyone up, took a shower, and grabbed my stuff. Unfortunately, by the time we left the house two hours later, I wasn’t feeling so calm. In fact, I had begun to worry that the baby was going to come at any moment. The contractions seemed to have increased and were getting more painful and coming more frequently. Plus, I was still nervous about the condition of the roads.
Thankfully, our trip only took fifteen minutes and when we arrived at the hospital we were taken to a room right away. It was a nice large room too, as far as labor rooms go. (It could have used an update in the decor department, but at that point, I wasn’t really picky.)
It had the necessary equipment and a place for the baby which is what really mattered.
I got settled in and was checked by a nurse who proclaimed that she “thought” I was eight centimeters dilated. Eight centimeters – are you serious? I them told them in no uncertain terms I would be requiring an epideral immediately if not sooner.
By 9:00 my epidural was in (very painless I’m happy to say), by 9:15 the doctor had come by and told me that I was actually only four centimeters dilated, and by 9:30, I was relaxing in bed and getting ready for a long day.
Once I had the medicine in me, I was able to enjoy everything. We relaxed for a while and basically just waited. The time seemed to go fairly quickly – my mom, my sister and my husband were all in attendance and we spent the time playing cards, reading books, and listening to music.
In fact, the whole experience was turning out to be quite pleasant as far as labor goes. I believe that this was because I decided to go the medicated route. I know not everyone agrees with using an epidural, but it worked for me. I had thought about going natural, I really did. But I found that every time I thought about the upcoming birth experience, I was terrified. It wasn’t until I accepted that I was a wimp and I made the decision to go with an epidural that I stopped worrying about it. And it is a decision that I don’t regret.
Now I will say that because I was so relaxed, my contractions started slowing down even after they broke my water. So they started a Pitocin drip in order to speed things up and then we just hung out while waiting for the Pitocin to work its magic. The time went surprisingly quickly and suddenly it was 1:00 and I was 10 centimeters and it was time to push.
Hallelujah!
Of course, I should have known that the pushing wouldn’t be that easy or that quick. While it didn’t hurt, it was definitely hard work. I remember hearing everyone count and cheer me on as I pushed until I felt like I would pass out. In fact, they had me on oxygen in between sets because I was getting so winded.
After a half hour of active pushing, they decided to let the baby descend some more on his own and we would try again in a while. Awhile turned out to be an hour and a half. Then at 3:00 the doctor and his team came back into the room and asked, “are you ready to have this baby?”
Was I ready? That was a good question. I was a bit scared of actually having the baby come out for so many reasons. I didn’t know what to expect as far as the pain went. My epidural had been turned off so that I could feel when to push and I was concerned about not being able to handle it. At the same time, I was ready to be done and to move onto the next stage of this adventure. So I answered, “yes, I’m definitely ready.”
The rest of the team, which included some people from NICU, had also come into the room. Because I had meconium in my amniotic fluid (in other words, the baby had pooped while still inside) and they were concerned about it getting into his lungs. While not an uncommon occurrence, I was told that I wouldn’t be able to hold the baby until they made sure he was okay first. I was fine with that – whatever they needed to do to make sure he was healthy.
I started pushing again. The CPA was by my head holding my leg and encouraging me on. The nurse had my other leg and was telling me what to do. My mother was videotaping the whole thing (yes, you read that correctly) and my sister was taking pictures. Another side note here – I’m so glad that I now have video and pictures of the event because at the time, I really didn’t know what was going on and wouldn’t have wanted to see it if I could. But it was absolutely amazing to go back and watch the whole birth process.
Where was I? Oh yes, pushing. I pushed for a while until the doctor told me that the baby was having a hard time coming out because he was anterior-facing (looking up) when he should have been posterior, and because he was a big boy (we had no idea just how big at the time). So they brought out the vacuum. I didn’t know what they were doing, I could only hear the suction noise that the vacuum made.
A minute later I knew the end was near because everyone started yelling “here he comes” and next thing I knew, this wriggling little baby was being held up in front of me. It happened so quickly that it didn’t seem real at first.
But it most definitely was real. It’s hard to describe how I felt at that moment. I remember being surprised by my reaction and by how emotional it was. To see this person who had been inside of my body for over nine months, to hear him crying and see him moving, was something I will never forget. The CPA and I couldn’t do anything but cry. Actually, my mom and my sister cried too. It was hard not to when we’d just witnessed a miracle.
I watched as our little guy was taken over to the incubator and was cleaned off,
tested,
and weighed (yep – a whopping 10 pounds, 1 oz).
Then he was ready to meet his momma.
The CPA brought him over to me so I could hold him for the first time.
It was finally sinking in that the hard part was over.
It was in that moment that I realized that the nine plus months of being pregnant with all of its aches and pains, the 11 hours of labor, and the upcoming weeks of recovery were all worth it.
And now that he was here, I was content. But I still had to get cleaned up before we could move out of the labor room. Because the baby was so big, I had received an episiotomy and the doctor was training his resident so the stitching process took about an hour.
But after that, I was able to get up and walk to the bathroom, albeit somewhat slowly. And five minutes later, we were settled into maternity ward room 301 where we would spend the next three days. More on that later…
So there you have it, my birthing story. I’m sure I left out some details somewhere, but the bottom line is that it was a remarkable experience, one that I wouldn’t trade for anything. It gave us our beautiful son, Henry, and it really wasn’t even that painful, which was an added bonus.
Now I just have one question: when can I do it again?
I think it’s safe to say that most everyone has a special memory or keepsake from his/her childhood. Mine is my Quiet Book. It’s a book that my mother made for me before I was born so it’s technically older than I am (and that’s pretty old). Considering that, it’s still in pretty good shape.
The book is made of cloth that is held together by pieces of yarn. It is soft, worn, and well-loved.
Each page offers activities that are perfect for little kids. This page reads “A Tisket A Tasket, Fill up the Basket.” Little apples are then attached to the tree by velcro or are placed into the basket.
These pages offer more opportunities for little hands to practice buttoning and unbuttoning as well as learning all about matching colors.
But it’s not just fun and games, there are things to read too, such as The Beautitudes from the Bible.
I was even able to practice tying my shoes.
The memories that are associated with this labor of love are priceless to me. That is why, during my shower a few months ago, I started crying as soon as I opened my mom’s gift for our little boy. Because inside the box of blankets, bottles, and stuffed animals, was his very own Quiet Book.
My mother had spent hours and days putting together this special book for our little guy.
One that is full of fun things to do,
and soft things to touch,
as well as bright colors to look at.
He’ll be able to count the cookies
pet the giraffe,
and learn how to tell time.
There are even puppets for him to play with – I think those are my favorite.
Well, that and the cute little lion!
The book is signed “Love Nana, 2009.”
So that he never forgets who made it for him.
It’s absolutely beautiful and something that I know he will cherish just as much as I do mine. So thank you, Mom, for not only being incredibly creative, but for taking the time to put together this unique and adorable gift for our son. I can promise you that it will be adored for years to come.
What is your favorite keepsake or memory from your childhood?
Cause I’m leavin’, on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again…
Oh wait, wrong song.
I got confused for a moment because that is how I’ve felt this past week as I’ve packed my bags for the hospital. It feels kind of like I’m getting ready for a trip, although it will be a trip unlike one I’ve ever known. I’ve tried to get ready as best as I can – I’ve read half a dozen articles on what to bring to the hospital so I consider myself fairly well prepared. I’ve been putting the bag together slowly and last night I ran through the final checklist:
Lets see, there’s one cute bag that can double as a diaper bag after the baby is born. Check.
The fact that it is filled to the brim is just a bonus.
Toiletries which include makeup, vitamins, toothbrush and paste, moisturizer, q-tips, and lots and lots of chapstick (I hear the old lips get very chapped during labor)? Check. Check.
Don’t worry – I didn’t forget the most important moisturizer – the nursing cream. I will be hating life if I don’t have a tube on hand, or so I’ve been told.
I made sure to pack a gown which can be used for nursing (who cares if it looks like something worn on Little House and the Prairie?), a robe to keep me warm as I trudge up and down the halls during early labor, socks to keep my toes toasty, and slippers to keep my feet from touching the bare hospital floor. And did I mention the grannie underwear? I bought three sizes too big just in case.
Oh – can’t forget the shower shoes.
I’ve been told to pack some “normal” clothes for when I go home. Of course normal these days is not what it was a few months ago, so I packed my daily staple of drawstring sweat pants and a baggie shirt (at least I hope it’s baggie after giving birth).
I also read somewhere that it’s a good idea to have reading material so I packed Baby 411 so that I can hurry and cram in as much baby info as I possibly can.
I have four copies of my birth plan to hand out to the various attendees so that they know my do’s and dont’s.
And I have a fiction book for any down time I may have, as well as a one pound bag of Twizzlers simply because I’ve been craving them and fully plan on chowing down after the baby is born.
Then there are the ice pops to put in the freezer so that I have something to eat during labor other than plain ice chips.
Let’s see, am I forgetting anything?
Ah yes… the most important part. Clothes for our little boy. I mean he can’t come home wearing a hospital blanket, now can he?
I packed a couple of outfits since I have absolutely no idea how big he’ll actually be.
I was sure to include hats to keep his head warm, mittens to keep him from scratching himself, and socks to cover up his tiny little toes.
I think I’m just about set. My other bag will be full of camera equipment, video recording devices, and battery chargers.
Oh – I almost forgot, a gift bag for the nurses.
I read somewhere that you’ll want to bring something for the nursing and doctor staff since they’ll be the ones who will be taking care of you during this time. I’m not sure what this should include, so I just put together a bag of goodies for the nurses to munch on. I hear that chocolate can go a long way and I figure I’ll take all the help I can get.
That’s pretty much it. The bags are packed and ready to go. I even have my checklist sitting on top so that we can be sure we haven’t forgotten anything. It’s kind-of a lot of stuff but considering this is new to me, I want to be as prepared as possible.
Is there anything I left out? What did you pack in your bag?
Today I am 38 weeks pregnant. 9 1/2 months, 266 days, 95.0% through. In other words, I could give birth at any moment now.
That’s really good to know considering I’m tired. Tired of getting up four times a night while I experience contractions and think “this is it!” (only to have the pains go away as soon as I get up) or four times to simply go to the bathroom and empty my always-full bladder.
I’m tired of my back constantly hurting, which forces me to hobble around in order to compensate for the extra weight pressing on my pelvis.
And I’m definitely tired of having no motivation whatsoever to do the things that I normally love to do such as read blogs (or write on mine, for that matter). No motivation to do anything but lie in bed and be as still as possible to keep my body from aching.
I’m physically exhausted, mentally anxious, and emotionally a mess, both willing and able to cry at the slightest provocation.
But as tired as I am, I wouldn’t give it up for anything. I know how fortunate I am to be here, just as I know how many women struggle to get to this point. I also know that this part will soon pass and I will be given a new role as a mother. I will soon be able to hold a little one in my arms and know that he is part of me and his father. Knowing this, I would willingly do it again in a heartbeat.
Of course that doesn’t keep me from counting the hours until he’s here because I’m just so tired. Well, that and the fact that I simply can’t wait to meet him.
I’ve heard of the famous red doors before and I’ve often passed them in various high-end shopping centers, but before yesterday, I had never glimpsed what lay behind them.
Thanks to my sweet husband, however, I was able to find out. At his request, I was to schedule whatever service I wanted – pre-natal massage, body waxing, hair color – -you name it, the sky was the limit. Since I had no desire to have anyone touch my pregnant body (I’m weird that way I guess) and I definitely wasn’t going near the wax, I had instead signed up for a manicure, pedicure, and hair cut.
Yesterday was the big day and I arrived at the red doors at 8:00 am.
They swung open to reveal a beautiful lobby
with an equally red elevator.
Up to the 2nd floor I went where I was greeted by a pleasant young man who wished me good morning and asked if I would like something to drink.
Given my recent tendency to need to use the bathroom every five minutes, I merely asked to use the facilities before making myself comfortable in this lovely waiting area.
I didn’t have to wait long. A cute little girl named Sharonda soon took me to the pedicure room where I was able to kick off my shoes (or struggle to peel them off, in my case) and submerge my feet in a warm mixture of water, suds and something that smelled good.
I immediately felt the tension leave my body as the water washed over my swollen toes. The view that greeted me was equally relaxing as it was a nice combination of urban architecture and ice skaters – my favorite. (You can’t see it in this picture, but the windows over-looked an ice rink.)
Sharonda was sweet and while I succumbed to the pure bliss that is a pedicure, we chatted about maternity clothes, school, and even my upcoming birth (she’s gone through the process three times herself). It was comfortable and relaxing and I was in heaven.
And that was before my legs were draped in hot paraffin wax and covered with steaming towels.
But alas, all good things must come to an end eventually, so after about an hour, my feet were polished and ready to go.
I slipped on my complimentary flip flops and headed to the manicure table.
There I received more of the same treatment: deliciously fragrant lotion, a relaxing massage, and all-out pampering. It was truly delightful, as I’m sure you can tell by the spaced-out look on my cheeky face (hey – I’m 260 days pregnant after all).
After my fingernails were buffed and polished, it was time to say goodbye to Sharonda and hello to Carol.
She walked me back to the salon and proceeded to wash and rinse my hair. Since I simply wanted a trim (a couple of inches), the whole wash, cut, style process only took about 20 minutes. But the end result was clean, shiny hair and best of all – my split ends were gone, so I was happy. I was told that my complimentary make-over was next but at that point, though still relaxed, I was worried about my parking meter situation and the possibility of receiving a ticket. (That would have really put a damper on the morning, don’t you think?)
Besides, I really wasn’t planning on buying expensive make up, not today. The old Tabitha would have done that no problem, but the new Tabitha, the one who now spends all of her extra money on cute toys and baby clothes that she probably doesn’t need, couldn’t justify it.
So I paid my bill and went on my way.
The whole experience was, in a word: bliss.
Not only was I able to relax and enjoy someone taking care of me, but I was finally able to see beyond the elusive red doors. That right there was worth it.
(A huge thank you to my husband who made this whole thing possible – you are the sweetest man ever. And a big apology for the quality of the pictures, that’s a camera phone for you!)
Do you regularly visit spas or specifically, the Red Door Spa? What would you have done if you could go?
I had been at Temple Square in Salt Lake City for about nine months when I received notice that they were sending us away for a while. Since Temple Square isn’t a typical proselytizing mission (going door to door), they wanted us to have the experiences that other missionaries have. To do this, they would send the Temple Square missionaries out for four months to different parts of the United States. But after arriving in SLC, I was told that this was no longer the case. I remember being so disappointed because I wanted to see how the other missionaries lived, but I accepted the change in plans and threw myself into the work.
You can imagine how shocked I was to one day find out that not only would we be going after all, but that we would be leaving within a matter of weeks. I was so excited – I had no idea where I was headed but knew that I would go wherever they sent me and that I would do my best.
A short while later, and I was here:
Well, not downtown Manhattan exactly. I actually ended up in the New York, New York South Mission
which included Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island, & Staten Island.
My first area (out of the two in which I stayed) was in a little town called Bayside, Queens.
Our apartment was not the most elegant of places but it served its purpose and we really didn’t spend a lot of time there anyway so it didn’t matter. (Perhaps that’s why we didn’t keep it very clean?)
This was me on my first day in New York. Can you see the look of fear on my face? I was trying to be strong and brave but I have to admit that, although excited, I was definitely out of my comfort zone.
But I had great roommates and a really cool “companion” (what we called our partner or the person that we did missionary work with).
We drove around in a little green station wagon that we called the “Mint Chip.”
Our area was pretty wide spread and we got to see such things as the site of the 1964 Worlds Fair in Flushing, Queens,
as well as the infamous Coney Island Beach in Brooklyn.
We didn’t always drive, though, sometimes we rode the subway like the time we visited NewKirk, Brooklyn.
And we taught adorable families who were from places like Trinidad.
On Sundays we went to church in cool buildings like the one here in Little Neck, Queens.
We even got to visit the coast when we taught a guy who lived on a houseboat in the seaside town of North Hempstead.
It wasn’t all work though, we got to play sometimes too. We were able to make a couple of visits down to the big city, which was very exciting for a Southern girl like me.
We visited Times Square,
the Empire State Building,
and the 40th floor of the Marriott Building.
(No, it’s not a tourist site, we just wanted to ride the glass elevator. Not the best idea for someone who’s afraid of heights)
These trips downtown were fun, especially since the rest of our time was spent working so hard.
I have to say that loved my first area and the two months that I spent there. I loved being in a location that was completely different from anything I had ever known. I loved trying new foods (like curried goat) and experiencing new places. And I especially loved all the great people that I met and worked with.
Too bad my time there was coming to an end and I was moving on to my next stop – the city!
While putting together my baby shower a couple of months ago, my sister asked me if I had any baby pictures of the CPA and me. I had plenty of me – no problem. But it wasn’t until that moment that I realized I didn’t know what my husband looked like as a little boy.
And suddenly, I just had to know.
So I contacted my sweet mother-in-law and asked her if I could borrow some pictures of her son.
She sent me a whole stack.
I opened the package and gasped in delight. I should have known, but it was nice to see my suspicions confirmed – my husband was (and is) adorable! (Side note: Look at those long legs – and here I wonder why my belly is poking out the way it is? All I have to do is look at these pictures to find the answer!)
Let’s start with the CPA at four months old – what a happy baby!
At 10 months old, you can start to see what he’s going to look like as he grows older.
(How cool is it to see those old cars in the background? Got to love 1955!)
This next picture was taken when he was one year old. I wish he still had that hat! Go Davy Crockett!
Next we get to see him with his brothers. He’s the third youngest out of four boys (his sister came last).
Seriously – don’t you just want to squish his little cheeks?
Now he’s starting to get a little older, as we see in this Christmas photo from 1956. And he’s got a little brother too, so he’s no longer the youngest.
(He’s in the white pajamas in front.)
Here we see him as he’s maturing and being the big brother to his youngest sibling.
What’s really neat about this next photo is to see how much he looks like his dad. This picture shows all the boys together with the CPA sitting beside his dad’s left knee.
I can hardly handle the cuteness!
We can’t leave out his mom because that just wouldn’t be fair. Besides, she’s the one who gave birth to all these little guys so she definitely needs some credit too!
(The CPA is the one wearing the gun belt – a popular accessory for little boys at that time.)
Before moving to the school pictures, I have to include one of all the boys in their suits. How adorable are they?
Next we have the first of the school pictures – here is the CPA long before he became a CPA, all the way back in 1961. He was seven at the time.
Then again a year later in 1962…
and lastly, in 1964 at 10 years old.
Be still my heart. That is one sweet little boy.
It’s funny to look back and see what my husband looked like as a little one. It’s even more amazing to try and imagine which of his characteristics our little guy will have. Will he have those pouty lips that I love? Will he get those cute little ears that stick out ever so slightly? Or will he have his long eyelashes and pretty hazel eyes?
These are some of the things that I can hardly wait to find out. But with these pictures, at least now I have an idea.
Who do your children look like – do they favor one parent more than the other in their looks?
We live in a tiny, tiny house. But we’re also very fortunate we have a second bedroom in this tiny house which, up until now, has been used as a guest room. Actually, it’s been a lot more than that – it’s been home to my cat, and then our dog, and even to the CPA and me during the winter months when our main bedroom is cold.
All that changed, however, on December 1st when we officially began preparations for it to become a nursery. Originally, I had no idea what I wanted to do with the nursery except that I knew that I wanted to paint it. See, when we first bought the house, the room was yellow.
A bright yellow actually.
So we darkened it up a bit and then added a bed, an armoire, and a couple of bookshelves. (For some reason I didn’t take a picture of it before we took it apart – this is the best one I have, taken back when we first moved into the house).
Since we’re having a boy and since I’m not a frilly kind-of person anyway, I decided to go with a neutral color scheme. That way, as the baby grows up, we don’t have to make a lot of substantial changes to the room to have it grow with him.
So we knew we wanted it painted but with lots going on these past few months between work and school (for my husband), there was no way we’d be able to get it done in time.
Enter, my dad.
**Side note – did you ever watch that show called “This Old House”? There was a guy on there, a carpenter and all around handy man, named Bob Villa. That’s my dad. Well, not really my dad, but my dad is just like Bob Villa in that he can do and build anything.**
So when Dad offered to paint the room for us, we didn’t even have to think about it. We got the room ready by clearing everything out and putting it in the garage for storage. Then we started testing paint colors.
That was the hardest part (for me anyway). I couldn’t get the colors just right until the CPA stepped in and suggested a combination of two shades that I hadn’t considered before. And voila – we had our match.
Dad drove up from Georgia the next morning and then spent three straight days getting the room ready. He added a ceiling fan, which we’ve heard keeps the air circulated and hopefully helps to prevent SIDS.
Then he put up the chair rail, which we wanted in order to add more definition to the two different colors we’d be using in the room. Then came the paint, lots and lots of glorious paint.
It was so exciting to see the room transforming and I am completely impressed with the professional job he did! It would have taken us a week to do what he did in three short days.
Before he was finished, he took off the closet doors (we plan to hang curtains in their place) and painted the inside of the space.
And finally, it was ready.
Isn’t it gorgeous? The colors are rich and warm, the paint job is immaculate, and the love and hard work that went into the projects is obvious.
So a huge thank you goes out to my dad because without him, this wouldn’t have been possible. Now we’re ready to put the room together and make it a special place for our little boy.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
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