The Nursery Reveal...Happy 36 Weeks!

The nursery has pretty much been done for quite some time now. I was waiting until Adam was home again to hang some final things and for me to put away some clothes and blankets.

With Adam being in school, it was important for us to do the nursery on a budget. I am a fairly saavy shopper so I was confident that with some diy projects and coupons to Hobby Lobby I could accomplish my goal. We were also fortunate to have such a generous family to help us with some of the pieces in the nursery!

When first finding out I was pregnant, I pretty much had a clear idea of what I wanted to do for the nursery if we were having a girl but really had no direction for a boy so it worked out well for us! I knew I didn't want a "themed" nursery where everything matched but wanted to mix the old with the new which you will see a lot of.

This is the view looking into the nursery from the door. The crib was my mother's gift to us and is a bit darker in this picture than it actually is. We ordered this before we knew what we were having-I thought the Cherry stain would work well for both a boy or a girl. I also wanted it to be something she could grow into. I LOVE white furniture for a little girl's room but I couldn't see that as she got older so this is what we went with!

The blanket underneath the poms was made for me when I was a baby and the mint blanket was made by my great-aunt when she found out I was pregnant. I love the idea of using pieces from Adam's and my childhood. The lamb in the crib was given to me by my grandparents during one of their trips to Ireland. The poms above the crib were part of my shower decoration and thought they would be cuter than a standard mobile.

Sorry for the glare and bad quality but this is the best I could do! I found this at Hobby Lobby (not even looking for a wall-hanging) and was instantly drawn to it because of the lyric. I sometimes sing this line to Adam and when I saw this I knew I had to incorporate it into the nursery. Plus, it was 50% off and I got it for $15 so I really had no excuse not to get it!

I love pastels for a girls room and I knew I wanted a piece of furniture that would be a fun color. The color of the dresser is more similar to that of the second picture but is still lighter in person. This dresser was mine growing up. Adam stripped it and repainted it once we knew what we were having. We replaced the hardware (all 50% off) and voila, a new dresser for Baby C! The glider and ottoman were given to us by Adam's dad and stepmother and the blanket on the glider was another one of mine as a baby. The picture above the glider was given to me by my mom and was taken at a ballet recital. It is a beautiful piece and I always knew that if I had a little girl, I would want to have it hanging in her room. The pictures above the dresser were from my room as a little girl. Each of them has a water color image on them with a bible verse. And the crucifix my dad gave me in college and thought the style of it would fit well in her room.

My aunt, and who we have chosen to be the godmother, gave me a really great piece of art that had a cross in it. In her note she said that through the Baptism class she took for her daughter, the Priest said it is good to have religious images or symbols in the home for the baby to grow-up around. That has always stuck with me and one of the reasons why I wanted that crucifix in her room.

The bookshelf is handmade and we bought it from someone selling it on a site similar to Craigslist. I think it was about $30. It just needed to be stained and have hardware added. It doesn't quite match the crib stain but is pretty close and the hardware is the same as the dresser's. All of the books were either mine or Adam's growing up and a few were gifts. The green rabbit was mine as a child. The clock is a piece that didn't quite fit into the new place from the move so I found a place for it in the nursery. The same goes for the canvas bird prints hanging above the shelf. 

When we found out we were having a girl, I pretty much had the attitude of "Bring on the bows, ribbons, and headbands." I knew I was going to need a place to contain the bows so why not display them and make something cute? This is what I came up with. Again, thanks to Hobby Lobby, I was able to get a plain, plaster frame for $18, painted it with paint I had from a previous project, added some pink ribbon with a glue gun, and I was good to.

This has nothing to do with the nursery but, I love Etsy! I was able to get 10 bows and 10 headbands for $20. I could choose from about 20 different colors so I got an assortment to pretty much go with any outfit!

Baby C's little toy corner under the window! The rocking chair used to belong to Adam's grandmother. When she passed away and his grandfather started sorting through things, Adam asked if he could have the rocking chair since had such fond memories of it as a child. The rocking horse was given to me by my grandparents on my first Christmas. The stuffed animals are a combination of mine and Adam's growing up.

Lastly, I have to say, I have a special spot in my heart for classic, wooden toys. As unavoidable as it is, I kind of despise plastic toys-which I know make up probably 99% of the toy market. The wooden toy between the horse and the chair Adam and I actually gave to our niece when she was about one. His brother isn't planning on having more children so he said we could have it.

And her closet. I would say she is good to go for a while! Thanks to friends and family who were so excited we were having a girl and my saavy shopping, Baby C probably has more clothes than her daddy! The clothes are arranged by sizes and types (chalk it up to the nesting) by handmade separators. I didn't get a picture of them but I just took wooden doorknob hangers, used Modge Podge to cover them with scrapbook paper, and wrote the sizes on them (0-3 Months, 3-6 Months, etc.). That was really the only way I could think of to keep the clothes organized by size! 

So that's a nursery on a budget! Again, we hardly had to buy anything and if we did, it was on sale! I am really happy with how it turned out and will sometimes sit in the glider because the room has a calming effect!

Some 36 Week Updates:

• Had my 36 Week appointment today-No dilation or effacement. I know its still really early but I was hoping for something to give me hope she might come early! My doctor said that even if I am dilated, I still could go into labor past my due date. On the flip side, she has had women who aren't dilated at all and could go into labor in the next couple days. 
• I am definitely to that point of being so ready to be done with pregnancy. I was talking to a co-worker and she asked if I was at "that point?" I would say I am-I am hot all the time, I cannot get comfortable, I hate how I look, and the list goes on. I don't mean to complain because I know it could be a lot worse, I am just SOOO ready for her to be here and for me to be comfortable again. 
• Some symptoms: Some light Braxton Hicks, lots of lower back pain, and starting to feel some heaviness in my lower belly. The good news is that she is getting into position according to my doctor!
• Next week, I get to review our birth plan with her so I might share that on the blog as well. This one might be hard for me because I have a hard time deviating from a "plan" and labor is definitely something out of my hands!