Vacant nursery seeks newborn

If you were going to judge me based on how long it's taken to post pictures of Sprout's nursery, you would be very wrong to think that I am a procrastinator in any way.  I like to get things done and NOW! 

The little turtle bank was mine
when I was little! 

View from the doorway.

That being said, in this case, I could not tackle all that had to be done on my own (I guess paint fumes and ladders are not good for preggers or unborn babies).  The nursery has been this close to being finished since, like, December, when the crib and bedding arrived.  After that, though, I had to patiently sit on my hands for what felt like an eternity and wait for Blake to have some free time when he could take care of the walls.  Then, I had to wait another eternity for him to have more free time to finish framing some of our artwork and hang it.  All along, he promised it would be done in plenty of time, and he was right!  

Of all the cute nurseries I've seen, the ones I like the best are those that fit the parents' style, fit with the rest of the house, and are filled with special details. I am not an expert at home decor by any means, but I'm pretty happy with the way Sprout's room turned out!

 

We of course went green and white, tan and brown, (gender-neutral) with just about everything.  A little floral might have crept into the guest bed throw pillows and a little brown lattice into the rug... but for the most part, the room does not read "boy" or "girl."  We did however, leave a few open spaces so that once Sprout is born, we can fill in the blanks and make sure that no one is confused :)  Case in point, the empty mobile hanger.

We also incorporated meaningful artwork.  The cloud drawing over the crib was done by my mom.  For years, it hung in my family's dining room and it reminds me of her and how much she loved art and appreciated nature. 

The farm animals that hang over the guest bed were also done by my mom.  They are woodblock carving prints and I think they were done in the 80s.  I only have the cow, rooster, and lamb, but I think that there is also a goat out there somewhere, maybe some ducks, and a black cat hangs in my dad's kitchen (which is funny because we all really don't care much for cats).  I know that neither the cloud drawing nor these prints are necessarily what you might expect to see in a nursery... but, too bad.  They make me happy and I look forward to teaching Sprout about Grandma Amy through the artwork she left behind. 

We also tried to incorporate a little whimsy into the room by including these pieces that were gifted to us by the Ivcevich family.  They are characters from Popeye the Sailor Man!  The original piece of art was a large mosaic-like sculpture that hung on the wall - the pieces we have are the four corners.  The piece was displayed at the Jacksonville Museum of Art and reminds me of how lucky we are to have so much love and support from the friends and families around us.  Info about the artist, J. Ivcevich, here.

The other important piece of art in this room?  This little tree stencil painting done by Blake :)  He painted the dresser/changing table when I was in St. Louis back in February and surprised me with the tree.  I love that he had the thought and then took the time to accomplish it - it's perfect! Who knew he was so crafty?

I also love how baby clothes hang perfectly in the dresser.  The bar that they hang on pulls out ingeniously.  The dresser was used by my brother and me for years and I rescued it from certain destruction at my dad's house.  I think my parents bought it at a garage sale in the 1980s... makes it a family heirloom I think.

Plenty of storage (for now)!
But I bet we'll need more
diapers...

Since the nursery is a little small and is going to pull double duty as a nursery/guest room, there wasn't any space for a glider or chair.  So, we put it in our massive bedroom instead.  I'm thinking it will work out perfectly for late night feedings and bedtime stories.  Plus it makes the bedroom look more like a bedroom and less like ballroom dance floor.

Luckily, there is good closet space in the nursery (though most of it is currently home to my clothes and shoes!)... 

So with that, I think we are "stuff" ready!  But, no sign of Baby Erdel arriving in the next few days!  My appointment yesterday revealed what I expected - "no progress, honey."  That's okay.  Mamma's going to Maggie's wedding!  The bags are packed though and heading to Cincinnati with us, just in case.

I know, it's only, like 48 hours in the hospital. But, I don't know what I'll feel like wearing. I know for sure though that it won't be a hospital gown.  That being said, here's to Baby Erdel arriving sometime in the next week!

Kate