FINALLY.....The Big Reveal!!!

Whew! What a week! Lloyd and I have been very busy with work, extended family, and lots of nursery preparation!! On Saturday, LL was on call but had big plans to prime the nursery; something I can't do because of the fumes. Well, he got emergency call after emergency call, and didn't even get started priming until late Saturday evening. I had gone down to Harrisburg to visit Nora and go to her Tastefully Simple party, and LL kept calling and saying "don't come home yet..." He still didn't get to paint and it was too cold to have the windows opens so the fumes were bad. So Saturday I got a break from the housework and construction and hung out with Nora and Steve. We even went out for Mexican food, something I had been craving! On the way home, we stopped by Cracker Barrel to get a rocking chair pad for the awesome rocking chair our Animal Hospital coworkers got us. They only had one color chair pad, and I wasn't sure it would match, but I got it anyway, figuring it would be easier to slip cover it if need be than to try to make one (I am not that handy with a sewing machine!) Anyway, I digress. :o) LL got finished priming on Saturday night (around 10pm) and the next day we were able to start painting after a birthday dinner for Gram Reitz with the entire family. She turned 88! So Sunday afternoon and evening were devoted to painting. Of course we can't just do things simply and pick one color, we had to do three colors! LOL. Here is LL in the process of painting:



LL was also able to put up our itty-bitty ceiling fan when he finished painting-- too cute! Here it is:


Monday we both had to work late and didn't get to work on the nursery, but I was off on Tuesday and LL didn't have to go in until noon, so we started painting trim. Let me tell you... that is a JOB! It is such a tiny room I really didn't think it would take so long (I don't know why; trim has taken forever on every other room we've redone), but it took FOREVER to prime and put two coats of paint on base board, radiators, two windows, and closet trim! I literally worked on it from 9:30am until 8pm. It was a gorgeous day outside (and don't worry I had good ventilation and no-VOC paint) so that made it better, but I only took breaks to let the coats dry, and by the end of the day my back was throbbing!! Painting for 10 hours is not recommended at almost 38 weeks pregnant! When LL got home from being on call, it was already after 10pm, but he looked at all the finished trim and said "do you want to put the crib together?" and of course I said "YES!!!!" So we started that job around 10:30 at night. Here is the good doctor assembling the crib, with a little help from our furry babies, Bingo and Byron:



And of course once the crib was together I just HAD to break out all of the crib bedding just to see it next to the paint and in the actually crib! Yeah, it was after 12:30am when we finally went to bed!

Yesterday LL and his dad were able to move the dresser (which literally weighs over 150lbs) up the stairs and into the nursery (and OUT of my dining room, where it has been since September!) on his lunch break. After another long night of being on call, he came home and helped me hang up everything in the nursery I had been dying to put up, even though it was after 11:30pm! Another late night, but by 12:45am we had a decorated nursery! Once we started hanging things, we decided we may as well put on the wall appliques and put everything else in the room, too. The contractor is coming back on Monday (theoretically) to put up the trim. At that point, we can hang the curtains and use the closet, and then we will be DONE! SOOOOOOOOOO, here is the finished product, minus the trim. (Are you excited???? I have been waiting since JULY to post these pictures!)

The nursery from the doorway:


Here is the crib and bedding. LL picked the bedding...he really wanted a jungle theme and something girly. We liked this one because it is cute and girly but not all pink. And don't worry, the crib bumpers are just for show!



Here is the dresser/changing table, where you can see some of the wall hangings and appliques we put in the darker purple stripe:



And here is where our window trim and curtains will be. The rocking chair is in front of our new closet area.



So there it is! Today I have been busy putting baby clothes and gear in the nursery, and working on a couple of other house projects. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY it is almost done!!!

In other baby news, I had my 38 week appointment last night. Everything still looks good, and baby is staying put for now! Next week we have another ultrasound to make sure she is still in the right position. I can't believe there are only 2 weeks left!