The Finished Nursery

After months of work, lots of online shopping, and a glorious baby shower I can officially say the nursery is now totally finished. My nesting bug has been 100% satisfied and now I have a full month to relax, enjoy the baby gymnastics going on inside of me and...well...be a little bored. As happy as I am with the outcome of this room, I do almost wish I had left myself a few things to do during my time off. That said, our little girl's room has come out exactly as I dreamed it would. A lovely, soft, fun oasis perfect for a little princess.

This view above is taken from the door. The chair was a great find on Craigslist. It was a really great price, in good condition and it's THE most comfortable gliding rocker I've ever sat in. It almost makes me look forward to the months of late-night feedings. To go along with it we have the trusty Boppy Pillow and a small tray table to set my lap top on. To the right you can see the inexpensive Ikea dresser that I spruced up with some hand-painted poodles. On top of the dresser is our changing station and above that are two hammocks full of my own stuffed poodle collection. To the left is the display case containing the rest of my poodle collection. While I wouldn't say the baby's nursery is the best location for it, it does match the theme and, honestly, we've run out of room in our house. We figure it should be fine there for a few years yet until we're able to move it or get a larger home.

This view is from the back corner by the window.

I really do love our crib. We made sure to buy the conversion kits that go along with it so it can stay with Elora for the duration of her years living at home. It can eventually convert to a full size bed. The canopy posts can also be taken on and off depending on her mood and age. Above the crib you can see the adorable ceramic sign made for us by a good friend, Diana. Inside the crib is Pink Bunny, the counterpart to Mike's Blue Bunny which he's had since he was a baby. I know many people disagree with having bumpers in cribs. While I don't particularly buy in to the fears about them, I do prescribe to a 'better safe then sorry' policy and mostly just have them in now for picture-taking purposes.

Baby carriers and nursing wraps all hung up and ready to go! Notice the patch on the door. The cats were VERY upset when we boarded up their cat door.

This shelf was an original part of Mike's office before we converted it to the nursery. It just seemed so convenient we didn't see a reason to replace it. Eventually we might need to get something that isn't so temptingly climbable (even though this unit does bolt into the wall). On the top shelf we have various stuffed animals, most of which have belonged to Mike and I since we were children. We also have a small library of books for the baby. Most of these came from the baby shower and we're SO grateful for all the friends and family that shared their childhood memories with us. I can't wait to start reading to Elora! On the next shelf down we have the baby first aid kit with various medicines. The photo boxes were a great find at Michael's Arts and Crafts. It was $3 for five boxes. They're easily labeled and contain such small things as baby socks, bibs, bathing/grooming supplies, and hair accessories. There's also a few toys on this shelf but my absolute FAVORITE is the star turtle. These have become popular lately and project different colored stars onto the walls and ceiling. I really love it (Thanks Lance and Anni!)  On the shelf below that we have the diaper bag all stocked and ready to go, more storage boxes, blankets (including the wonderful one hand knit by Eliza). On the bottom shelf we have the baby's tub and various other supplies.

Another view of my Poodlarium and also of the beautiful print of Caly from her photo shoot done by Julie Clegg of Bailey & Banjo.

The changing station set atop the dresser.

And finally, this isn't the best picture but it's my favorite part of the room. We found this gorgeous pink crystal light fixture on ebay. :)

Now all we need is a baby!

-Amber

The Nursery

Hi Future Elora! Past Dad is writing from about three months before you're due to be born. Your Mom and I have spent the last couple of months transforming the second bedroom to become your nursery. We are proud of the transformation, and hope that you will like your time there.

It wasn't always this way. This room was originally my office - a place to work, play video games, dump all my junk, and with a special spot for your Mom to read while I did all of this. When I could be convinced to vacate, it became a (very crowded) guest room; you can probably guess that we didn't have many eager visitors. The room was blue and white - a scheme we had devised when we first moved in, while we were mere novice room painters. We had intended to put a silver stripe between the colors, but it turns out Daddy is not a good painter, so that plan got dropped quickly.

Over the years, a certain amount of... clutter... accumulated.

We started with a major reshuffle - Mom moved to the bedroom, I claimed her former outpost in the living room. Then slowly but surely we cleared all of the junk out of the room.

Clutter centralized on the Ikea shelf.

Then, the painting begins.                                                                                   

Mom didn't have to roll, but you punched her in the bladder all pregnancy, so I call it an even trade.

We went through a variety of other room upgrades.

• Replacing the house original light fixture with an antique light fixture, LED bulbs, and a dimmer switch.
• A new Ikea dresser, custom decorated by Mom!
• Moved Mom's poodle case to the bedroom.
• Stuffed animal hammocks, pre-filled with, you guessed it, poodles.
• Disney Princess crib.
• Stylish new curtains.

And now, it's my pleasure to present: Elora's Nursery!

Twenty-Eight Week Ultrasound

Normally there would not be another ultrasound for another few months, but our OB was concerned that Amber did not look big enough.

Well, turns out Amber just carries Elora well! Elora is in the 67th percentile, at a healthy 2lb15oz, above average but within the 'normal' range. At this point, they can also measure all the major limbs and digits, and thus confirmed that everything is in the right proportions to each other.

Baby head profile.

This particular facility is also capable of taking 3D images. Here is 28 week baby face!

More Fathering Advice

http://www.pajiba.com/think_pieces/30-practical-tips-about-the-horrors-of-raising-a-baby-that-you-will-never-learn-from-movies-and-tv-.php

DO NOT LOOK OVER THE BLANKET

Introducing Elora!

With the completion of our 20-week ultrasound, we now know the sex of our baby! Thus we no longer have to deal with the awkwardness of referring to "it" or "the spawning" or simply "baby", but can proudly say "her".

Or, more specifically, Elora Rose Jarrett.

Even before this pregnancy, debating baby names was a common dinnertime hobby between Amber and myself. Common ground was a rarity (more on this later), but Elora (yes, like from the movie Willow) was one of the few that we both immediately loved, and has been on our shortlist for awhile now. Rose is an homage to Amber's (maternal) grandmother, who I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time last Thanksgiving when we first told our families about the pregnancy.

Thankfully, Amber and I were in perfect agreement - we wanted to know the sex as soon as possible. Not only does it solve the naming/reference problem, but also allows us to shop for gender-specific gear (read: Amber can buy pink stuff now).


Administrative note: Now knowing Elora's name, I've moved the blog to http://elora.knottypoodle.com/, and with Amber's help significantly upped the pink in the theme.

Healthy Baby!

An examination of the images from the 12 week ultrasound, combined with blood tests, have shown no signs of birth defects! Hooray!

While this is by far the most probable outcome in our situation (particularly with how young Amber is), it is still comforting to know that everything is going well so far.

Twelve Week Ultrasound

Baby is still going strong! Not only does baby look like a baby, but baby also moves around! Baby does not approve of being probed, responding with an Amber trademark armwave "Wah!", then turning away from the probe.