The Nursery

That's kind of weird to type...and say.

The nursery.

Until last weekend, this was the guest bedroom. And there was no car seat base in the backseat of the car, no stroller parked in the corner of the living room, and no kitchen shelf dedicated to bottles and other baby gear. But thanks to a little help—okay, a lot of help—from our parents and from Jamie, we managed to get Georgia Claire's room ready for her arrival. There are a few little decorative things to add, but I couldn't wait any longer to share the room.

This may sound silly, but I was kind of afraid we'd have a make-do nursery. We know we'll be putting the house on the market before too long, and it just didn't make sense to invest a fortune into a room she'll barely use before we move to Columbus. At the same time, it was very important to me to have a true nursery. One that I really loved and that felt decorated, not just "good enough for now." I mean, it's our first baby. I wanted to really enjoy the process of preparing for her, and a big part of that is putting together a nursery.

Now that it's all put together, I really do love it! We managed to use several things we already had—the round table and table cloths, the curtains, the lamp and the rug—and mix in a few new things too.

(By the way, I am sorry that the new photos are so fuzzy. I have taken a million shots this morning and tried all I know to try, but they are still showing up unclear. My cameraman Matthew isn't here to help me.)

Before we look at the room now, let's take a look at the "before."

And now the "after."

I originally thought we could fit a twin bed in the room, but once we actually measured things out, we realized that was going to be a tight fit, so mom and dad left the bed at home. 

How do you like our custom art above the crib? Mom made it! The sweet silhouettes are from one of my shower invitations. She enlarged them and cut them out (more than once because I can be very high maintenance!)

I wanted a traditional Jenny Lind crib, which is actually the same style I had as a baby.

The Serena & Lily bedding is perfect in the room! 

 Our changing table was originally a dresser that was at my grandmother's house. Turns out, it belonged to my great-great-grandmother Georgia Ann. Mom and Lynn refinished it and painted it white.  The mirror and plates were already in the room. 

We added new knobs from Anthropologie to spruce up the dresser.

The back of the built-in bookcase was already painted green. It's not the exact right shade, but close enough, so we left that the same.

We did splurge on the "I love it" glider rocker. And I do love it! The fabric is perfect, and I feel like we can use it in other rooms down the line. Matthew's dad is going to build a little footstool to go with it. I purchased an extra yard of fabric so we can upholster the top to match. 

There are, of course, some feminine accents around the room. She already has quite the bow collection!

It's so hard to believe that in about a month we'll have a baby girl to rock in this room. 

I'll admit that sometimes I just go in and sit and think about what things will be like! I've even caught Matthew standing at the doorway looking in a few times. He has already proven to be a wonderful husband and is quickly earning an A+ in the dad category. He's knocked out all of my many, and I do mean many, projects I've come up with, and has been a huge help around the house. Plus, he makes up songs to sing to her already. Not surprisingly, they almost all have to do with how the two of them are going to get a puppy one day. 

Here's a picture of me at 33 weeks. It looks like Matthew and I have been coordinating our ensembles, but we really haven't! 

I'll admit that I don't look too big there. Here's a shot where you get the full affect. Bam! 

And here are all the ladies before we headed out to a shower hosted here by two dear friends from church.

It was such a great shower, and the food was delicious!

When I was home a few weeks ago, I also had two very fun showers. One was hosted by my mom's best friend Mrs. Linda Kay (who's also mom of one of my best friends!) and my aunt Tonya.

Georgia Claire got so many cute things, including some new Georgia gear, like this bibb that says "I drool red and black."

My aunt Tonya, the cake master, made this adorable cake!

My church back home also hosted a shower. There is no doubt that Georgia Claire will be the best-dressed baby in Louisiana! 

But most important, she is a very lucky little girl to have so many wonderful people who care about her already and who want to be a part of welcoming her into this world. Matthew and I are so blessed!