Preparedness...yes, its a word.

Jordan and I had a nice weekend of working on some last minute details of the nursery. I managed to find some inexpensive curtains and rod at Target, and we found a great lime green lamp at a mid-century modern estate sale on Saturday. After rewiring and changing the shade to a homemade concoction of cork, I think it turned out pretty cute. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it's actually much lighter than our green walls, and the cork lets little twinkles of light out all over the shade.

Sunday afternoon, while my husband and puppy snoozed through football, I tirelessly sewed away at my had-to-have-it-but-can't-afford-it-so-i'll-make-it mobile. I now completely understand why the original maker charges so much, and I am happy to be finished. It turned out pretty much how I wanted, but just don't look too close!

T and her mom came over for dinner Sunday night and we had a good time talking and getting to know each other better. She liked the nursery and Duke (he was on his best behavior again) and we made plans for Wednesday's Dr. appointment. She told us that she had gone to the hospital on Friday night with contractions, only to be sent home, so hopefully we can find out more of an eta (ha!) at the Dr.'s visit.

We also got to talk to her about names. This has been one of the most frequently asked questions that Jordan and I have received. Do you have a name? Does the birthmother get to pick a name? Do you get to pick the name? Well...to answer a few questions and to keep you guessing: In a typical adoption with our agency, the birthmother is given the option to name the baby at birth and this name is on the original birth certificate. The adoptive parents can choose to keep the name or change the name, and this is put on the second birth certificate given at the time the adoption is finalized (6 mts after placement). Because we are in an open adoption, Jordan and I decided early on that we wanted our baby's name to have both a part of the birthfamily and us, so we picked a few names and tried to remain open (not getting too excited about one in particular) thinking we would decide this with the birthmother. As it turns out, T had picked a name for her baby early in her pregnancy when she was still thinking she would parent. She told us the name at our match meeting, hoping that we might use it as a middle name. So that's where I'll stop. What I will say is that we do have a name, but we are waiting to reveal it until the little guy is here. The good news is, you won't have to wait long!

Catching Our Breath

We have been so overwhelmed (in a good way) by all of the encouraging messages and calls from our friends and family, and we feel so, so blessed by everyone that God has surrounded us with during this process. We really don't have words to let you know what all your shared excitement means to us.

I think that Tuesday's news is finally starting to sink in! Jordan and I both got to talk to T tonight on the phone, and like us, she is noticeably relieved that the decision has been made and I think that she is really ready to have this baby now! She says that she is pretty uncomfortable so she's hoping that means he won't wait too long. We chatted about nothing special and then she asked me to go with her to her Dr.'s appointment on Wednesday! We will hopefully get to have her over this weekend to spend some more time together.

Jordan did manage to complete the construction of the crib and changing table (which was no small task), and I finally settled on some curtains. We plan to buy a few more essentials this weekend and try to get some sleep (though i still haven't figured out how!) Here are a few pictures of the assembly process...

Duke is very curious

I told my co-workers that it looked like one of the closets we sell!

ta da!

Furniture on Order

We finally bit the bullet and ordered our crib and changing table this week. I had originally planned on buying a modern and affordable one at IKEA, but then found this cute one from Babies R Us that was just what I was looking for. After calling around to different stores in our area, I found out I would have to order it online and that it might take a few weeks, so we decided to go ahead and get the ball rolling. I know that we could be waiting for quite a while, but I get nervous thinking about getting a call and being unprepared. I also get really excited about putting the nursery together, so I didn't want to miss out on any of the fun by waiting to the last minute and rushing to do so. Here is the preview, and I'll be sure to update with pictures of the real thing when my handy husband puts it together.

The nursery is growing

I completed the first nursery project. I'm liking the idea of vinyl wall decals that I have found all over the internet in places like Etsy. A couple of months ago, though, I found something even cooler; cut outs made from scraps of vintage wallpaper. I fell in love with these fun trees from Inke Heiland, but nearly passed out when I saw how much they cost! Sorry Inke.

I think my friend Kara would be so proud, because I decided I could make something similar for much less. With some searching for just the right scraps on Etsy...viola! My tree!

Our first Interview

After patiently waiting what has seemed like a life time, we finally got the name of our assigned social worker. We are meeting on Thursday for our first official interview at the agency office. We are both looking forward to it, and not too nervous. Although, maybe I should be as my husband has a tendency to say some pretty bazaaro things! I'll be sure to update on how everything goes...and any interesting things he's sure to say.

On another note, we got our new carpet today! Both the guest bedrooms were in need of a serious change, and I can't believe the difference. Now baby has a soft place to crawl around on and I don't have to worry about what kind of gross stuff is in it! I hooked my niece into helping paint a shelf for the room while she was visiting last week, and I managed to rearrange the office to accommodate the bed from the former guest room. My best friend and her husband are coming to visit this weekend, so they'll be the first to try it out. I'll post pics when the furniture makes it's way out of my living room and into it's place!

Tupelo Tree or Poop-elo Tree?

Still no news on our application from the agency. I even emailed our contact this week (to see if they got everything), but didn't get any clear answer of when we might hear something about setting up our interviews. So, I've been trying to keep myself preoccupied with other things.

I finally managed to clean out the room that we are going to make into the nursery. Up until now, it has served as our guest bedroom (which the office will now double as), and also held a bunch of junk in the closet. When we first bought our house, I painted it a wonderful green. Tupelo Tree to be exact. Now, if you know me at all, you know that my decorating style is pretty modern, and I LOVE color. Green is my favorite. I am not afraid of paint because my theory is, if you hate it, paint over it. When I bought the paint, my parents were up helping us with our move-in remodel. The look on my mother's face was priceless when she started slapping Tupelo Tree on the walls. "What did you call this again, Angela? Because it looks like Poopelo Tree". Of course, it is no surprise that my mother's taste and mine are a bit different, but baby poop?! I was offended, and when I told her it would eventually become the nursery, her reply was even more appalling..."no grandchild of mine will have to endure this color!"

As a girl who loves art and who worked 5 years for a degree in Interior Design, I must say that planning a nursery was definitely one of the most exciting parts of imagining our life with kids. I have decided to go completely retro-mod, and sorry Mom...Tupelo Tree is staying! I will continue to update with what's new in the room, but thought you should see the blank slate...or shall I say, green slate, and judge for yourself.