The nursery is ready!

The nursery is finally in a state where we can come close to calling it "done" so we took a few pictures and posted them on Flickr. We've also included a few below. We decided the theme turned out to be "Adventureland," or more specifically, "Jungle Cruise meets the Tiki Room." It's great to look around the room and see old things (France & Son 1950's teak rocker), new things (Ikea lamps), things we already owned (the Tiki Room puzzle by Shag over the crib), things that were gifted to us (the furniture from my sister), and things we never thought we'd need (the wipe warmer on top of the changing table). We think the little guy is going to love it.

Anticipation

We're now down to less than 4 weeks before our little guy's due date (March 23rd), and it's getting more exciting by the day. His little punches and kicks have turned into serious heaves which are visible from a few feet away. It's now very easy (and fun) to hear his heartbeat by just putting my ear to Merrilee's belly. Speaking of her belly, she has basically lost sight of her toes and occasionally solicits my help to tie her shoes for her. We're starting to book things in our calendar in April and May, and are wondering what life will be like when are family turns to 3. "Sure, we can do that on Sunday evening." "Wait, *can* we do that on Sunday evening?"

And, of course, there is his room. Our former "Green Room" is now a full fledged nursery complete with changing table, baby furniture, and a crib. We'll post more pictures of the room later, but, as a teaser, we managed to find a beautiful 1950's vintage teak rocking chair and ottoman by Ole Wanscher for Danish manufacturer France and Son at Mid-Century Design in Hillcrest. Something old, perhaps, for our new little someone on the way.

Tonight we'll be packing for the hospital. Not that we're planning to go right away, but we've been instructed to have our bags ready for when the time comes. Once they're packed, their presence will turn into yet another daily reminder of the amazing changes in store. What a blessing it is to balance our excitement to meet our little guy face to face with our desire to savor each moment of this special time.