Anxiously Engaged

(I wrote this post two days before my due date but am just getting around to posting it.  Funny how perspectives can change in just a little over two weeks!)

I posted a while back about all that I was wanting to get done before the baby came and was feeling a little overwhelmed at my list.  Who knew that as I conquered some of those tasks, my list would actually get longer instead of shorter?!?!  Chalk it up to nesting or whatever, but I'm on a roll--and not even close to being done.  But it's okay, because the important "pre-baby" things have been accomplished and the other stuff (re-finishing some furniture, re-painting some rooms in the house, major de-cluttering and reorganizing) can definitely wait until after he makes his debut.  Because I'm really gonna have a lot of extra time after that, right?  But in the meantime, while we are waiting for our new buddy to arrive, we might as well stay busy.  Makes the time pass and keeps the mind on positive, productive things--instead of wallowing in end-of-pregnancy-why-aren't-you-here-yet gloom.

Here are some photos to document some of our projects.  The first project was to pick some bedding and furniture for the boys' room.  I knew that with two boys, I definitely wanted to paint their room too.  Flat paint + kids = D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G. walls!  But in order to pick a paint color, I had to choose some bedding.  I vacillated back and forth about which bedding to choose--a cowboy theme, some that matched the crib bedding, or something else entirely.  In the end, I chose something new entirely--and it doesn't really match the crib bedding, and I decided that was okay.  It's only in the room for 18 months anyway.  So, with bedding selected, I picked some paint colors to match.  Here are some not so great pictures of what we ended up with.  3 walls of beige and a darker accent wall with a design.  Of course, I painted the ceiling too, seeing how we ordered bunk beds and all--can't have finger/foot prints on the ceiling either.

After the painting was finished, it was time for some carpet cleaning...and just in time, too, because our furniture arrived that same week--and some of us were pretty happy about it too!  I'll need to take a picture of the whole room together but am still working on a few things (i.e. window coverings).

While all of these projects were in progress, furniture and belongings were stored in other areas of the house.  Add to that the fact that I was simultaneously pulling baby/infant stuff from our garage storage to get it cleaned and ready and it made for a pretty giant mess in our front room.  It made me realize just how little storage new homes have these days, and that sent me on other quests to toss, re-organize and make closets more user-friendly.  Needless to say, DI has been receiving a steady influx of goods from our household.  Pretty much weekly.  All of this took quite a bit of time to accomplish (and some is still in progress and it feels so good!), but it just made for extra fun for this guy.  

He enjoyed "exploring" all of baby brother's equipment, going through all of his toys that had been stowed away, and discovering a few costume items here and there.  His favorite item was a large, left-over box from our furniture delivery.  He called it his "trailer" and would climb in it with his stick horse and cowboy hat on, close the doors and then loudly announce, "Here comes the horse!" as he busted through the doors and ran across the room on his trusty steed.  I think he was probably the only disappointed person in our household when his belongings and room got put back together. 

All of this organizing, rearranging and de-junking definitely got me in the mood to start a few other projects that I've been putting off for way too long.  Among those projects are:

• refinishing a dresser 

• redecorating/painting 2 bathrooms and the master bedroom

• painting the guest room, the office and the laundry room

Brian just shakes his head and wonders why in the world I want to fix up "someone else's house."  And you know, he does sort of have a point but we've been saying that for the 6 years we've owned this house and I'm ready for it to sort of resemble us--even if we know we won't be living here for the rest of our lives.  If we had a different home and a pending move in sight, then I'd probably back off, but until then...fix-er up it is!  He's been incredibly supportive even if he doesn't think it's necessary.

So now that the "necessary" stuff has been taken care of, we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new family member.  In the meantime, we've been enjoying the arrival of other new family members.

 

McRae with Phil and Christina's new baby girl

He simply could not get enough of this sweet girl and it made me happy and anxious all at the same time.  I have no doubt that he will love his new brother, but he might love him a little too much.  He's been praying for his new baby cousin ever since meeting her two weeks ago without fail.  And he's always sure to bless that he can "tickle her feet."  In his words, she was "soooo cute!"  Oh, we're all excited alright!

Post-edit:  The nesting is officially over and I am just basking in the sweetness of a newborn.  Why would I want to complete all those projects when I have a beautiful baby to love and cherish?  There will be time...but much, much later than I had originally anticipated when I first wrote this post.