Nursery photos: before and (almost) after plus the things people say .....

I still can't believe I'm almost 36 weeks pregnant.  (That's the beginning of the nine-month mark to all the folks who don't count in weeks).  I'm feeling about 60% ready to welcome this little girl. 

It seems to me that there are a few things you actually "need" to do before the baby comes (ex. buy a car seat, some diapers, figure out where the baby is going to sleep).  And then there is the long list of things you feel like you "want" to do (ex. deep clean your home, organize your files, see a bunch of movies, learn to cook, refold clothing etc.).  For me, the top of the "want to" list included getting the nursery in good shape. I must get organized.

So, without further ado... here is where we started.  Blue walls, a carpet some might say is ugly, and a room jam-packed with furniture.

Then we moved along to white walls ....

And now we are almost all the way here.  For those of you who followed along with "The Great Rug Debate" we ended up going with the larger 5x8 size and we are extremely happy with it.  The room needed some color.

My fabulous and generous cousins dropped off their crib this past weekend so now all we need are sheets, a changing table pad (we are using a dresser as a changing table), and photos on the walls.  If time allows, we will paint the bookcase in the front a fire engine red.  Our plan is still to frame some flower photos, but I'm also looking for a kid-appropriate wall map to hang up.  Any suggestions?

Decorating is fun and I must say it again - I love this rug!

In other news, we had family over for dinner this weekend.   Since I don't cook I ordered most of the food from a local BBQ place called Red Bones.  As I walked up to the door, I noticed a dad standing outside with two kids.  The big kid was maybe three or four and the little kid was definitely under a year and was strapped to his dad's back in some sort of contraption. 

The dad looked at me as I walked up and said, "Whooaaooaa!" in sort of a "Whoa, Nelly!" she's-as-big-as-a-horse type of way.  I mean come on!  Maybe I'm being presumptuous, but chances are this balding, 40ish father of two has seen a pregnant woman at some point in his life.  To top it off, he told his older kid to "watch out!" as I reached for the door.  As if I was going to squash him.

This made me feel great as I went in to pick up the pulled BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, corn bread, and beans.  Yum.