At the beginning of March, it occurred to me that I had a little more than 2 months until our new baby girl is set to arrive. I was feeling overwhelmed concerning all of the work we had to get done to prepare for her arrival. Now, with March nearly behind us, I am much more at ease. Yesterday, we finished a couple of the major projects we had on our agenda. Now, although there is still more to do, I feel like we can accomplish what’s left with little worry.
The biggest thing that we needed to do was move Evangeline out of her room, repaint the room to remove the girly yellow paint with green flowered stamps, and move the boys into her room. So we moved Evangeline in to bunk with her brothers about 3 weeks ago, and started the process. After painting the room blue and white for the boys, last weekend, Mark completed the furniture switch. This involved taking apart their bunk beds and reassembling them in the new room, in addition to moving their many toys, clothes, etc.
Yesterday, my friend, Ronda, came over and helped me put up decorative borders in both the boys’ room and the girls’ room. For the boys, I chose a planets border to go with their planets comforters and curtains. The blue paint I chose matches some of the smaller print in the comforters and curtains. The only thing I have left to do in their room is to mount some glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. For the girls’ room, I chose a border with several stuffed animals having a birthday tea party. This will coordinate nicely with the bedding for the baby and Evangeline that will include some pieces with pink checks, little tea pots, tea cups, saucers, and little yellow flowers. The bedding for their room won’t be ready for a while, but the border looks great, and it is a relief to have it up. The boys and Evangeline were really excited to have new decor in their rooms. Their expressions when they saw the border finished certainly made the sore shoulders and neck worth it. My friend, Ronda, must have said the word cute 100 times while we were putting up the girls’ border. She was almost as excited about it as Evangeline, who dubbed it, “beautiful.”
After the borders were all finished, I went to the outlet store to get the crib we chose for the baby. They called in the morning and put it on hold until I could get there to pick it up. Now I just need to get a bed for Evangeline (her old full-size bed was too big for the new room), and a dresser for the baby that will double as a changing table. Oh, I also need to get a mattress for the baby’s crib.
In the midst of all the painting, furniture swapping, and border hanging, I also had some income records to prepare for our accountant in order to get our tax return filed. I managed to get that work done on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Friday, our accountant was done preparing the state and federal returns. This is another task I am glad to have behind me.
I feel like the rest of the preparations for the baby are really doable now, and the stressed overwhelmed feeling is behind me. With a lot of the big projects out of the way, I am looking forward to a week of normal housework, taking the kids to school, little league games, and a PTO function. A feeling of accomplishment is really good for the mind and the soul. Thank God I have felt well enough to get this work done, and that He has given me a husband who is willing to work with me and friends who were also willing to help.
You have my respect! That’s a lot of work, especially combined with normal, every day chores. Blow some of your resovle my way please! I have a big project that I’ve been putting off for – gulp – about a year. I absolutely have to get the basement cleaned out. It haunts me. And now that spring is near, I’m already stewing about all the coming work needed in my flowerbeds. It’s just that there are so many other things to do, like blog surf. 😉
Glow-in-the-dark stars… “lucky” boys!
Wow, I am in awe of how much you’ve accomplished, and during the third trimester too! All I did the third trimester was do my desk job, eat ice cream, watch TV and nap. 😉
The kids’ wallpaper is really great. Please post some photos of the finished rooms when you get a chance. I’d love to see how it all comes together.
Barb,
I have many projects like the one you mentioned that have been waiting for months – years. Notice that I only blog about the things I get done, not those left undone. Besides, the pressure to accomplish these tasks was definitely external. Perhaps you need to invite some people to a party to be held in your basement on a specific date to get you motivated.
The boys will only feel “lucky” when I actually get the stars on the ceiling. Though, I am sure they will keep reminding me about it until it happens!
Laurel,
When I was in my third trimester with my first pregnancy, I was working a “desk job.” It took all of my energy to get there, work, and get home. There was no special room treatment for Calvin’s first room. My general pattern on these projects has been to work like crazy one day, and crash the next 2 days.
Glad to hear things are coming together. I remember my wife going in to labor with our first. He was coming one month early. And I needed another two weeks to get everything finished. Fortunately good friends and family were there, and we (they) knocked it all out before my wife got home from the hospital.
And just who is going to mount those glow-in-the-dark stars???
HI Jenn!
I’m so glad the kids like their new rooms! The decor sounds wonderful! Bravo on a great job beautifully done…you must feel such a huge sense of accomplishment! I hope the last “little details” come together for you smoothly. Have fun!!
I have to agree with your comment about inviting people to your basement for a party. We have started sooooo many projects at our house that we have run out of time, energy or money to complete. We are planning to put our house on the market in May (ahhhh!) and all of the sudden, even though we don’t have more time, money or energy those projects are getting done. It is also easier to finish a project to “get it done” rather than make it exactly how I would want it if I was going to live here for 20 years!
We did the room switch thing twice during my pregnancy with Gus (#3) first it was going to be Bridget and Gus and we decorated accordingly (blue walls, clouds, butterflies, dragonflies, ladybugs) and Joey was going to have his own (lime green!!) room. Then we decided Joey would make a better room mate for a baby and so we repainted the lime green room (much to everyone’s delight) for Bridget periwinkle and purple and in the boys room (which already had the clouds and bugs) we painted the bottom third of the wall green (like grass) and added a road and firetrucks (OK only one firetruck ever made it up but they are a lot or work to paint free hand)
Anyway the final decor occured 2 weeks before Gus was due and the kids were staying with friends for our Anniversary weekend. Sounds not very romantic but we got a lot done and treated ourselves to dinner and a movie after a hard days work!! We will probably do it again before the hosue goes on the market.
Lindy,
I am hopeful that we don’t have to make any more room switches. If we do, I think the children would just have to deal with the rooms as they are. I am impressed with your commitment to repainting. I am also tired just thinking about it!