Little Colin's Bear Cave

Dear Colin,

You are set to come this week and I still feel like I'm scrambling to get everything absolutely perfect for your arrival.  Your dad's and my problem is two-fold: we are perfectionists, but we are also procrastinators.  Most likely, you will be this way, too.  If so, please know that you come by it honestly :)

Thankfully, your nursery is finally ready!  I am in love with it, and it's exactly how I envisioned it (better, actually).  I hope you enjoy having this space to call your own.  I'm looking forward to many happy memories in our house and in this room, and I can't wait to watch you grow.  

 

This adorable giraffe hangs on your nursery door.  It will also hang on your hospital door when you are born.  I wish I could take credit for crafting this myself, but I ordered it off of Etsy.

The little animal prints above your bookshelf are also from Etsy. This bookshelf...ah, the things I could say about this bookshelf!  It has caused anger, resentment, and real tears over the months (yes...really).  This one is just temporary while your Pops builds a nicer custom one.

The Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls were mine as a child.  My grandma made them for me.  The Dr. Seuss books to their right all belonged to your dad as a child.  We received the piggy bank on the bottom shelf as a wedding shower gift (yes, a wedding gift...not a baby gift).

This is where we you and I will spend a lot of our time together.  The glider is not the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, but it is comfy.  

I ordered the big Doug and Melissa giraffe from Amazon during Black Friday 2012.  I was not pregnant at the time, nor was I trying to get pregnant.  I just knew that I would love it for a nursery one day!  I named her "Jelly," and she was the inspiration for the jungle/animal theme in your room.  

The little picture above Jelly has the thumbprints and signatures of everyone who attended showers for you (sans work showers).  Your Aunt Missy came up with this clever idea.

I predict that we will also spend quite a bit of time together here!  The "dresses" above your changing table are not really dresses.  They are Christening gowns from your Nana's side of the family that I had custom framed.  I don't know who they belonged to originally, but they are beautiful, and I love looking at them.  

Here is your crib, with a little stuffed monkey filling in for my little monkey until he gets here (that would be you!).  The monkey and the bedding are from Pottery Barn Baby.  The crib is a Jenny Lind crib that was mine as a baby.  Your dad and I sanded it down and repainted it.  (It had been in Nana and Daddy Ben's attic for over 20 years and was in ROUGH shape.)  

The letters above your crib were made with love by my legal assistant, Beverly.  I think they are so cute!

I did not get a picture of it, but there is crown molding in your room that your Dad and Daddy Ben spent an afternoon installing.  It looks beautiful!  I have to give credit where credit is due, and acknowledge that your Dad spent a significant amount of time painting your room, your closet, the crown molding, and the crib, hanging pictures, and putting together furniture.  None of this would have come together without him. 

Your room is the smallest secondary bedroom in our house.  The plan is to keep it as a nursery for all of our babies.  When you have a sibling, you will move to the much bigger bedroom next door.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the special space your Dad and I created for you.  Everyone poured a lot of love into this room, and we just cannot wait for your arrival!

Love,

Mom  

P.S.-  I don't know why the spacing is so strange in this post.  Blogger is insane.

Nine Months Pregnant and First World Problems

Dear Colin,

It is hard to believe that you will be here in just a few days!  Your due date is March 14, but if you don't come on your own, I am set to be induced on March 16.  This means you could possibly have a St. Patrick's Day birthday!  At this point, there isn't much left to document about the pregnancy.  I feel large as a whale, exhausted, and ready to "get this show on the road!"  I cannot wait to see your sweet face and hold you in my arms.

Here are some things I do want to remember in these last few weeks days (!):

• Last week was the first time you prevented me from doing something that I REALLY wanted to do.  A few months back your dad bought tickets for us to go see The Eagles play in New Orleans.  I was desperate to go!  I love live music, I love The Eagles, I love New Orleans, and most of all I love spending quality time with your dad.  Unfortunately, my doctor and your grandparents all "strongly discouraged" me from going as it was so close to my due date.  This is what they call a "first world problem."  (Your Pops got to go instead.  This turned out well because he and your dad rarely get  to spend one-on-one time together.)
• To partially make up for missing the concert, I had a prenatal massage scheduled for the weekend.  Unfortunately, due to road closures and traffic, I was 10 minutes late and the spa cancelled my appointment!  It was my fault that I was late, but after getting off the phone with them I LOST MY MIND!  I literally started sobbing like my best friend had died, and had to pull into the Target parking lot to calm myself down.  I know, it was soooo ridiculous!  I called your dad and he thought I was pranking him.  In six years together, he has seen me cry maybe three times; and he did not know how to react.  Gah!  I blame the hormones!  
• I do have one really bizarre physical symptom that has arisen these last few weeks.  It is extreme finger/hand numbness, which I have dubbed "Cold Hands."  My fingers (and sometimes my hands up to my wrists) just feel swollen and numb.  Dr. Sayeed said this is fairly common, but I have never heard of anyone else experiencing this.  It's apparently similar to carpal tunnel syndrome or what I would imagine arthritis feels like.  It is semi-painful, but actually more irritating than anything.  I never considered myself lucky to have two healthy and functioning hands, but I will never take them for granted again!  Taking out my contacts, putting in earrings, takings lids on or off jars, opening packets/mail...these are just a few every day things that "Cold Hands" make difficult.   
• This is my first week on my maternity leave!  If your dad had his way, I would work right up until you were crowning (graphic/gross image, but true!)  I was worried I would feel bored or "lost" without work, but I am so grateful I don't have to juggle it with everything else anymore.  And, I've basically killed it with productivity these last four days!  I have spent a significant amount of time in the kitchen cooking and freezing meals for the next month.  I still need to deep clean the house and reorganize the kitchen.  But, I'm slowly whittling down my "to do" list, and it feels great!  I hope I can get it all done before you arrive!  I just want everything to be perfect for my baby boy! 

 See you SOON!

Love,

Mom