Final Preparations, An Admission & A Gift

This weekend has been a very productive one - probably because it's the weekend before my due date. (Can you believe it? I know I can't) Yesterday we found the perfect chocolate brown curtains and a matching curtain rod. (The curtains were on clearance for $14.99 each at Bed, Bath & Beyond - score!) Then today Leo put together the last of the items that needed assemblying, including the adorable mobile for the crib that mom bought, which brings me to an admission that I had been avoiding.

You know how I had decided on the vintage mickey mouse theme for Jacob's nursery? Well....I sort of changed it...again. But for very good reason. When Leo and I went to the store to look at a floor model of the mickey bedding, I was really disappointed with the quality, especially the stitching. It literally looked like it would only last a handful of washes and the colors weren't as rich as they had appeared online. In hind-sight I really believe that it had to be Winnie the Pooh, for many reasons.

Winne the Pooh was the theme for my nursery when I was a baby and also the theme my mom used for my little brother's nursery years later. (mom obviously loves Winnie the Pooh) And finally, it was also the theme that I had picked out the first time I got pregnant. Not to mention, I've been collecting it for years. So...naturally, it seems to be the very best choice. Here is an image taken this morning of the crib - cute? don't you think?

As soon as we have the curtains installed and a few more finishing touches up on the walls, I will be sure to post some more photos. Notice the strategically placed blanket - this is my poor attempt to hide the scratches - sort of an out of sight, out of mind strategy. Lol! I'm sure once Jacob is here, I won't even notice them but for now, the blanket is doing the trick just fine.

I can't believe Halloween is just around the corner - Jacob's first. It's easy now to allow myself to think of all the many firsts Leo and I will finally be able to look forward to like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and of course his very first birthday. I'm sure none of you will be surprised to hear that I'm already thinking of themes for this very special day. What a trip life is. One day your wishing and dreaming for something to happen and then it well...happens. Of course there was lots of prayer, birthday wishes, sleepless nights and a whole lot of tears but it was all worth it.

Leo and I spent nine years of our marriage hoping for a son or daughter and we never could have imagined that it would have taken us this long but what I am most proud of was that we didn't let our hopes and most importantly, the set-backs get the better of us. We not only prevailed, we managed to fit in a whole lot of living life to the fullest, too. We took vacations and last-minute day trips, experienced new foods and made new friends, and we created a great deal of memories that I will cherish forever.

Our life before Jacob will not represent a part of our marriage that was dark, maybe a bit dim at times, but overall, it has been 12 years of living, learning, growing stronger in our love for eachother and most importantly, preparing. I definitely wouldn't waste another second wishing and hoping things had been different because for me, it's easier to believe that this is exactly how it was supposed to happen. Truth be told, it makes me feel as though I have been given a HUGE gift wrapped in a brightly colored bow. And who could turn away such a beautiful gift? Certainly, not me.

Enjoy the day!
Missy