Pregnancy and the human body are a pretty remarkable thing! Your body goes through a constant state of changes over the next nine months (twelve if you include that fickle fourth postpartum trimester), and as a first time parent, it’s hard to decipher what exactly to expect or how to prepare for your new bundle of joy who will be arriving before you know it.
For me, the nursery was one thing early on I could work on that would wrap my mind around what was happening, especially since I didn’t start showing until much later in my pregnancy. I also liked seeing the visual representation of the major miracle life change that was about to be part of my husband and I’s life every time I walked by. (Can you tell I’m a visual person?!) It also allowed my husband, Matt, and I to bond over our soon to arrive little one, especially in the midst of all the craziness COVID-19 has brought to 2020.
I went with a “National Parks” theme because I absolutely LOVE spending time in nature and photographing many of the world’s natural landscapes and phenomenons. Whenever I get a chance to escape to the mountains, it has been a great time to reset and reconnect with my spouse. It’s like you mentally get that breath of fresh air, as well as witnessing some majestic peaks and wildlife without all the normal day-to-day distractions.
I also can’t begin to describe how much of a help Matt was in helping put this all together! I painted the wilderness mural behind the crib in a few different layers (don’t worry, I wore a protective mask!), and he painted the rest of the room, as well as refinished the crib, changing table, and dresser. He even took the time to create the birch shelf I sketched out for above the changing table. (Can anyone say #handyhusband?!) Everything else we either received as gifts, repurposed what we already had, gathered over time, or took out of our childhood boxes. I admit, I was a HUGE Beanie Baby fanatic when I was younger, so I loved incorporating some of them into our nursery design. We also don’t know if we’re having a boy or a girl, so Matt placed his John Deere piggy bank on the shelf, and I added the antique metal top I got from Christmas when I was three years old (ie. 1993!), as well as my Big Bird lullaby (I can’t believe my mom still had it! AND that it works!). They have absolutely nothing to do with National Parks, but it’s just a little something sentimental from our pasts that we wished to incorporate! I also feel like the National Parks Poster from Modern Tree House on Etsy was the perfect missing piece to tie everything together!
This year has been such a whirlwind and amid all the uncertainty and craziness, it has definitely gone by so much faster than I would have ever thought! We have now entered our 39th week of pregnancy, and the anticipation of finally meeting our little guy or gal is at an all time high that is making these last few weeks drag by a little slower than we would have previously thought! It’s also a little harder to get up off the couch, and Baby has already started to prepare me for some sleep deprivation!
Matt and I are beyond blessed to be surrounded by so many friends and family who have been beyond supportive! We have treasured this time together but are so unbelievably excited to become a family of three here soon! (Four if you include Big Brother fur baby, Rhett, who is still not so sure about sharing the attention!)
