Preparing for TAB

If taking care of a baby is as much work as preparing for a baby... we're in trouble. I guess that means we're in a lot of trouble.

Bump at 27 1/2 weeks

We've been getting lots of questions about TAB (Talla & Alex's baby), so I thought a quick post might be helpful.

Our baby boy's estimated due date is June 16, 2015. Our other big addition has an estimated due date of June 15. This means we'll either be moving in while I'm about 40 weeks pregnant, or while we have a newborn to contend with. Lucky for us, we also own Sheridan so we can determine our move out date.

The house construction makes preparing the nursery a bit difficult. The best we can do is pick everything out and hope it comes together as we've imagine it. We've decided to make "bedroom 3" the nursery. We anticipate spending a lot of time in there and love the light this room gets. Plus, it used to be Alex's bedroom so it has an awwwww factor to it. :)

Here are two real nurseries that have given me the bulk of my inspiration for Tab's nursery:

Source: http://www.lesueurinteriorsblog.com/2012/08/julians-nursery.html

Source: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-sophisticated-grown-up-nurseries-183291

As you can see from the photos, we're not really going for any particular theme. The colors will generally be navy, white, gray, and touches of red. My belief is he won't remember or care what the room looks like so we need to make it comfortable for us adults. 

We've scored a basic white crib, navy and white striped swivel rocker, and a beautiful Persian rug off of Craigslist. We plan to use an old dresser currently in my dressing room for the changing table. Now we have to figure out the paint color and art/decorations. We're going back and forth between navy or gray walls. I'm leaning more towards navy and Alex is in the gray camp.

Besides the nursery, I hear there is a whole lot of stuff the baby needs. My friend Kelley helped me register at Babies-R-Us a few weeks ago. She's a mom so getting her perspective was incredibly helpful but I've since edited the registry quite a bit. I found a lot of comparable items on Amazon for a lot cheaper, thought a lot about what I think we can do without, and tried to find more environmentally friendly products where possible.

We don't expect gifts, but some family and friends have asked for a bit of gift-giving guidance. Hopefully this helps: 

1. We have a universal registry on Amazon.com and are also registered at Babies-R-Us

2. As much as possible, we're trying to make decisions that are economical, practical, and environmentally friendly. For example, we usually prefer things made with natural materials (cotton, wood, etc) over synthetics, and in some cases, prefer used over new (except for the car seat, we're happy to receive used items found on Craigslist or elsewhere).

3. We didn't register for many specific clothing, toys, or books. We look forward to seeing what others pick out in these areas. 

4. We're not big fans of the super cutesy/cartoony baby products and are trying to select things that are gender neutral.

Again, we definitely don't expect anything from anyone. The best gift of all will be introducing you all to our little man!

Outside plans

In the last post I shared a little about what the inside of our new house will look like. Here are some pictures and drawings that compare what the house currently looks like on the outside, and what we hope it will look like after construction is complete.