Now that we know to expect a little girl, hubby and I are turning our attention to one of the big projects of pregnancy: furnishing and decorating the nursery.  I’ll get into our general plans and our to-do list in a moment, but first, the horrifying “before” picture:

Eeks.  That’s truly frightening, no?  We’ve got a room with the potential to be very, very cute, but which is still housing bookshelves, a cello and two violins… and which has also become a dumping ground for piles of hand-me-downs I got from a generous friend who’s done having kids.  And it all needs to move OUT (although many of those hand-me-downs will be moving back IN once they have designated stash spaces), and then we’ve got to fill this room with cute baby furniture and decor.  Whew, this is going to be a big job.

Here’s what we’re currently thinking in terms of priorities:

1) Safety first – obviously.  We’re in the process of researching the safest, coziest cribs and other baby accoutrements so that we can feel completely secure about stashing the baby in there and letting her sleep without hovering over her constantly.

2) Lots of storage.  The little miss is already spoiled with toys and clothes, and there’s no sign of the spoiling slowing down anytime soon (especially when she arrives and instantly melts her daddy’s heart – we all know that’s coming).  I’m planning to install a closet system to keep all those teeny dresses and adorable little sweaters and rompers organized.  And instead of a changing table, we’re going for a regular dresser with a changing pad bolted to the top – both for additional storage space and so that she can use it into her toddler years and beyond (sans changing pad, obvi).  And on a related note…

3) Books in full view.  Since kiddie books are thin, instead of displaying them spine-out, I’m planning to install photo ledges as shelves and prop the books up with their covers facing out so the little miss can enjoy the pictures.  And we will also work some decor elements in there – like maybe wooden letters that spell out her name?  (Which – sorry – won’t end up in our nursery reveal post before she’s born, both because we’re not certain we’ll have a final name choice by then anyway and because we’ve decided to keep our decision to ourselves so that we can introduce her to everyone when she arrives in the world.)

4) Easy access to toys.  I’m not sure how I’ll accomplish this yet – a cube shelving system?  Canvas bins?  Baskets?  I’ve got my eyes open for toy storage that works with whatever decor we settle on and keeps the peanut’s toys neat and orderly, but lets her see her stuff and get to it easily at playtime.  (That’s more for when she’s older, but I don’t want to be constantly re-shuffling her room and messing up her mojo once she arrives.)

As for decor decisions… I don’t know how we’re going to decorate the nursery just yet, aside from those practical points above.  Before we learned that the peanut is a girl, I had my eye on some adorable gender-neutral bedding that I thought would work perfectly in a blue and yellow nursery, and that I could reuse down the road if I ended up with a second peanut of a different variety.  I think if we were having a boy this time around, I’d still be inclined to go this route, and the practical side of me is even now.  But there’s a little voice in my head saying things like “A lavender nursery with floaty white curtains would be so PURTY!”  I’m trying to beat that little voice back, but it’s a challenge.  (She’s persistent.)  So we’re still on the fence about whether this room will be a haven for babies of all stripes, or a girly paradise.

Now, without further babbling, here’s the appallingly long nursery to-do list:

• Research, purchase and assemble crib and dresser.
• Decide on color scheme.
• Move blue chair upstairs or buy glider to match alternate color scheme.
• Paint walls (and maybe ceiling?).
• Purchase and hang window treatments.
• Install closet system.
• Figure out lighting and install as necessary.
• Install photo ledges (and fill with books!).
• Nail down toy storage plans.
• Acquire bedding and decor elements.
• Unpack and put away baby’s toys and clothes.
• Clean everything thoroughly.
• Insert baby.

Whew!  Am I missing anything?  I hope not, because that’s a daunting enough list as it is – and with less than 17 weeks to go, there’s no time to lose.  Now I need a nap.  Stay tuned for progress updates!