Baby Hodge's Nursery

This one has been a long time coming... I am pinching myself that this thing we have prayed for has become a reality.  And I am thrilled I get to write and share this with you all.

Blaine and I have prayed over a child of our own for a long time.  There was some heartache and feelings of hopelessness along the way.  And my heart goes out to so many families we know who have experienced pain far greater than ours.  This past Summer, we were overjoyed to learn we were pregnant, and prayed even harder for a smooth pregnancy and a healthy baby.  God answered our prayers in a huge way -- we are so happy to say that our baby boy is doing great, and is expected to arrive March 1st!  (Or, whenever he decides he is ready!)

Of the many, many things I look forward to doing with this little one, getting his space ready is one I've been able to enjoy in the meantime.  I would be lying if I said that this room all came together after we found out we were expecting.  The truth is, I have dreamed of little pieces of this room for a long time.  I've picked up things here and there at yard sales and thrift stores, thinking at the very least, I could pass them on to someone else for their nursery.  But I truly hoped one day I would get to bring them together in our own home, for our own child.  Seeing it in reality is even better than I had pictured.  No, it's not perfect, but to me it is almost as beautiful and miraculous that I can stand here and see it as I can the sonogram pictures of our son.

So with that, let's get into the room tour... Welcome to Baby Hodge's nursery!

I'll tell you first off that the only piece of furniture we purchased for this room was the crib.  The dresser, bookcase, and the night stand were all pieces we had around the house.  We just cleaned them out, (I gave the night stand a fresh coat of paint), and moved them into this room.  And for all intents and purposes, it all came together.

It should come as no surprise that I chose to incorporate a lot of Disney into his room.  "Most of all, Winnie the Pooh."  In a funny way, it all started with this little Roo.

This was the first thing Blaine and I purchased for our baby boy - months before we became pregnant.  While on a family trip to Disney World, my sweet Mom gave each of my nephews $20 dollars to purchase something "from Grammy" in the parks.  As a joke, she handed Blaine and I $20 and said, "Since you two don't have a baby for me to spoil, you can spoil yourselves!"  We took that $20 dollars and bought this Roo from one of the gift shops with the sincere hope that someday soon, we could tell my Mom she really did buy something for her grand baby.  Almost one year later, we got to do just that!  We wrapped him in a gift bag (along with our first ultrasound picture) and that was how we told my parents about baby Hodge.

It seemed fitting that the room came together around Roo.  My Mom found my old Classic Pooh beanies I collected when I was young, and then passed on some Pooh blankets that had been used with my nephew.  With those few items, the room started to take shape.

The floating shelves came from Wal-Mart several years ago, and have been sitting in the back of our coat closet just waiting for a place.  They were black, I just spray painted them white.  I am beyond happy with how they display Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore.  I was even able to add some leftover honey pots my Mom and sister made as favors for baby Hodge's shower.

 Until recently, the crib did not have a mobile.  Honestly, we didn't think we needed one.  But on a recent trip to Buy Buy Baby, we noticed the Classic Pooh set up was being taken down.  Out of curiosity, we asked the Manager about the mobile.  Since this one was part of the display, we ended up getting a great deal -- it's now one of my favorite pieces!

Once we started our registry, it seemed fitting to have Burt's Bees items throughout the nursery.  Blaine and I both were born and raised in Durham - where Burt's Bees is headquartered.  The bee patterns went along great with our Winnie the Pooh theme, while giving a nod to the place that has always been home to us both.

This Pooh and piglet was sketched by my Mom.  She added the balloons for guests to sign at our baby shower.  I haven't found a "home" on the wall for it yet, but I didn't want to leave it out of the room tour because it is one of my favorite things in the nursery!

 My Mom has bought countless things for this little boy, including lots of clothes.  It will be a while before he can wear this Dumbo onesie, but it was too cute to put away in the closet.  So I took an old peg rack and decided to hang it as decoration, along with this hooded cardigan - which also came from my Mom.  (Thank you, Grammy!)

Beyond the bees and the Pooh bear theme, I had been eyeing these two Disney prints on Etsy for years.  (I told you I had been dreaming of this for a while).  At first, I was worried that bringing other Disney characters into the room would look out of place.  But I went ahead and ordered them during a sale, and now seeing them in the space, I think they blend in really well!  Which should serve as a tip when you're decorating:  if you love it, get it!

 I'm so happy these landed in our boy's room.  Until he is old enough to enjoy them, I'll be enjoying them enough for the both of us.  Peter Pan symbolizes my favorite ride at my favorite place, and the hope that our little boy will always keep his child-like faith, a sense of adventure, and (in that sense) "never grow up".

And the Dumbo print reminds me of the sweet bond between a mother and her son -- I wasn't sure exactly where I would put it, but I think it landed in the place it was meant to be: right beside the glider, where I will be spending plenty of time rocking, reading and bonding with him.

The final piece that came into this room and brought it all together was a gift from my parents and my sister: the glider.  My Mom thinks she bought it from Wal-Mart when my sister was pregnant with my nephew.  It was black, with white cording.  But after some wear and tear, my Dad (an upholsterer of more than 30 years) offered to recover it as his gift to the baby.  He also re-stuffed the arms and the cushion.  The fabric came from a closeout store in High Point.  My Mom and sister were sweet enough to send me texts and pictures of swatches while they were there on another errand.  It was hard to tell from the pictures, but I liked the simplicity of the gray and white stripes.  I was torn between this and a light blue gingham pattern. Then, my sister commented on this fabric saying, "it's classic."  The first time I saw the fabric in person wasn't until the baby shower (when it was all finished!) and wow was she right -- it's classic.  The fact that this glider has had so many hands on it from people I love makes it all the more special!

There really aren't words for the feelings I've had lately.  We are currently at 38 weeks, and it doesn't seem real to us that a little boy will be living here very soon.  It has been my joy getting to prepare this place for him.  We have all (Floyd and Darla, too) spent a lot of time in this room.  Darla and Floyd don't know what is happening, but they know something is changing.  I think they are going to be a great big brother and sister to this little boy.

We're ready for you Baby Hodge.

"How do you spell 'love'," asked Piglet.

"You don't spell it, you feel it."  said Pooh.