Sydney's Space

We continue to work hard on Sydney's room ~ and grow more excited daily as things come together. So often, we find ourselves simply standing in the room ... thinking, wondering, considering all that will "be" our daughter.

As a couple, it has been completely rewarding to work on this project together. We find ourselves consulting one another about everything from trim work to the color and pattern of the quilting, etc. Leon has clear opinions about keeping it fun and childlike (and reigns in my tendency to go for the more formal and elegant ~can we say toile fabric patterns and matelasse bedding anyone! Come one, kids love that!) and weighs in on everything from discussions of wall art to the debate over gingham patterned crib skirts or solid crib skirts.

We finally received all of Sydney's furniture - thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Staude and the fine folks at JC Penneys! We also have started securing the "Daisy Garden" bedding - thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Jameson and the tasteful crew over at Pottery Barn Kids. Gotta love it!

Leon was able to set-up the crib without incident. I don't say that because we anticipated incident, but it was a little tricky to balance the thing, figure out how the sides are supposed to lower, etc. Good thing we hold advanced degrees.

The end result continues to be a daily transformation of the space that mirrors the transformation we are feeling in our emotions and attitudes as we ready for January.

Each day that passes we grow more and more excited for our daughter's arrival. Enjoying lunch with our good friends, Zach and Alicia Klug, whose little girl will arrive literally any day ~ we all consulted on each others worries and thrills and excitements. I am just excited that Sydney will already have a friend her own age! Alicia and I are looking forward to plenty of play-dates in the months and years to come. What a fun new direction for our lives.

I won't lie ~ we continue to be overwhelmed sometimes. Those who know us, recognize that Leon and I are planners. We've been married 9-years and have a fairly established routine. Bringing Sydney into our pattern and adjusting our living to best nurture her will take patience and creativity and patience and laughter and patience ... but at age 32, (sorry, Leon is still just 31) we really are ready for this new focus. Don't get us wrong, we love all of the activities and events and people who have absorbed our very best energy over the last years, but it's time to shift that absorption to the home front.

We just can't wait.

Home Improvement ~ Jameson Style

I am not handy.

Leon is handy.

Working together, we have started remodeling our "old office" and turning it into a brilliant baby space for Sydney! It's an adventure.

Here is the opening progress ...

I was inspired by photos in my Pottery Barn kids magazines, which means that I needed Leon to do more than paint (and for those of you who know us well, you know Leon brings new meaning to the idea of being fastidious). We decided to add wainscoting to two walls, add trim around the windows, upgrade the lighting and paint. Armed with visions of the room, we headed off for the local Home Depot to begin our work.

The paint department was no problem. Leon being expert at paint; he made sure we selected a satin finish kitchen and bath quality paint so that we can keep it all really clean ... I have a feeling Leon and clean and Sydney and clean may mean two different things ... but we shall see!

Then, we headed for the lumber department, where a Dad of one of Leon's youth works. He connected us with an expert and we were set to select wainscoting, trim, chair rails, filials (see ~ we now know what rosette filials are!) liquid nails, etc. etc. etc.

And of course, we needed a miter saw to accomplish all of this. Leon detoured to the tools and we took advantage of Labor Day sales and added a really manly, really cool big ol' saw to the cart. After a few hours, we headed home.

With great enthusiasm, we started projecting. Thankfully, Leon is more patient and prescribed than I am, and so our efforts really paid off. I am too eager and would just as soon slap it all together (and then would, of course, be super bummed because the end result didn't match the vision in my mind). Leon keeps us focused ~ almost painfully precise! I mean, he makes us wait DAYS for paint to dry before we add the second color, etc. ARGH! But worth it!

And, I got to work the saw! I felt totally like one of those cool chicks on Extreme Home MakeOver!

This weekend we are picking up the nursery furniture and adding the pink color to the walls. Yeah! Then, as MeeMaw (HAHAHA, MOM!) Staude shared this morning, the real fun starts as we pick out wall hangings and rugs and dress the room. Of course, I am not really allowed to hang those items either ... I have sort of a problem producing anything but extremely large holes in the wall when I try to wield a tool ... ah well!

Nursery Time!

It's time!

We are ready to start painting the nursery (or rather, Leon is ready to start painting the nursery ... I am not allowed, and no that's not necessarily because of fumes. I am an impatient painter. Leon is a fastidious painter ... and the end result is well-worth his patience, let me tell you!) At any rate, Sydney's eminent arrival becomes all the more real as we have selected furniture and colors ... it's sort of intimidating. I mean ... we are setting her tastes. Determining what she might like (or grow to loathe ... oh dear) with this early choices.

Of course. I was raised in a concrete-floored basement (ask my folks) and turned out okay (in my opinion at any rate). Maybe we are putting too much into this ;-)

We are going to go terribly gender-specific: pink! Yeah for pink! Hooray for pink. I love pink, which means for now ~ so does our daughter. Oh that it will always be that easy!

Originally our thought was something "gender neutral" ... but no. We are embracing Sydney's girl-ness on her behalf. The room will be pink and white, with spring green accents. (Afterall ~ green is the new pink). AND the best part is (well, not the best - but a cool perk), I will finally get to purchase the nursery bedding I have had my eye on for months. Check that. Make it years.

Check it out:




So that is our Labor Day ... labor. I was going to be making jam (how industrious and domestic, yes ... I know ... it's really tasty jam, too!), but have been informed by my vineyard-tending Dad that the deer have eaten everything I would harvest.

Oh well! Darn deer. I guess I will just have to crash on the sofa and eat bon bons whilst Leon paints the perfect room! What a tragedy.

Just how much chronicling of baby-waiting does everyone really want to hear? More? Less? I'll endeavor to make the next post about something exciting and work or grad school or fall high school play related (we are doing The Importance of Being Earnest ... which reminds me, I am supposed to email the students the cast list today and have not yet done so ~ they are all probably very nervous and stressed .... and the fact that this makes me laugh suggests I am not a very nice person!).

Enjoy the Labor Day weekend, all. And think of us and send Leon an encouraging post! "Paint good man! Paint!"