Getting Ready for Baby Girl

I'm not sure if it is because this baby girl will be our third child or because we haven't wanted to give up our guest room and aren't ready for Ainsley to move up to the third floor but the practical preparations for this wee one have been a little less exciting.  There is no nursery to decorate or big baby items to research and purchase.  But that hasn't meant that preparing and anticipating this baby girl's arrival hasn't been just as special and meaningful.  In some ways, it has been more so because there have been fewer things to stress about and more things just to look forward to.  

For the time being, we have set up a crib in our room.  I would post a full picture but we are still waiting on her crib bedding which is on backorder and probably won't be here for another few weeks.  But the above picture is of her sweet lovey (This time I was wise enough to buy four upfront rather than scrambling to find additional ones like I did when Ainsley's started to show significant wear or when Bailey threw his out the car window a few hours before bedtime - see there are perks to being third!) with the blanket that Grandma Smoothie made and her paci all waiting for her arrival.  The two green rings in the picture have been carefully placed there by Bailey.  He found them one day in his room and exclaimed that they were for the baby and then brought them right over to her crib and placed them in as an offering.  He has check on and re-positioned them in her crib on several occasions over the past month, so they must be somehow significant.

We also moved the blue rocker out of Bailey's room and into our room and recovered it in the pink slipcover that we used when it was Ainsley's rocker.  It brought back a flood of memories - good and bad - as I was scrubbing out all the stains in the pink slipcover and putting it back on the chair.  Above and below is Bailey sitting in the chair in its last night of being blue.  This too made me so nostalgic because he looks so big sitting there and there is a good chance that this blue slipcover might never be on this chair again.  But I remember thinking that when we took the pink slipcover off too, so you never know...  Anyway, I would show you a picture of the chair in pink... but I'm still waiting on the pillow that coordinates with the crib bedding.  Hmmm... maybe this baby girl knows what she's doing by coming late.  :)

As tradition, my sweet mom made this baby a fuzzy soft newborn blanket just like she did with Ainsley and Bailey.  When she gave it to me a few months ago, I could hardly believe that it was made with the same yarn as the  blankets that both my children still sleep with now.  It is just so much softer and nicer!  So for fun, below are some comparison shots of the old and new blankets.  Below is Ainsley's, Bailey's, and this baby's blankets.  Wow!

The biggest difference is really between Ainsley's and this baby's.  Look at all the love and wear Ainsley's has had!

And just for memory sake, here is the label that my loving mom adds to everything she knits for our kids.  Melts my heart.

We have also squeezed the changing table in our room and a small shelf for all this baby's extra stuff.  I'm not sure how long this arrangement will work but for now we are excited and ready to meet this little girl!!