Week 19: Making room

By Published On: May 30th, 2013

Our baby is on his or her way (and in […]

nurseryOur baby is on his or her way (and in about a week, I’ll be able to stick with one pronoun!). While Roo is cooking, though, we need to make room. Now it may come as no surprise that my Type A personality expects the nursery to be ready in ample time, but I’m seriously starting to wonder if the room will be set up even if our baby is a late arrival.
When we moved into our two-bedroom condo three years ago, I had the second bedroom earmarked as a nursery, although I knew we’d use it as my office in the interim. My goal was to keep it as barren as possible so that when the time came, it would be less work and anxiety to transition to a baby’s room. Needless to say, things didn’t go according to plan. All of our miscellaneous items found their way into the room—bookshelves, desks, board games, paperwork, etc. The closet is still stuffed to the brim with storage containers and thingamabobs we don’t use regularly (or at all).
So when we found out I was pregnant, one of the first things we did was come up with a deadline for the bedroom to be cleared out so the baby’s things could move in. We—and by we, of course I mean Arthur—have made progress in a lot of areas: both desks are gone, as well as one of the bookcases. It still looks like a tornado tore through it, but progress is progress, and we have a few months before the deadline hits. However, I’m starting to panic as we run out of places to store the remaining items and Roo’s things start to come in.
I get so excited when a baby item is delivered because it signifies the upcoming addition to our family! The car seat that we’ll bring our daughter or son home in has already been tested. The bassinet she or he will sleep in is home. The baby seat that will gently rock Roo (when we can bare to part with him or her) has arrived. And they’re all accumulating in the corner of the room we still need to vacate.
I know our work won’t be done even when the room is a clean slate, because then there’s the paint color to pick out and apply and the configuration of furniture. That part will be enjoyable though, as we begin nesting and gearing up for our new family member. It’s as if the President of the United States were coming, and we want everything to be perfect. Never mind that this VIP won’t even be able to hold up his or her own head and will repeatedly deposit bodily fluids in the room, but they should have a special place to be nonetheless!
When my mind runs wild like this, it helps to take a beat and think of how many improvements we’ve made in the last three months and know that we still have five more to accomplish the rest. And really, how much time will Roo spend in his or her room when there are so many open arms ready to reach out?