Puppies and Trucks

It's hard to believe that I'm already starting to plan Ella Grace's "bigger girl" room. I'm going to try to keep her in her crib as long as possible, but I have a feeling I better be ready in about 4-6 months for her to be in a bigger bed. Therefore, I'm starting now...planning on a sweet room for a sweet girl. My sister still has a chest from when she and I shared a room as little girls. It is a beautiful piece of furniture...an antique that has a built in jewelry box at the top. When I was last at her house, she told me she was getting rid of it. I asked her if I could have it, and she gladly said yes. So, I'm going to get it repaired and painted pink or off-white depending (it is stained brown now). I think it will be sweet for Ella to have something of mine from when I was a little girl. I have vivid memories of that chest.

All of this planning, plus the excitement around Kelly and Sarah's new babies, has gotten me all sentimental about my own babies' rooms. I am extremely sentimental anyway, but when it comes to my babies growing up...oh my! I started thinking about Evan's little nursery. I loved that room. The theme of the room was puppies and trucks. We had an artist come in and paint trees and a puppy on the wall along with his name. She also painted some art for the wall above his chest.

I think why I loved this room so much, especially thinking about it now, is because it was before autism, before we had so many worries, before that terrible diagnosis. I just remember playing for hours in the floor of that room with my sweet boy without a care in the world. I loved watching Evan look out his huge picture window waiting for cars and trucks to pass by. We spent a lot of time in there. It was just a sweet, pure time. A time I'll always treasure.

These pictures really do not do the nursery justice. I scanned these pictures from Evan's baby book. Everything was inspired from his bedding. I loved that the puppy's collar said "EH". I never really noticed it before, but you can tell how well loved those wooden blinds were from Evan looking out of that window all the time. :)

I'm sure Derek would agree that it was a great nursery. However, when we got ready to move and the older lady that bought our house didn't have a need for a puppy dog on the wall, Derek came up with the rule for there to never ever be another mural on a wall. It was terribly hard to paint over for some reason.

One of my other favorite things in his room was this rocking truck. This picture was taken in the living room for a Christmas card, not taken in his room, but this truck sat in front of that big picture window that Evan loved and had puppies in it of course.

Evan age 9 months

If I had anything to tell new mommies, it would be to make your baby's nursery the one of your dreams. You will never regret it. It is such a sweet time and you will make a lot of wonderful memories there loving on your sweet baby.

Awww, I think I need to have another one!

JUST KIDDING!!!