Waiting on Baby Boy

This pregnancy has been surreal.

In so many ways, it feels like we’ve been expecting this little man forever!  But in others, it seems like there’s no way he should be arriving any day now.  And at 39 weeks and counting, he really will be here before we know it!

As y’all may remember from previous posts, we’ll be having a home birth for this little man just like we did with our Rosie.  It was the most beautiful, amazing day of our lives and I can’t imagine having done it any other way.  You can read her birth story here if you missed it.

For this girl who loves home and is so inspired by the spaces around her, creating a certain atmosphere  to welcome baby was important.  The plan is to have a water birth here in the living room, so my first focus was on the living room and kitchen.  I say plan lightly because if you’ve read Rosie’s story, you know birth and plans don’t always go together, though hers ended up being perfect.

I want these spaces that we’ll be in and see as we’re bringing this little guy into the world to spur me on and to remind me of what we’re all working for: this precious little boy who will be joining our family forever.  

I started by bringing more blue into these spaces.  Blue is an obvious choice for baby boy and it feels celebratory of his arrival!  But it also has a bit of a deeper meaning for us with this specific baby.

I wanted very specific art on the mantel for very specific reasons.  First of all, the floral that I painted back around Valentine’s Day needed to be here.  While flowers may not scream baby boy, it’s so meaningful to me.

When I started that painting, it was for the little Valentine’s tour that I put together and I envisioned it being all reds and pinks.  I started with a base of reds, peaches, and pinks, but as I was painting, I just HAD to add blues.  The painting didn’t feel complete without it to me and as I painted, adding in my blues, I couldn’t help but think of our blending family.  This painting took on a whole new meaning to me and really started to represent my two babies: our pink-loving Rosie girl and our new little boy that was coming.  It just feels right to have it front and center here to look at as he officially joins our family.

I said blues had a whole new meaning for us with this baby and it’s because the ocean has taken on some huge symbolism with our little man and his name.  I’ve decided this time around not to share the name until he’s here to officially introduce him to you guys.  I shared Rosie’s before she came and for some reason, this time around it feels right to wait.  But oceans play a huge role in why we chose the name we did and what we envision and hope for the type of man he’ll become.  

I haven’t tackled anything on his nursery yet and will work on putting that together more after he comes and after our guest room is freed up from parents coming to stay and help as he arrives, but the ocean will play a definite role in there!  And it had to be here to remind me of the special, unique child that God is bringing into our family.

I always believe that our spaces can gives us peace, inspire us, and embrace us and no time is that needed more than when you’re bringing a new little one into the world.  But I also loved the idea of doing a few special things in our home to enjoy as we anticipate him and then in the weeks after he’s here.  Decorating to welcome him just feels right.

I added a few blue changes to the kitchen.  I love this blue abstract from Marquin Designs and how it looks in our kitchen (she actually just welcomed a baby boy this week!).  It feels fresh and like a fun change from what we’ve had in here recently, but it also reminds me of ocean waves.

I’ve become obsessed with creating floral arrangements from eucalyptus and colored flowers, thanks to my dear friend Eileen from A Creative Day Blog!  Fresh flowers just brighten my day and are always the easiest way to bring a little festive cheer in.  I smile every time I pass by this pretty arrangement with my very favorite flower, hydrangeas (blue of course!).  I’m spritzing them like crazy hoping they’ll last until he comes.

I know I’ll be spending quite a bit of time in our bedroom after he comes, so I wanted to make that space feel pretty and special for us.  Our room already has plenty of blue, but I created this pretty little view from our bed.

Having my blue hydrangeas in sight instantly brightens my mood.  And I love having these things out as we wait for him.  The robe I’ll wear after he comes (found here), his first outfit washed and ready for him, and a tiny pair of booties for him…

Oh it couldn’t be any sweeter.  Having these visual reminders is making me so excited for his arrival and for our family to be together and complete (for now at least).

Since I hung this up, Rosie has walked by many times and just touched his little outfit, put her hands in the pockets, and stared at it.  Every time, she says “Baby Bruder comin’.”  I didn’t think she really understood and maybe she’s just repeating what we keep telling her, but I don’t know…I do think she senses a change is coming and maybe, just maybe, is anticipating him too.

Be still this mama’s heart.

Come on anytime little one…we’re all ready for you!