Still Working....

Well, we have all but finished Ava's big girl room! Her bed is still being built- my dad had to bend the wood to make the front arch and ran into some timely and frustrating issues with that, but I saw it today, and- can I just say- my dad is AH-MAZING!!!! And Ava's bed is going to be spectacular!!! I was talking to my mom on the phone about it and just started bawling! I don't know if my sweet daddy will ever understand how much it means to me that he is putting so much into Ava's bed. Such a simple thing- a bed- but when you have to think of your baby girl sleeping in something that looks more like it is for a zoo animal than a little girl, just so that she will be safe, it breaks your heart. Of course, if we had sacrifice the aesthetics for the safety of her, we would in a heartbeat. But I am so thankful that my dad is able to make something for her that is both safe and beautiful!!!! I have a few pictures of it right now, but I honestly want to wait until it is finished! It is that good!

So while we are waiting for her bed to be built, we went ahead and moved the crib back into her room so that we could work on the nursery. Our plan isn't as simple as just slapping some paint on the wall in there, so we knew we would need about a month to get the actual walls done, because Cole's schedule and Ava's therapy schedule are all over the board these days! My mother-in-law has a great guy that they use, someone she works with who paints on the side, and he is back in Archer's room as I type getting the walls all nice and navy blue!!! We plan on working on the board and batten in about three weeks. If I can wait that long! HA! I might have to go ahead and paint the bottom white part in those three weeks. I just cannot *wait* for this room I have been planning to come together!

His bedding came yesterday! I had been waiting to order it hoping that Restoration Hardware would have a friend and family sale, and a week or so ago, they did! So we got his bumper and mobile for 20% off!!! I didn't order a quilt. Still torn on that decision. But we never, ever used Ava's, and I just felt like it would be a waste. So I decided that money could better be used elsewhere! See, I am thrifty. ;)

I have been busy busy working on things for his nursery while we wait for the actual room to be finished. My dining room looks more like a Hobby Lobby warehouse! I made the photo collage below on picmonkey.com (aka my new favorite website!). I love that it kinda gives you a feel of his room!

The top right is a little table that was my sister's, then mine, when we were kids. It has had many different looks and has two little chairs that match. I painted the top with metallic spray paint, then put the army aviation symbol on it with Archer's Hangar in plaza font. I still have to paint the wings gold- Cole wants it to authentic- so gold it is! I also bought some paper mache letters at HobLob and spray painted them with the same metallic paint, then gave them a subtle metallic glaze (that you can't see in the photo) to make them look like zinc letters a la Athropologie. Mine were $2.50/ea. They charge about $18/ea. Score! I took a photo of the bumper because it has two sides to it, and I can't tell which I love more! Perfect for the feel I want! The aviation blueprint fabric (photo above the mobile) is the bedskirt fabric. The little chairs that match the table will also have that on their seats. I snagged the mobile photo from the RH website because I couldn't get a great picture of ours, but it is just like that one- and the cutest thing ever! The navy is the color of the top part of his room. It is actually a little darker in person, more like the navy on the bedding. It is Glidden's Rich Navy, and the only true, dark navy I was able to find. And of course the first thing I did for his room, the airplane panel PB knockoffs, are patiently waiting to be hung, calling my name! They are going above his closet and after the paint sets for a week or so I *might* just talk Cole into hanging them for me! We know where they are going and they won't get in the way of our board and batten project, so why not!!! Hehe!

I am so excited for his room...plus it has been keeping me very busy, for which I am thankful. We are rapidly approaching (next week) the anniversary of Ava's diagnosis. I don't know how I will feel on that day. I hope that I can look back on the past year and be satisfied with myself. I know I can look back and be proud of her. I will be writing a post that day for sure- probably a sappy one- so get ready. The last year has been a hard one in many ways, and a blessed one in many more. I think back to where I was a year ago. Blissfully unaware of how my life was about to change in just a matter of days. Now, a year later, I am working on a new baby's room and watching his big sister thrive and prove the "experts" wrong in so many ways. It was a hard year for me. But the Lord is still good and still faithful. And for that, I am most thankful!