Once we learned that we were having a little girl, I thought to myself, “Finally! Now I can begin imaging what the nursery will look like!”

Up until this point, I had refrained from looking at baby nursery decor. Now that we knew, I started by looking at Pinterest and various design blogs to see what would catch my eye and inspire me. Here are some of the photos that I particularly liked.

As you can see, I gravitated towards a grey and pink color palette. I also really liked a paper pom pom centerpiece above the crib. Another decor element that I really liked was having some sort of visual interest on a wall (like a vinyl tree decal or a polka dot explosion that originated near the paper pom pom and spanned out across the walls). I found some great polka dot vinyl decals at Walls Need Love, and ended up integrating them into our nursery decor.

Before

Since Pete and I really value “being green” and bringing new life into old or used things, we decided that we’d try and buy as many nursery items as made sense secondhand. We treated it almost like a game, and had fun searching Craigslist for nursery furniture. We found a crib, a glider, a dresser/changing table, and bookshelf on Craigslist, all for under $250! Once we were done buying paint and paint supplies (for the walls and furniture), I think we figured our total cost on nursery furniture was under $400. (Pretty great, right?) Out of all these pieces, the dresser was in the worst shape; it was missing two knobs, and there were plenty of nicks, stains, and scrapes adorning the drawer fronts and dresser top (nothing that a little sanding and TLC couldn’t fix).

After

After looking at tons of inspirational photos, here’s where we ended up in terms of a color palette.

All of the pieces we purchased are in great condition, and this was our first time refinishing furniture together as a couple. Normally, I don’t have the patience to do DIY-type projects, but since we worked on these projects together it was a great opportunity to spend quality time together bonding over our baby’s nursery. Pete did a fantastic job flexing his muscles and did most of the sanding, refinishing, and painting.

Once all of the paint dried, and we placed the furniture in the room, it was time to add all of the decor and finishing touches. We are so thankful to our family and friends for many of the wonderful baby shower gifts that help make this baby’s room so sweet! When I look into this room, I smile because it feels like there’s a little party happening in there. Doesn’t it look like a fun, cheerful room?

Take a peek at the finished product!

Pregnancy Q&A

How far along? 35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 26 pounds gained

Maternity clothes? Of course

Stretch marks? No

Best moment this week: Finishing up the nursery! We are stocked up on diapers and wipes, and all of the baby’s clothes are washed and put away. We’re ready for Baby Girl’s big debut!

Miss anything? I miss being able to breathe comfortably. Right now it’s hard to take big, full breaths, or catch my breath while working out, because the baby is getting so large and squishing my lungs a bit.

Movement: Yes; now, instead of just feeling the erratic movements, I also feel slower movements that make me think she’s starting to feel a bit cramped in there (and thus can’t move as quickly). Pete will feel my belly and the movements while laying in bed and ask me, “How can you sleep through that?!” Strangely enough, the movement isn’t what keeps me awake — it’s the general pregnancy discomfort that does! 🙂

Food cravings: Nothing noteworthy

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope

Have you started to show yet? Clearly, yes

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: Nope

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Engagement ring on, wedding ring off.

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy

Looking forward to: Meeting our little girl! With all of the prep and work that we’ve done to get ready for her arrival, we’re both ready to finally meet her.