An observant YouTube viewer pointed out that I had made a mistake on my car seat installation. You’re supposed to use either the Latch system or the seatbelt, but not both. (My car seat manual wasn’t very clear about that.) Today I had an appointment for a car seat inspection at John Muir, and they really did a great job. They spend about half an hour with you, inspecting your installation, making any needed improvements, and then educating you about all aspects of car seat safety (of which there are many). Of all the various pregnancy and parenting books, videos, and classes I’ve experienced over the past few months, I think this was the most informative and practical one yet. And it was free.
Thank you very much to everyone who came to our baby shower today. It was wonderful seeing you all, and we appreciate all of your thoughtful gifts. We’ve been spending the entire afternoon and evening organizing everything and the nursery looks a lot less empty now.
Mad props to Rebecca for making the diaper cake, too.
OK, so we copped out and grabbed a crib and dresser from Pottery Barn, but at least the room is coming along. Our little girl could be here within the next four to six weeks, and I don’t want her to be tapping her foot impatiently in her bedroom doorway as we scramble to get everything ready after she arrives. Now that the basics are in place, I need to strip and repaint the bookshelf and hutch that we took out of this room a few weeks back. (If you look closely, you can see our paint swatches lined up on the dresser in this image.) So much left to do!
I am pleased to report that the Strohmeyer household has entered into phase 2 of its nursery development program. Apart from a single nightstand (partly visible in the lower-left corner of the image here), all furniture has been removed from the room and the walls have been taped for painting. I’ve got two gallons of Waverly Soft Lemon paint (in eggshell finish) and a Wagner PowerRoller at the ready. By this time Monday, the room will officially be in nursery mode.
Once the room is painted, we’ll be moving on to furniture. So far, we have four pieces that we’re retaining from our old selection: Two matching white nightstands (one of which has already been mentioned), and a bookshelf and hutch that will both need to be stripped/sanded and repainted white. Then we need to settle on a crib, which has so far proved challenging.
UPDATE 1/26/08 7:30PM: The room is looking pretty yellow now.
UPDATE 1/30/08 6:36PM: With the paint dry and the room reasonably aired out, I’ve now removed the blue painter’s tape from the trim and put all the cover plates back on the wall sockets and light switches. This isn’t our crib, by the way; it’s just the cosleeper we’ll be using to keep her within reach for the first few months. The real crib should be here at the end of February.
I am pleased to report that the Strohmeyer household has entered into phase 2 of its nursery development program. Apart from a single nightstand (partly visible in the lower-left corner of the image here), all furniture has been removed from the room and the walls have been taped for painting. I’ve got two gallons of 