Greetings From Cloud Nine

Wow... I don't really know what to say about all your kind comments about our bedroom, except thank you! I was maybe probably a little bowled over by the niceness, and definitely a lot grateful to Naomi for linking me up to her fabulous readers. All the comments truly made my day a little more bearable, by which I mean I was able to waddle upstairs to decide if I really wanted to buy this hot Ebay number for the baby's nursery:

What with all the extra vim and vigor I had laying around, I then waddled downstairs and plugged that guy into the Olio Moodboard 3000, and this is what came out:

Yes, uber cool vintage fixture just got boughten. And while I was at it, I snagged those vintage sconces for a song:

Oh so cute with the little stars, but maybe a trifle dangereuse for a baby's room? What if my little dude turns into a climber and impales himself on those pointy edges? Maybe I should hold out for these dumb Ikea PS sconces which I am convinced will never be released in the US?

Pretty dope, and I like the Bauhausy shape. I do not like that it takes LED lights. I know that's not very environmentally conscious of me, but uggggghhhhhh. LED is gross.

So anyway, the nursery is humming along except for a few key details.

#1. My chair still isn't done.

Maybe today? I need to see it in situ before I make any more $$$ decisions.

#2. I am so on the fence about window treatments.

Invest in spendy roman shades and have my MIL trim them in black? Buy some cheapo Ikea linen curtains and trim them in black or maybe royal blue to fill out the wall space?

Because it feels a little blank in there... maybe it's the rug?

I kept trying to harness the amazingness of this neutral room:

But for whatever reason I am incapable of that kind of subtle layer action. Wendy Schwartz, you are just better than me.

And that brings me to the next key detail that must be addressed:

#3. The Baby.

Hey sucker, when are you coming out? How about July 31? That would give me the weekend to finish up some things, and it would allow you the glory and majesty of having a birthday during the best month of the year...

(full disclosure: my birthday may or may not be tomorrow)

So that's what's going on at my house. Thank you for all your positive feedback! You are solely responsible for powering the feeble engine of late stage pregnancy.

Together, we will make it through the finish line.

Well, you know what I mean...

Droopy Dawg

I am so. damn. tired. Yesterday I took a picture of my basketball sized belly so you could see that I'm headed into the misery stage, but I'm too tired to upload it. I even took pictures of my crazy curtain debacle but I'm also too tired to deal with that.

This is shaping up to be an exciting post. Let me spice things up a bit.

I am obsessed with every single thing in this room. I'm not sure I would be happy living here 24/7, but as a cozy library it KILLS. Those window treatments put all other window treatments to shame. The paint color and glossy built ins are ridic. The textile combo is absurdly good. And I'm going to steal that light fixture... as soon as I can figure out where it comes from.

This room by fellow Austinite Bailey McCarthy touches my happy place (visuals not necessary). The glow in the dark constellation wallpaper may make an appearance in the kid's bathroom at our house.

GLOWS IN THE MF DARK, Y'ALL. If I were really brave, I would paper Ike's ceiling with this bizness. But that sounds hard and I may have already mentioned that I'm tired.

Instead I think I'm going to just order this cute print for Ike's room, glue some glow in the dark stars to the ceiling, and call it a day. (Thanks for the poster link, Katie!)

In other news, I might paint our bedroom this color:

Or maybe this color:

Dede Pratesi's bedroom is pretty much my idea of perfection.

And as if this post weren't already disjointed enough, you need to head on over to MFAMB and check out the room Jenny Andrews just decorated for her precious kidlet.

Awesome real people decorating on a budget makes me SO HAPPY.

What is not making me happy is my curtain situation.

Still working on it. I don't understand why this stupid room has to be so difficult.

Yet another trip to Ikea is in the works, and a trip to the West Elm outlet already happened.

Pictures to follow. Soon.

Things That Keep Me Awake at 3am

So yesterday I went to the outlets again in search of more mongolian fur pillows, but they were all gone -- probably because I broadcast the message of cheap West Elm stuff far and wide, which was incredibly altruistic of me. But also maybe not so smart for a bargain hoarder. Anyhow, I ended up buying this:

[Not my house! See the entire nursery here]

While it would be a total score if I could walk into an outlet and buy this whole room, I was still pretty happy about snagging that  bassinet for half price:

Isn't it cute? So cute that no fewer than five middle aged women told me how their ovaries just melted before I could even stuff it into the car.

So I wheeled my fancy new bassinet into the bedroom next to the bed, where I plan to house Baby X after I hit the ejector seat, and then I went to sleep.

And then the nightmares started.

This whole pregnancy, throughout all the complications and bed rest, I've been in total denial that we actually have a baby coming. I didn't want to get too attached in the beginning because Baby X might not make it. And also my experience with Little Infant Ike was not exactly a cakewalk -- he wouldn't eat or sleep. He colic cried for four months straight. My nipples cracked and blistered and bled until he was six months old. He slept (or didn't sleep) for eight months in our bed. I did everything I could to be a "good mom," but I seemed to fail miserably. Still he was cute and smart as all get out, and most importantly he was healthy, so I just buckled down and made it work because that's what parents do...

Now there is a crib in our bedroom again.

When I woke up at 3am and looked over, it reminded me of nothing so much as a lawnmower, coming straight at me Stephen King style. I tossed and turned for hours, wondering how I'm going to make this work again. I finally have a kid that is relatively self sufficient, and now I'm starting all over? W. T. F.

I worried about the blog -- who's going to take over while I'm recovering? Will anyone read when I come back? Does it even make sense for me to blog at all anymore?

I worried about my livelihood, not just for money but for my sense of self worth -- I haven't taken a photo or decor job since I went on bed rest.

I worried about Ike -- he's not going to be happy to share the spotlight.

I worried about our marriage -- having a newborn is stressful.

I worried about my mental health -- I don't think I need to elaborate on this one.

I'm 10 weeks away from my due date, and of course I'm still worrying about furniture and paint and wallpaper and kitchen cabinets, because those are things I can control (barely). There's progress in there somewhere.

So I apologize if I sound crazy and stressed and wishy washy. And if it seems like I'm incapable of making decisions for myself, it's because I am.

I just wanted to say thank you for being here and reading, for indulging my hysteria (using that term with the original root in mind). It helps more than you know. I feel a little ridiculous and sappy sentimental saying that, but it's true.

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone. I hope we can all engage in some much needed R&R.

See you Tuesday, ready to talk decor.

[Isabel Lopez Quesada]