Thinking pink

Since last week's announcement of our little GIRL, I'm becoming more convinced that finding out her gender early was one of our best decisions ever.  That probably sounds a little extreme, but seriously I can't get over how much extra bonding has already occurred just by knowing that she's a she.  I talk to her a lot more, I imagine a lot more about our lives together, and I love calling her by name.  By the way, I don't think I announced last week that our little beauty is named Anna Rose.

Granted, the first time I heard someone naming their child before birth, I thought it was a little crazy.  But now that I'm living it, it feels perfectly normal and natural that the little being inside of me has a name.  I suppose it's an outpouring of my pro-life beliefs, to know that she's a person - she won't become someone when she starts living outside of my body.  She is, and always has been, an individual.  My Anna.  She already has her preferences (loves the organ music and church in general), her schedule (night owl, all the way!), and so much more that we will learn in the months and years to come.

From a house-readiness perspective, it took me a little while to switch gears from my perfectly-planned boy color scheme (prompted by this fabric, which will now be saved for Anna's future baby brother).  I needed the perfect inspiration fabric to be the starting point for the rest of the room.  I knew I wanted something soft, feminine, slightly whimsical, and not too overly "baby."  After two fruitless trips to our local fabric stores (they just didn't have the "perfect" design I had in my mind's eye, I found the ideal crib sheet during our inaugural trip to Babys R Us.

And thus a vision was born:

Future sewing projects on tap include: curtains, a crib skirt, glider covers / pillows, a new quilt for the twin bed (which will stay in the room), an alphabet quilt / wall-hanging, and a fabric pennant (similar to my lampshade decoration, but larger scale and hanging on the wall).  Ready, set, sew!  (and hopefully, blog too!)