The long waiting game

After our big announcement at the end of October, the only thing we could really do was wait.  And the wait has been excruciating.  First thing we were waiting for - boy or girl?
Most of our friends and family were thinking (hoping?) baby D was going to be a girl.  The old wives tales were split 50/50 as far as what the gender should be, but everyone with kids kept telling me "Oh, since you have morning sickness and gag when you brush your teeth, it's sooo a girl!"

Our 16 week checkup/ultrasound came along, and lo and behold:

Not shy at all.

Ladies and gents, we have a penis (and other accompaniments)!  More importantly, we have a healthy, happy baby.  He was moving like crazy (the kid never sits still) and had all the right parts in all the right places.  And now we have a baby boy to carry on SP's family name (his brother has 3 daughters - SP is the last hope for the family!)

Now that we know the gender of this little one, it's time to start picking stuff out.  And by stuff, I mean tons of teeny, tiny baby shit.  That's the only way I can describe all of the things you need for baby.  Besides the obvious diapers, wipes, and clothes, there are choices to make about cribs, changing tables, dressers, toys, bottles, pacifiers, mittens, baby monitors, and a slew of other things that I've probably forgotten and won't remember to get until it's too late.  Not to mention the theme for the room, colors for the walls, curtains, rugs... at least that's my list of things we need.  SP on the other hand doesn't understand why we can't use a dresser drawer or laundry basket and just keep him at the foot of the bed, let him pee off the porch like he does, and use paper towels instead of baby wipes.  We went to Babies R Us and used their registry tool too pick out all the recommended items that we "need".  We'll see about all that!  Now that the registry is complete, it's onto the next thing we're waiting for: the baby shower!

So, fast forward to January, and the fabulous baby shower that my mom, sister, and bff Ashley threw for me.  Baby D got showered with so much love and so much stuff, that it made this mommy's shopping list quite a bit easier!

Look at that awesome diaper cake I made!

Mom and Jess giving their approval

A week later, back in Louisiana, I began struggling with where to put all of baby D's fabulous new things (it took two 50-lb suitcases to get it all back home, we barely squeaked by the airline limits without having to pay!) .  My in-laws bought us a great dresser/changer combo for the room, and it took me a whole 5 minutes to fill it up with newborn clothes and changing table tools.  Now what? (This is becoming a common theme with this pregnancy).  The room we chose for the nursery is the smallest room in the house, so more furniture to store clothes is out of the question.  I've had a hell of a time finding baby hangers, and even though baby D has the biggest closet (how did I let that happen?), I'm not having any luck keeping the clothes organized in there.  Buying shelves for the walls is stupid expensive, and we're definitely on a budget.  Luckily, I have a husband who loves any excuse to use his power tools and make a mess, and we came up with this:

It looks like a real nursery! Crib courtesy of my wonderful sister-in-law, Julie.

 SP built all of those shelves into the walls, which gave me tons of space to put baby D's toys, books, and stuffed animals!  All for a grand total of... ::drumroll please::: ... about $80!! 

See the butterfly?

Blanket and shoe storage

Wonderful!  The nursery is done (except for a rug), the clothes are washed, folded, and ready to go, his toys are all on display...

Now what?