Mother's Day, Birthing Class, and the Nursery Revealed...

Well, it is hard to forget what day today is, especially with the constant reminder that every time I take a look at Jo Marie, that she is about to be a mother. So, happy Mother's Day to all the mothers checking in on our blog. Today, Jo Marie is about 62% mother, assuming of course that Joie will deliver little Max on August 20th, which both of us doubt will happen. Joie is doing really well, and so is Max! We love spending time feeling Max move about Joie's midsection, and sometimes you can even see him moving! He usually kicks up pretty heavy in the early to middle part of each evening.
Yesterday, we attended our one day, crash course of birthing class. It was supposed to last from 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon, so neither one of us were really looking forward to spending a b-e-a-utiful Saturday in a cramped room with other random couples that we do not know practicing breathing techniques and how to keep the milk flowing through your breasts. It was us and four other couples. Lucky for us, the teacher seemed to move right along through the material as if we had all done this before, and we were out a few minutes after 1:00. I have had several friends and co-workers who have had kids before me tell me that you have to do the birthing class at least once, but that once that first contraction hits, throw everything out of the window! My only real take-away from yesterday's course is that when she is having contractions, I should not say "What do you want me to do?" Apparently, that is a no-no.
And finally, the moment you have all been waiting for: The nursery. We are still tying up loose ends in there, and need to work on the license plates, but all in all most of the work is done. Would you like to see it?

In this first picture, the base coat has been added, and we have taped off for stripes!

Next, the stripes have gone up, in a color that is about ten shades darker than the base color...

Next, the molding went up to cap it all off, and the crib was assembled and put in it's spot (for now, until we change our mind again!) See Max's little rocking chair in the corner, with his old-school wooden toy? Abby hates that toy. It really makes us wonder how she's going to adjust to the whole 'baby thing.'

Here, you can see the theme we are going with. The bedding we got at a second hand store in Topeka. It is Pottery Barn Kids, with patchwork and (of course) cars. The whole set retails new at about $400, but Jo Marie talked them down from $50 to $40! The crib was given to us by a close friend of Jo Marie's. At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, "What about the license plates?" Well...

Here's a sneak peek! We plan to have the border around the room be old license plates from around the country. We have a TON of Kansas plates, but we really want some from other places too.
In the final picture, you can see a shot of the dresser (from a garage sale) that we picked up last year, and are converting into a changing station. Right now, it has a toy on it(also from a garage sale) that hasn't found it's final home quite yet...