18 weeks on Wednesday - big news!

Over Christmas break we got to go up to the hospital and get a sneak-peek at the baby. Ben's mom is a labor and delivery nurse at St. Francis in Tulsa, so she did an ultrasound for us. The baby is looking healthy and strong and the biggest news is...IT'S A BOY! Yeah! I'm so excited. That is really what we were both hoping for.

Now I have 2 major tasks facing me. First, I have to come up with a whole new boy name. This will not be an easy feat since Ben and I could hardly agree on anything but Jackson. We had discussed Boston James but Ben was always lukewarm on that one, and several family members vetoed it while we were visiting in Tulsa. Now Ben is adamant that we cannot name our child Boston, so back to the drawing board. Right now we are leaning toward Samson Jay (Ben's best friend growing up and a truly awesome person and Jay is Ben's middle name) or Carson Jay. I like both, but can't imagine my child with that name. We really like -on endings in names, so if you can think of any, send them my way. It deosn't have to be spelled -on, we just like the sound with our last name.

The next major feat is getting another nursery ready. The new nursery will be in our guest room and Ben's office will become the office/guest room combo. Jackson's room is done in fire truck/dalmation and I have decided I want to do a pirate/sea theme in the new nursery. All Jackson's shabby-chic black baby furniture can go in there and Jack will get our guest room furniture and a new bunk bed in his room when he turns 2 in August. (I'm due in June and the baby will spend the first few months in our room anyway, so Jack can keep the crib for a few months.) Anyway, I have already moved the changing table dresser in the old guest room and started cleaning out Jack's closet and moving boxed up clothes and baby gear over to the new nursery. Yes, I have the nesting bug right now, but also, practically, this is the best time to get started. Once school starts back up in my house next week, I will have no time except weekends, and I won't get a break until Spring Break. I'll need to spend Spring Break painting, so...gotta get going on this!

With Jackson's nursery, my mom, aunt and grandmother came to help and we sewed all the bedding and matching window treatments, but I don't have that kind of time or the inclination, frankly, so I'm buying bedding and accessories this time. Here are some of the nurseries I am looking at for ideas. Tell me what you like!



P.S. I don't think I will buy any of these, but they give me ideas on what I can do with the room. Whatever I choose has to go with the black furniture because I am not re-painting it all over again. That took forever!! Plus, I am not crazy about the idea of skull and crossbones in the nursery, so I don't know yet how this will all work out. I am also not a pastels kind of person. Whatever I do has to be a little bolder.