Imagine this

We have a few weeks to transform our upstairs spare bedroom (a.k.a. storage room or "catch all") into an inviting, girly, pink nursery for Selah.  Not because she will be home in a few weeks (If only!!) but because we will be submitting family photo pages to the judge who hears our adoption case.  One picture will of course be The Baby's Bedroom.

Transforming the spare room is quite an undertaking.  Imagine if you will, boxes, bags and piles stacked haphazardly on top of each other.  Books, toys, home decor, momentos from high school and college, future garage sale items, and so on.  There is no path from one side of the room to the other.  A person enters this room at their own risk.  (maybe I shouldn't admit to being the owner of such a room!)  Eek!!

We did get a good start this past weekend in preparation for our home visit with our social worker.  The boxes and stacks of miscellaneous items were sorted.  Some items were put away, like they should have been when we moved into this house 2 1/2 years ago!  Other items were tossed, including a large trash bag full of Noelle's old, outgrown and forgotten toys ("No mommy, don't throw that away!  It's my favorite!!).  And still other items we "reappropriated" to the downstairs spare bedroom (a project for some other day).

I did not take a photo of the room before we started clearing it out (why subject myself to further embarrassment?), but here is the photo of the bare start of a nursery. 

I'm still trying to decide on a color for the walls, and we will need to find some cute artwork to liven up the room.  But at least we have a good start.  At some point I will ask my dear hubby to search the attic for the diaper genie, changing pad and other necessities.  Hey ladies-- I'm open to decorating suggestions.  And can anyone tell me the best places to get cute baby stuff at a steal?

Have any of you adoptive parents experienced this feeling?  When you actually set up the nursery, everything becomes much more real.  You start to imagine the little person in the room.  You start to get glimpses of the future with your much anticipate child.  Your arms ache to hold the little one and your ears long to hear baby sounds.  And, you really really really start to miss your child and want her home!!

(sigh)