I can’t remember the first time I imagined decorating a nursery. It was probably around the time Mark and I started discussing marriage as a possibility, so about 10 minutes after we started dating. 😉
I’ve been through so many iterations of nursery decor in my head. In our first home, I planned to convert our office to the nursery. The theme would’ve been Noah’s Ark, but not too in your face with the theme. Lots of neutrals and soft illustrations of animals, like these sweet little prints.
Then we moved last year into a home with several bedrooms to choose from for a nursery. I went back and forth for months over which would be the best fit, imagining the layout in each room, but at this point it was still largely irrelevant.
We believed pursuing adoption was God’s will for our family, but were not sure about the timing or actively working with an agency yet. The room I finally picked continued to sit empty, but I never stopped daydreaming about what our future nursery might look like.
I’m so so excited to report we are now officially pursuing adoption to grow our family!!
We’re in the midst of the home study process through a local agency. At the advice of our agency and friends who have been through the process, we decided not to decorate the nursery when we were selected by an expectant family. They advised either doing it early, prior to being selected, or after you bring baby home. That way you aren’t decorating for a specific child if the expectant parents choose to parent instead of move forward with the adoption plan once the baby is born.
It’s as much a matter of respect for the expectant parents as it is to protect our own hearts. I can’t imagine decorating for a specific child and then walking past the nursery every day knowing it was decorated for a child who ultimately did not end up joining our family. More importantly, the child isn’t part of our family until the expectant parents sign the paperwork and pretending otherwise by decorating a room for him or her specifically could be viewed as hurtful or even coercive.
Of course I’m decorating the nursery now (for our future child, not a specific child) because I like to be prepared! I don’t have a theme, but I’ve been picking up things here and there the last couple years. Some of my favorite items are below.
We went with Fluffy Slippers by Valspar for the paint color. It’s a very light blue that doesn’t show up very well in photographs, but it looks nice under the decals and is gender neutral. I’ve been walking into this room and just sitting in it, imagining late nights rocking a little one to sleep. It all feels so surreal.
Please pray for us as we embark on this exciting adventure! We would also be grateful if you would keep us in mind if you know of an expectant mother/parents who are considering an adoption plan for their child. <3