Noelle’s nursery

August 13, 2019

I sat in her nursery the other night. It was quiet. Clay was gone at class. And as I sat in that rocker and soaked in this room, I could envision her growing up in here.

I saw her as an infant, sleeping soundly in her crib. I saw her as a toddler, rocking on the little lamb rocker. I saw her reading books in her teepee with a friend.

I saw giggles playing with daddy. I saw sweet snuggles with me. I even saw a time when she may be sick, and Clay and I with a thermometer trying to figure it all out.

I saw life unfold before my eyes.

This nursery has been a labor of love. But it has been a labor indeed.

Many tears were cried (on my part). You see, I’m not the best at envisioning something and bringing it to life–at least when it comes to home decor. This process was not an easy one for me. I purchase many items and returned most. But in the end it all came together.

Don’t all things in life usually?

As I now enter the room, an incredibly sense of peace and calm washes over me. Before I ever spoke it aloud, Clay even said he loved how peaceful the room was.

I’m not sure exactly what it is. The muted colors. The soft textures. The promise on the wall. But it really does exude a sense of peace.

I’d love for you to see it for yourself. So come on in!

When Clay and I were dating, he went on a missions trip to South Africa. Before he left he told me he was going to bring me back a baby elephant. And he did! This sweet little stuffed animal that now sits on our daughter’s bookshelf.

Surprise! Her name is Noelle. In case you hadn’t gathered…

And this promise on her nursery wall is a truth I long for her to know.

It’s a promise found in Scripture, in Isaiah 43:1.

Isaiah 43:2 is a verse that holds such deep meaning for me in my story and in Clay’s and my story. And I realized that this promise is the verse directly preceding it!

I’m constantly amazed at how God pieces our story together, slowly but surely revealing meaningful parts that make up the whole that we have yet to see revealed.

He’s a wonderful God full of mystery, the Great Storyteller whom I so admire. I truly can’t wait to tell Noelle all about God, His Story, and how she fits into it. I can’t wait to see how He speaks to her, leads her and uses her in it.

I love that her nursery is full of beautiful things, but that it is full of meaningful things… like this storybook from 1941 that my grandmother passed down to me at my baby shower.

Believe it or not, the very first poem in it is the one I remember from elementary school.

I attended a small, private, Christian elementary school in Dallas. Each week we memorized a poem and recited it in front of the class on Friday. The one and only poem I remember is “The Swing, by Robert Louis Stevenson.”

And well, here it is.

And my mom bought this pink Bible to my baby shower for all the girls to hi-light their favorite verse and sign their name in. It’s engraved with Noelle’s name, and I can’t wait for her to use it so much that one day it falls apart like mine is today.

And in her closet…

There are sweet baby clothes gifted to us from friends and family–including the sweet eyelet top my dad picked out in Texas the day we FaceTimed them from LA at our gender reveal party. My mom since had it monogrammed with her name in pink thread. I truly can’t wait to see her wearing it!

The stuffed bear belonged to my other grandmother who passed away earlier this year. It was her source of comfort, and in her final days rarely left her hands. My mom had the sash from the dress she wore at our wedding monogrammed with the name we called her–“Boo Pat.” When my mom gave me this most precious gift at my baby shower, let’s just say I sobbed like a baby quite unexpectedly!

And finally, her baby book! I have always been so sentimental. I love scrapbooks and photos and memories. And I can’t wait to fill this one up with the story of Noelle.

This is a chapter in my story for which I am truly grateful. Clay and I cannot wait to welcome our sweet girl–this true gift from God–into our arms and guide her along her journey, whatever God would have that be.