Making Way for Baby K!

As we head into week 39 of this journey, Francois and I are enthusiastic to share more images from this period of preparing for Kiddo Kiemde. The following provide a window into our world making way for our son or daughter, revealing some of our cleaning, organizing, nesting instincts, as well as the amazing support of friends and family. (Oh! If we only had pictures of all of you who have been helping us along this path!) Do you know how excited we are to meet this child? Do you know how thrilled we are for you to share our joy? We recognize none of this would be possible without faith, family, our larger community and circles of support.

BLESSINGS! GRATITUDE!
Melissa, Francois, Baby Kiemde

Perhaps many new parent's friend? Target Store, USA!

Home with a baby crib to assemble!

My guy and directions!

Be Still My Heart! I love watching Francois in action!

The Living Room Corner BEFORE:
(On the heels of our documented "Spring Cleaning" work, we have some more re-arranging to do in order to make way for the baby and crib.)

From the office to the Living Room: The bookshelves find a new home!

Baby K's Crib! Yes, where those bookshelves once stood, is now our child's sleeping spot!

In case you are desiring a glimpse of me.
(Here at 35 weeks, just days before Kiddo K sinks into my sciatic nerve, and keeps me from walking properly upright. LOVE!)

What would Baby Prep be without a Baby Shower? Friends Jody and Ann arrange for many church friends to convene at St. Jane House. Here is some of the decor!

Friends from St. Philips, Kathryn, Mom Toni, Baby Geert and Leslie!

How to graciously receive so many gifts? This is my challenge!

Ann Shallbetter returns from St. Jane House to
Golf View Home to help organize the many gifts...

So much stuff for this lucky boy or girl!

A first official "toy box!"

Organizing clothes by months, sizes. Here, a container of new and gently used baby items from Friends and family, many courtesy of Gina Woods Mann.
Merci! Merci! Merci!

Meet our doulas: Colette DeHarpporte and Alisa Blackwood!
Oh, the support!

My "Rejoice" stone, received at the closing Discernment Workshop Ritual with the Vis Sisters: How could I not connect this with our child's upcoming arrival!?

Turning back to the Office/ Bedroom/Baby Room transformation:
Clearing wall space for Baby shelves.
(Do you see the original screen prints that must come off the wall? *sniff*sigh*smile*)

More help from Ms. Ann in making this transformation happen!

Channeling her Martha Stewart!

Watch out for a woman with power tools!

Can I get a "Woot Woot!"?
(Francois will be so proud of us!)

Shelves and desk spaces re-assigned. Printer to shelf, changing table to desk top.
Does it work? We shall see!

Part of the Baby K Libary: Books representing many cultures and traditions. It's never too early to start considering our child's literacy!

Precious toys!

Entering the multi-faceted space...

Office, Changing table, Baby Monitor...

There's that sweet crib again!

Can you see him or her resting their beautiful head?

Little details...

Mint chocolate bunny -- to represent the sweet and gentle spirit of this new life...

From the crib to Gabby's bed, over the desk, and just beyond those windows:
The Missisippi River.
Blessings!

Making Way for Baby K....

It's time to clean! Spring is here, (or pretending to be with today's glorious sunshine) and I have some serious fever for clearing space! Tidying! Making way! Organizing! (Perhaps you recall my past Queen Mab documentation of transforming spaces when I was readying 1188 Juno for the market?) In the spirit of simplifying and capturing my own cleaning process, I give you this blog entry.

***

Today's Challenge: Prepare our two bedroom apartment for a new child, as well as his or her nine year old older sister to join us for the summer -- all the while maintaining some kind of office/ writing space for moi.

Today's task: Preparing the second bedroom to be not only an office and Gabby's bedroom when she visits, but also a baby room. How to accomplish this? By simply beginning to sort out all the paper work, bills, old files, writing samples, and bags of wedding cards/ programs/ info and clean, dust, remove, recycle, and reassemble.

What follows are snapshots from today's first step in making way for Baby K.
Enjoy! Stay tuned!

Melissa Borgmann Kiemde

Start of Day, entering the 2nd Bedroom/ office...

Evidence of a room that needs to be cleaned! The bed and desk need to be tended to...

What do you see that needs to get addressed on that desk?
Note overwhelming files on top and baskets desiring attention below...

See the files boxes, gift bags, old computer? Can you imagine Baby Kiemde's crib
in the right corner? This is what Francois and I are
thinking and dreaming....
But first: we must clean the shelves!

Maybe you want to note the striped basket as a target object for my sorting and transforming process. Key: get that basket emptied, to receive our incoming mail!

The "Wedding Corner" which includes cards, invites, programs, thank you's, and all sorts of "Wedding Prep" paraphernalia trying to hide beyond the foot of the bed...

To clean it all out, we must first SEE it.
The process of pulling out the baskets and files for sorting...

Mid-way through the process: Paper Recycling is in full effect, along with lots of stacking related documents for next step filing!

Evidence of Work! Two bags of recycling, one stack of sorted folders, documenting teaching/ collaboration work, and those wedding items consolidated for storage!

Aha! Now look at that guest bed and desk top!

Project Corner Clean Sweep: Accomplished!

Yes, a sweetly organized desk. (Perhaps you note less paper and office items in those baskets?)

Computer monitor removed, striped basket cleaned, and a new system for filing cards/ pictures put into place! Amen.

Yes! Red filing box is gone. Next steps: Open that door, and organize in there;
Move the book shelf out to make room for the crib.

STAY TUNED!!