Update: It's a girl! And little girl started kicking like nobody's business today.

It's all starting to feel a lot more real. Scary real, and exciting real, and ouch-my-insides real. It almost feels strange to go about my work day like everything's just... normal. Like I don't have a tiny being inside of me, pumping the same blood, absorbing the same nutrients, listening to the same Public Radio programming (she's going to be so smart!). But if it wasn't business as usual, I'm not sure what I would be doing. Sitting around thinking about how weird it all is. Googling all the things that could possibly go wrong. Obsessing over nursery color schemes, and debating how much pink I can include while still raising a feminist.

Work offers a welcome distraction, but I still have my evenings to muse. And right now I'm reeeally into nursery planning. I should have suspected I'd be thrilled by the prospect of a new interior design challenge. I've always loved decorating, and I've been a sucker for a theme ever since I was a kid in the early 90's planning my Urban Disney dream room (it included lots of neon, palm trees, and brick veneer). Right now I'm leaning toward soft pinks and oranges with black and cream accents, along with warm wood tones and lots of texture. A beachy, bohemian, SoCal-inspired retreat that reminds me of home (and what will be the baby's second home). These are some of the images that are influencing me right now:

Handmade, Fair Trade, and American-Made Options

I want to be as thoughtful about shopping for baby stuff as I am for clothes, so I've been scoping out ethical options for furniture, bedding, storage, and decor. I already have a lot of rattan furniture, which lends itself well to this Cali-boho thing I'm envisioning, and I'm hoping to find some of the furniture secondhand. But these are a few of the pieces I'm eyeballing right now...

From top left:

West Elm Souk Wool Rug (fair trade) / Fair Indego Brass Lizard Hanging Rack (recycled brass; for-benefit) / Mayde Tallow Beach Blanket (handmade in Turkey) / Newport Cottages Skylar Dresser (made in USA) / Boll and Branch Seedling Crib Sheet (fair trade; GOTS-certified organic) / Abigail Brown Flamingo (handmade from new and reused materials in London) / Newport Cottages Devon Crib (made in USA) / Milly + Eugene Lace Rattan Light (I'm not sure where/ how this was made, but hoping to find out) / Aloha to Zen Stoked! Surf Shack Cushion (handmade in Australia) / Coyuchi Changing Pad (certified organic) / Rattan Ottoman (similar on Etsy) / The Basket Room Storage Basket (made responsibly with a transparent supply chain)