The “Big Girl” room is all decorated! And Gwendolyn absolutely loves it! It's amazing to me how much she expresses without uttering a single word — and it is full approval and sheer pride. And she should be proud of herself. When we started this SMA journey, a big girl room, a power chair, preschool… were all things we only hoped would somehow miraculously be in our future. And now, here we are. And Little Miss Fancy Pants is ready!
The moment we told her about her Big Girl bed, she stopped everything and told us, “Yep, I'm ready. Now let's see it!” And each time we added something new to her room, whether it be bedding or curtains or her new owl dolls, she immediately noticed. And when I put the tree up over several days, she was very specific about the position of each leaf and flower. And when I finally hung her butterflies and name up as the finishing touches, she gave me the “Uh-huh” of approval.
Her old nursery was very gender neutral because we didn't want to find out if she was a boy or girl while we were pregnant. While I was 8 months pregnant, Bill and I spent a lovely day designing and painting the artwork above her crib. A few tears were shed when I took those down.Her new room is very girly and whimsical and was largely inspired by a wonderful gift from Dorothy Shuler, Owen's Mommy, which she decorated in a way that was just so Gwendolyn.The only last details to add are pictures, wishes and memories on her special tree. We plan to fill each flower with special pictures of the special people in her life and the special things that she loves. We have been telling her before bed each night that each leaf will hold her wishes and, of course, the butterflies above her help bring her good dreams. And each night she looks at each detail and says goodnight to all of the things surrounding her, the things that make her feel like the special little person she is.
We love our little girl — I mean big girl — and can't believe she has grown up so fast. Where has the time gone?