Alex's "Crib"

Now, the moment that many of you have been waiting for - the grand unveiling of the nursery. I realize that by delaying this revelation for so long, I have created a level of anticipation that no room could possibly live up to. But we love it, and we are sure that Alex will love it too, especially when he looks back and realizes that it was filled with such wonderful gifts and treasures from everyone that loves him (whew, composing that sincere sentiment took a lot out of me). Although pictures can hardly replicate the warm fuzzies that occur when one physically occupies a baby's room, hopefully these will suffice until you all have a chance to do so.

The following images include the changing table portion of the millwork that my dad (Grandpa Boettcher) made, along with the adorable "Alex" boxes that Kara put together for me, photography by my sister Rachel, and some handpainted artwork that mom and I whipped up last week. We figured we might as well take the guesswork out of one aspect of baby care by providing a step-by-step guide on how to properly install a diaper...

These next pics show the other portion of the millwork that Grandpa Boettcher handcrafted. The pieces were designed to be modular so that we could combine them in a number of ways. Ultimately, we decided to leave the changing table on its own and combine the other two elements - a three drawer dresser and a flip-top cabinet to accommodate a Diaper Genie, or eventually (when Alex becomes too stinky for a Diaper Genie), a dirty clothes hamper.

I also got a handy little storage unit for the closet, which as you can see, has already begun to fill up. Little man's already got quite the shoe collection going - he's a boy after his mother's heart...

So there you have it, folks. I hope you all will have the opportunity to come and visit it in person over the next few weeks, once the final accessory has been added!