Peter Pan.

I believe in Peter Pan. I love Peter Pan, and I'm fairly certain that book will forever be one of my favorites. I started reading it again a few days ago. And I think I'll cry every time I read the first paragraph.

"All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked a flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, 'Oh, why can't you remain like this for ever!' This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end."

Claire is two. And is growing up. Aoife only has 15 months before she, too, will know that she must grow up.

Before Aoife was born, I had a very real concern. I constantly worried and wondered whether I would love this new baby as much as I loved Claire. (It sounds silly, but it was a constant worry.) It's difficult to explain a mother's love if someone hasn't experienced it. The second she was born, that silly worry disappeared. As she's grown and become a deeper, more important part of her family, I've fallen more and more in love with her.

Lately my favorite parts of my day have been putting her down from naps, or whisking her away to change a diaper. Not that I enjoy changing diapers, but the few minutes that I get to hold her close are what make the soiled diapers worth it. I've been squeezing my babies a little tighter, and lingering a little longer after I've laid them in their beds. I've even taken to singing them old choir songs. One laughs and stares at me with a gummy grin, while the other laughs even louder and asks for more.

I know I'm usually pretty cynical and joke about wanting to put my children in the dumpster on tough days, but I really do love them. Time has gone by so quickly, and I do wish they could stay little and young forever. Which brings me back to Peter Pan. I love the story of Peter Pan so much, I've planned out the nursery for number 3. (Whenever that happens. No, I'm not pregnant. I'm running a marathon in April, remember?)

This will be the bed room light. A pirate ship chandelier.

The rug, which will be in the center of the nursery.

The toy box.

Framed wall art.

More Framed Wall Art

The Nightlight

The silhouettes, but in black.

Pirate Wallpaper Trim, but I'd want it at the top of the wall as a boarder, rather than down the middle.

And one of these beauts on the wall, too.

And a crib set this wooden tone.

The crib wouldn't be complete without the mobile.

While I'm sure there is Peter Pan bedding out there, I've made the bedding for both Claire and Aoife. I feel like it's something special I can do for them, and I've loved making their quilts. So I'd do the same, with browns, and greens. Obviously I'm planning on #3 to be a boy. Again, I'm not pregnant, but I really do need to find a hobby. There's got to be something more productive for me to do than planning out our nonexistant child's nursery.