Designing the Baby Room

The baby room, despite my best intentions, officially has a theme- birds and trees done in silhouettes with modern-stylized fabrics. Our colors are periwinkle blue, soft-lime green with white and brown accents. I've been pulling together various inspirations and my vision has slowly begun to materialize.


Some visual stimulation is below....

Fabrics:
Below are some of the fabrics we picked from the Amelia collection. Lots of blues and greens- the one on the top is the panel we will use for the crib quilt. There are other fabrics but for now- these should give you a taste. The blues are more powder-blue than what we have on the wall, but it should work out okay. The greens are pretty dead-on though.


Window Treatments:
I love the branch look. I knew I wanted sheer curtains paired with a roman shade but was stuck on what kind of curtain rod to get. I think this will add the perfect touch of whimsy that I'm looking for. I'd like to add roman shades as well. The walls are a pale periwinkle bluish-purple and the room will have soft lime-green accents. I'm still debating colors for the curtains and roman shades. For now, I'm content with white sheer shades and a soft lime-green roman shade, both in solids/no patterns.



Fabric Bird Mobile (free template from Spool Sewing):
My mom has generously and graciously agreed to make the mobile for me. At first I didn't like the branches but since seeing the branch curtain rod above, I've changed my mind. If they were painted white, I wouldn't mind so much.

Mine won't have the dead-hanging off bird at the bottom of the mobile either. That's just creepy.

We'll use the Amelia fabrics to make the birds. Cuteness! Wonder if I can get my mom to make extras- they'd make great rattles, don' t you think?



Bird Silhouettes:
I've been scavenging the web for silhouettes and have found a few I like. In particular, I really like the swallow silhouette below. Some uses for it - painted on the walls or on the crates I plan to paint.


Painted Murals:
The reading corner with the soft lime green chair will have a tree mural (done as a silhouette in either white or a couple shades darker than the wall color). I'm still hunting around for a template.

The closet, the opening which you can see from the room, will have another silhouette painting- birds on a telephone wire seen below.




Chair:
The color is similar to the one we picked- but ours has a rounded back. And we picked out an ottoman for it as well. Big thanks to my folks for purchasing it for us! It'll be super-comfty.
It'll go in the corner of the nursery with a low, long bookcase next to it with a reading lamp. The tree mural will be behind it.

Rug:
We found our rug in an antique store in Prescott, AZ while we were there in October visiting with Kevin's family and then attending my brother's wedding. I' m so glad we were able to find something from Arizona to incorporate into the room. The photo below is remarkably similar is color, shape and size (3 by 5) to the one we found. It's now occupying the middle of the nursery floor.

It is incredibly soft and plush, decadently so.

I have two walls semi-planned out- the dresser/changing table wall and the crib wall. See each below:

Changing table wall:
We will use our white dresser as a changing table. The changing pad will be strapped/secured onto the dresser and will likely be done in some kind of sage-lime-green minky fabric. I will have baskets lined with green fabric for diapers, creams, etc.

The Ikea shelf we plan to install will hold several more baskets, lined with the same green fabric and will contain toys, stuffed animals, etc.

Under the Ikea shelf we will hang four 6"X 6" bird silhouettes done in black with the canvas painted the same color as the wall. The middle (fifth) canvas will have the initial "G" painted in black with the canvas color painted the same green used in the closet for contrast.






Crib Wall:
The crib wall will have the closet displayed on the right with the closet interior walls painted a soft lime-green. See the birds on a wire mural above? The birds will be peeking out from the back wall of the closet.

The painting is called "kindred spirits" and is of 5 women, looking downward (in this case, looking down at the baby in the crib) with green leafy vines growing behind them and 5 yellow love-birds on various branches. I love the colors and the imagery of women as benevolent guardians.

The quote above the crib says (in case you can't read it):
To our children we give two things: one is roots, the other wings.

I like it- it seems to tie together the trees (roots) and birds (wings) theme nicely.

Practicing Gratitude

There are things that have come to light during my pregnancy journey, both great and small, that I am grateful for and no longer take for granted.

My appreciation for the following continues to deepen with each day:

1. First and foremost, my partner.

For all that he does and all that he is. Kevin has made me countless meals, gone to the grocery store a hundred times, tucked me into bed on days when I can do no more than crawl under the covers and sleep. He has walked me to the bathroom in the middle of the night at 3 am because my back and hips are so sore it makes it impossible to walk unaided. Kevin has picked up my slack around the house (cooking meals, cleaning, taking care of the dogs, working in the yard).

He has gone with me to my doctor appointments, has felt the baby kicking, has cleaned up after me during my bouts with nausea, has gone to Baby's R Us (and likes it!), has picked out baby clothes, has watched me model my maternity clothes as my tummy grows, has told me I look pretty (when I feel so very unpretty), has read alongside me books on pregnancy, birthing and parenting.

He has been so kind, considerate and involved that it truly humbles me. He'll say things like "you should be pregnant for the next 20 years" and seems to mean it. Now I don't want to be pregnant for the next 20 years but the fact he wouldn't mind and would enjoy it, makes my heart melt.

2. My doggies Ginger and Bailey
They continue to be a source of delight for both Kevin and I. Their energy & zest for life, their sense of humor (they make us laugh at any rate) and the affection they have for their humans makes me eat humble pie every day. Having two furry heads to pat when I get up in the mornings, having them watch out for me and let me know what's going around in and outside the home, and having them cuddle with me on days when I feel overwhelmed by the enormity of everything are all things I am truly grateful for. Dogs really do give us far more than we could ever give back to them.

3. My family and friends
What would I do without them? They lift me up, inspire me, guide me and embrace me every step of the way.

4. My mom
She gets her own category because of her fabulous-ness. I continue to have new-found appreciation for her as I begin my own process towards motherhood.

5. Baths
I am so grateful for the luxury of baths. It is a guilty pleasure but one that I have the utmost appreciation for. Taking a bath for an hour or longer, with a book, is at the very tippy-top of my favorite things. There is no bodily ache, no worldly worry or mental stress that cannot be alleviated by soaking oneself in warm waters.

6. Books
I read every book as if it may be my last. I am completely aware that I may not have time to read like I do now when I have a baby and so I cherish each word. I read slower (really I do!) and savor every page, grateful that someone was inspired enough to express their creativity on the page and share it with readers like me. To all you writers out here, thank you!

7. My home
I feel lucky and privileged to live under the roof of my home. It isn't perfect and I far too often focus on its flaws and the things I want to improve, but more and more, I am grateful for the fact it shelters me, and provides for me a safe sanctuary and a place where I will be able to raise my family.

8. My health
I am grateful that I have been healthy most of my life and that this pregnancy has continued to be healthy for me and the baby.

9. Bowel movements
Now you wouldn't think I'd put this here. I'm not trying to be funny. Constipation during pregnancy is not funny. Anyone who has been pregnant understands what I'm talking about here. I am deeply grateful for bowel movements. They are a cause for celebration and deserve mentioning.

10. Sleeping through the night
This has started to become a thing of the past, but getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is something I am grateful beyond measure for. Being able to sleep on my back (a different category but getting lumped here just the same) is something I won't take for granted anymore now that I'm required to sleep on my side, which makes my hips and back ache, despite mountains of pillows/body pillows. Not having to get up every three hours to pee, is something I miss too. Both of which (sleeping on my back and not having to pee every three hours) are things that enabled me to sleep through the night.

11. Veggies
I like veggies. I like them on pizza. I like them on sandwiches. I like them an awful, awful lot. Mushrooms. Olives. Green Bell Peppers. Carrots. Onions. Taters. Tomatoes (a fruit I know). Cucumbers (another fruit). Lettuce & all manner of leafy greens. Squash. .... Thank you veggies and the farmers & laborers that grow them so I can have a happy, healthy, nutritious pregnancy.

Week 22: Things are kicking!

The big news of the week is that Baby Green is kicking! Even I, dear ol' dad-to-be, can feel the kicks. Crystal has felt the baby adjusting itself or practicing the backstroke for weeks so this is old news to her.

Poor Crystal's lower back is hurting her. She's not used to having a second person in her belly - but then, who really is?

Baby Pics

Crystal's latest update is below the ultrasound photos. I'm including 2 versions of each photo to help you figure out what you're looking at. The first set of photos is a zoomed out shot of the torso and head. The second set is a zoomed in shot of the face. It was amazing to see it all live. The baby was kicking and waving and might have even been doing a little dance for us.

Week 20: Halfway There!

Today we had our big ultrasound!

The baby is doing great. Everything looks very healthy. He/she is in the 47th percentile for weight, coming in at approximately 12 ounces.

During the ultrasound the baby kicked up a storm as if it was running a marathon in place. Kevin appropriately called the baby The Little Runner. I can only imagine what it will feel like when I start feeling the kicks. Yikes!

As witnessed on the ultrasound, the baby is moving quite a lot. I can feel it moving several times a day especially in the evening hours. It's truly a wonderful, albeit weird, sensation.

We may end up going back for a second ultrasound since the technician wasn't able to get a good view of the heart.

We'll go back to the doctor this Thursday for a regular visit and see if Momma's gained any weight yet.

20 more weeks to go!