The nursery - part 2!

Once we had everything for the nursery it was time to get to work putting everything together, okay okay...it was time for Mr. G to get to work putting everything together.  My dad came to help put together the crib / changing table combo which was a big help since we had read that it wasn't the easiest thing to do.  They put the crib together in 2 hours, they were trying to beat 2 hours but just couldn't get there.

 



They also put up her curtain rod and curtains as well as the decal, which was a tedious process but they did a great job!  I couldn't believe how much thought they put into it, they measured to make sure it was even and that it was just right.  It really looks perfect!  Unfortunately none of the pictures turn out when I take a picture of the decal...so no pic on the blog.

Mr. G took care of the glider and footstool as well as the painting of the IKEA spice racks and side table.  Mr. G and his dad put the bookshelves (spice racks) up which was not as easy as pinterest and everyone else makes it sound but they look incredible and worked perfectly in her little room.



My mother and 2 sisters came over to help fold and hang all of her little clothes, she already has a lot of clothing.  They helped put things away and make the most of the small space we have, it was a huge help. 

 

 

 

We moved the crib a couple of times and decided on its final spot, it worked out great where we put it as I now have access to the little shelving system it has built in to the changer....bonus!

Everything really came together and when I finally had everything in place I couldn't believe how beautifully and perfectly it came together.  I'm so happy with everything and could not have asked for it to look better.  As I said before, I put a lot of thought into the nursery because I know it will be the last time I am able to make the final choices on her room...knowing myself and her father I know this little gal will have an opinion and let us know it;)

I hope you enjoyed the photos of the nursery...now the last piece of the puzzle...a baby!  We are 10 days from her due date and I am very anxious to meet her!

With love,

Mrs.G

The nursery - part 1!

Now that Baby G's nursery is complete I thought I'd write about putting everything together and my dreams for the nursery.  It's going to take two posts otherwise it will be obscenely long.
I have included pictures along the way and part 2 will be the final pictures and how I feel now that her nursery is done.

When we found out that we were pregnant I almost instantly started dreaming about the nursery, I dreamt of sailboats with a grey and navy blue color scheme if we were having a boy...Mr. G has a sailboat and we were engaged on the sailboat.  It was such an easy decision because of how special sailing is to both of us and how cute some of the items are for a nautical themed nursery. 

The dreams and ideas were endless if we were having a girl, I had so many things "pinned" and my brain was just running with ideas. 

I was shocked when we found out we were expecting a girl, Mr. G comes from a family of boys so I kind of assumed we were going to have a boy.  But nope, the cake was pink:)  We were able to see our little lady 2 additional times and it has been confirmed.

Immediately Mr. G and I decided on our back bedroom as the nursery, we loved that is had big windows and hardwood floors.  We decided on a white crib & changing table combo in order to help with space.  Our home is smaller and the bedrooms are not large so we wanted to be smart about what we put in the nursery and how we arranged things.

I scoured baby stores and online sights for full sets of beautiful bedding, I found a handful of options but nothing felt right.  So after many nights of, "what about this one?" and "oh I like this one" I decided that since we can not put anything other than the baby in the crib that I would piece together a nursery set instead of purchasing one.  Ultimately for me it was the best decision to make, we do not have big fancy bumpers that I will have to take off and store somewhere nor do we have a big quilt that I would have to do the same with.  Like I said...small bedroom, not a lot of room. 

So I started with a color scheme, I thought that would be the best first step.  Mr. G and I decided on pink and grey; I had seen a lot of pictures of the combination and really loved the way it looked.  We hired a painter and then I had to decide how I wanted it painted, many different ideas were thrown around but when I saw a nursery on pinterest painted grey with the accent color (turquoise) on the ceiling I knew that we had to paint the ceiling pink!  So I convinced Mr. G to trust me, I chose the shade of pink and the shade of grey and told the painter we wanted the walls grey, ceiling pink and trim and moldings white.  It turned out perfect!!  Mr. G was excited at how cute it looked, bonus:) 



The small bedroom does not have a closet but luckily Mr. G & I had an armoire in our bedroom that I've wanted out for a while and after measuring it we decided that it would be her closet and dresser.  It has a hanging bar and room for lots of baskets for storage.  Mr. G's brother helped him move it and it fit perfectly in the corner and I love the amount of storage it provides.  I was able to get all of her clothes hung and lots of baskets for her other clothes, blankets, burp clothes and shoes...along with some other general stuff.



After the armoire was moved I began the hunt for a rug, that turned out to be a much bigger thing than I ever expected.  I had absolutely no idea how expensive rugs are!  We looked for both pink and grey rugs; neither of us had a specific picture in our heads about what we wanted other than it to look nice and have a little cushion.  Luckily after an exhausting hunt we found a nice grey rug on overstock.com that has a little pattern to it and bonus it was affordable and free shipping!  We bought it on the spot when we found it and when it arrived it ended up perfect.



Another thing I knew I wanted was a decal for her wall and I wanted it to be pink to accent the ceiling.  Mr. G had a bit of a hard time seeing the vision I had but trusted that it would come together, so when I found a flamingo pink decal that said "With a butterfly kiss, and a lady bug hug, sleep tight little one, like a bug in a rug"...he went with me on it.  The decal also came with little lady bug and butterfly decals that matched the butterfly finials on the ends of her curtain rod.  The curtains are white with small panels of a light pink and hot pink, so that matched as well.

Some other items I chose were a pink crib skirt, a variety of crib sheets (pinks and greys), and I made a pink and grey tie blanket to decorate the side of the crib.  It only cost me $14 to make the blanket because I bought both colors on clearance. 

Mr. G and I finally decided on a glider from Babies R Us, we liked the comfort and the size was a little smaller which was perfect for the small bedroom. 
I also had been talking about the IKEA spice rack bookshelves for a while and my wonderful husband had absolutely no idea what I was talking about...boy was he surprised when I told him he had to spray paint them and then eventually get them up on the wall.  It was an interesting project that should have been easy, but nothing is as easy as it seems.

After looking around for nice side tables I scored a clearance side table at target that also required a coat (or two) of white paint, Mr. G smiled and happily painted it. 

It took a while and lots of hunting for the perfect items but I finally had everything to put together the nursery the way I wanted. 

Stay tuned for part 2...the final reveal! 


With love,

Mrs. G

The Nursery (My Old Office) by Mr. G

Mr. G writing this evening. Oh, how times have changed.  One of my favorite rooms of our drafty home is my old office which will soon be the nursery for our little girl come July.  As of the weekend the walls were painted a grayish color and the ceiling painted pink.  White trim and white base boards.  New energy efficient windows will come in a week and a half replacing the old ones that really didn't keep out winter whatsoever.  (Pretty much welcomed the cold wind with open arms and let it gain entry into our home with a handshake.)  Curtains have been purchased from a store I had never step foot in before, Pottery Barn for Kids.

This room used to be my old office when I was a bachelor. A place where my computer was and I would sit and eat a frozen pizza and drink beer while playing video games. There were duck pictures on the wall if I remember correctly.  Or maybe a picture about hockey. Very neutral colors were on the walls and ceiling.  I fondly remember freezing cold winter nights in MN staying home on a Saturday night, looking out the drafty windows on my alley in the back. We have one of the only two stories on the block so I would look out and see the lights of my neighbors flicker down below.  The wind would howl and the snow would fly. It was comforting. There was a jazz program that would play on NPR on Saturday nights and I would listen to it on a clock radio that I had in the adjacent bathroom, the only one in the old house.  It was quiet, warm and relaxing. It was wonderful.

And now, all that has and will change some more. It's forming into a room made for a little girl. A beautiful little girl. A pink ceiling, curtains with pink stripes will soon go up. Gone are the neutral manly colors and my desk has been replaced with a changing table. There's a Pooh bear wearing a tutu that was a gift.  Never would I ever have dreamed that this room would look like this.  Never would I have ever have dreamed all these changes are coming. 

And you know what?  I can't wait!  As much as I will miss my old office, it's but a fleeting thought as the joy that is to come into my life of my little baby daughter who's room has a pink ceiling and a Pooh bear in a tutu.

I hope she likes jazz.  :)

With Love,

Mr G