The Nursery!

Here it is! Baby bump's own room, if you detect a sense of pride well I have to be honest... I do feel quite proud. It's been a real labour of love and it's such a great space to chill in whilst we wait for baby. I can't help but drop in after Euna is in bed... Sit in the chair. Think about another little one's babyhood. Think about nursing. Think about little clothes and swaddling blankets. Touch the fabrics and the painted woods. Imagine a little girl. Then imagine a little boy.

Wondering... Anticipating... Waiting...

Here, take a nose!

The cot, my cot, now baby's cot, a big piece of family history for baby to sleep in...

Ikea armchair, Ikea rainbow cushion and Widgey nursing pillow (old design, bought 2 years ago for feeding Euna, total non-essential)...

From the door, one day soon I'll walk in and see this but with a baby in there...

Euna's canvas crafting with apples...

Made with love...

Aqua chevron fabric from Plush Addict...

Nursery canvas crafting...

Walls are Dulux "Wellbeing"...

Matching handmade bunting using fabric bundles from Ebay...

Emile et Rose moses basket, a total luxury splurge from last time and I am so excited to wake up with this next to my bed again...

Jojo Maman Bebe rainbow blanket (beautiful gift), rabbit comforter from our French holidays and a Sophie Giraffe Teether (an essential so I hear)...

I saw one of these on a blog I love last year and promised myself we would 

Introducing Pink Cheeks Studios, the home of Nichol Brinkman's innovative and beautiful handmade and personalised soft toys, pillows and baby mobiles...

Every piece is a one off and this is her very own Family Us design... 

Euna looking over her little baby sibling as he/she sleeps...

Baby A and guess who...?

There is nothing better than a handmade gift and we couldn't be more in love with this very special hand-crocheted blanket from my wonderful friend over at Thursday's Child Friday's Thoughts...

Insert baby toes here...

Old wardrobes upcycled with love by my very skilled Uncle at The Blue Goose...

Mismatched handles from ebay and Ikea...

Bespoke baby change unit from my Mum, also from The Blue Goose and Drona storage baskets from Ikea...

Next ceiling light...

Baby we love you and we wait for you... You are so so welcome xxx

Check out my Pinterest Nursery board to see what inspired me!

Cot Upcycling: A Rough Tutorial...

Thanks to my Mum at The Blue Goose we're no strangers to furniture upcycling here. Admittedly, more often that not I get it sent up to the shop and have my very skilled Uncle do it for me... But on this occasion I wanted this particular piece to be my own work.

Here it is, my cot. Saved for almost 30 years in the back of my Mum's garage. Turned bars. Rich 80's chestnut stained wood. 

Complete with my own teeth marks.

So I began...

An-oh-so-rough-tutorial:

1) Sand with fine sandpaper. You want to sand enough to create a surface that paint can cling to but you don't want to sand too much that you lose detail in the wood.

2) Dust, wash with white spirit and allow to dry thoroughly. The idea is to rid the surface of the wood of any dirt, grease or other impurities that might cause the paint to lift.

3) Paint. Apply one coat of thin undercoat then gloss. The key with all the painting is thin thin thin! The paint will run and drip very easily, so to avoid losing details in the furniture's design make your coats thin and you can even lightly sand after each coat to get rid of any drips and/or brush marks. You will probably need a minimum of 3 coats.

The result? Well... That's in the final finished Nursery post! :D 

Home.

Is where the heart is? Where you hang your hat? Is a state of mind?

We're moving. Not imminently, but balls are rolling.

I thought this was a simpler concept at first. We want a bigger house. There. How hard can it be? HARD.

It has occurred to me for the first time I am not just house hunting, I am childhood-backdrop hunting for my baby (babies). We're selecting the scene for so many of her firsts. Her first memory will probably be in this house. A multitude of other firsts she will and won't remember. No doubt a BILLION photos she won't give a chuff about until she's having babies, will be taken here. The walls, the sofa, the floors, the kitchen, the garden; stages for her childhood to imprint on.

Feels big.

Feel this urge to put everything I want for her on our doorstep: friends, fresh air, school, community, trees, parks, sweet shops. Create this mini world where she can grow and smile and breathe and shout and laugh and learn and love until she's big.

Is it that big? Will the home she grows up be responsible for how her childhood is or isn't fulfilling? My short answer is no. Love is key and we will love her with our whole hearts where ever we are.

Oh. But I want her to see trees, everyday. I want her to feel space. I don't want to break up hysterical Daddy-Daughter tickling play-fights because of the neighbours. Could be Mummyography is going rural?

Lesson

We're early on in this journey. Much procrastination is afoot. New stories. No lessons as yet.

This weekend... Euna hand-holds...

 Euna smooches...

Busy does not equal mothering success...

I just wrote a different post about Mummy to Mummy socialising, I talked about support feeling like critique between Mums and how support can turn into interfering. But I lost my line of thought and it became uninteresting because today my thoughts are far too linear to discuss anything as intricate as women's social interactions when vulnerable.

Today marks the end of an ENTIRE week at home. With the exception of a trip to the supermarket, an hour at the local community centre and a couple of strolls we have dwelled between these fours walls.

The biggest surprise is that it feels really nice.

Since baby girl was born I always saw some kind of imaginary prize going for the most active Mum. A full calendar has been a badge of mothering success. The self asserted pressure to stimulate, stimulate, STIMULATE  has weighed really heavily. In her early days I saw baby girl changing so rapidly it fuelled some kind of extreme crazed urgency to "MAKE THE MOST OF IT" and for the love of Crunchies "ENJOY EVERY MINUTE!"

By comparison this week we were held hostage at home by a nasty cough and cold. This week has been about routine, comfy clothes, long naps, cuddles, cooking, socks, fabric softener smells...

I feel slower. Everything is streamlined. I do breakfast, then she naps, then I drink tea, then I get dressed... etc As opposed to; I'm going to give her breakfast whilst I prep dinner, order online shopping and text my Dad, then I HAVE to keep her awake to she'll nap in the car on the way to Becky's so she'll be ok to play with Lola whilst I...

I've got my stuff together. My house is in order, the washing is done. I don't have five unanswered texts  and I have sorted my car insurance.

Best part? I am looking forward to the weekend more than ever. I am energised to spend time with the husband rather than "thank God you're home I thought I'd NEVER get back up, quick hold the baby whilst I try and do everything that's been bugging me all week at light speed". And I would normally start 8 jobs at once, make a mess, get overwhelmed and blame him for the whole ordeal. (Poor Steve, but don't tell him, it'll RUIN my reputation and I'll probably want to revert to my old ways without having my own blog quoted at me.)

Lessons:

1. Being busy is not a mark of mothering success. 
2. I need to spend more time at home and the coming cold weather makes for a great excuse for that. 
3. Streamline your actives and thoughts. 
4. Living for the weekend means reserving enough energy to enjoy the weekend.

Playing Mumma Nurse...

Baby girl has a cold. This means a lot of indoor time. A lot of cuddles. A lot of "rod-for-my-own-back-making" naps on my lap. Blocked up and off her food has meant a glimpse back to her newborn days of endless breastfeeding sessions.

In short, this week, I've got down time.

Notes (lessons) on her first proper "illness":

i. It must be AWFUL to have a cold and not be able to blow your nose. AWFUL!

ii. Euna resembles a ferret having it's teeth brushed when you try and wipe her nose. She HATES it.

iii. I now get why my Dad used to always say "I wish I could have it for you". At the time I thought "IDIOT! He MUST be lying, no sane person would inflict this upon themselves voluntarily!!" Turns out you would for your kids. Ten fold.

iv. Nothing works. Not really. Not significantly. The only thing capsules, drops, rubs, oils, nasal sprays and syrups achieve is making you feel like you've done something.

v. Calpol is STILL yummy at 28. Is there a Mum out there who can HONESTLY say they don't lick the spoon after administering a dose?

So in attempt to escape total cabin fever we've tried (in vain) to blow these germs away with cool, crisp Novemeber air... Winter is coming...

OH! But BLUE skies...

Leaves falling...

Leaves fallen...

Walking...

Twigs...

 Self-portraits... Of course this was the ONLY one I took... Didn't take about 60 pictures of the floor in the process... Honest...

Silly...

My snot-bot...

Winter sun is my FAVOURITE...

 NEEEEOOOOOWWWWWNNNN...

Back in the warm...