Project Nursery Underway

Well February is just days away, and this week I have finally got around to working on the nursery for Lily. Yes, she is 6 months old so it seems odd that she wouldn’t have her nursery complete yet.  There are a couple of reasons for that actually. Firstly, with adoption you really shouldn’t do a nursery before the baby is born, and then you have a 21 day period after placement where the adoption can be reversed.  So this means we held off.  Then in the first 6 months, they are generally in a bassinet anyway.  During the week, Lily and Rob sleep in the guest room, which allows me to get the sleep I need to function at work. Little girl has definitely out grown her bassinet now and is ready to transition.         

When planning her nursery I have learned along the way;

• Create a room that easily transitions as they grow, and develop their own tastes. This is really important.  It helps you avoid having to repaint and do a full redecoration because you went “too specific” or “too infant themed”. My initial thought was to paint Lily’s room pink.  However, I’m applying the same principle you should with your

  

  The colour palette and vibe of this image was my jumping point for Lily’s room

  living room or other spaces.  Pick a great neutral base, and then pull your colours in with accessories etc.  In Lily’s room I’m taking the basic builder box bedroom and adding a wainscoting in white around the room, and painting the upper portion of the walls in a light neutral grey.   Then will pull in the pink with art, accessories, bedding etc.  This will allow the room to read pink now, but if in three years she says “Daddy I hate pink”. I just swap out the bedding and accessories and voila.

• Buy  a good quality 4 in 1 crib. This was one of the best purchase we ever made. For Conor we went with the Jonesport Crib by Westwood, in cloud grey.  It transitions to various crib heights, then a toddler bed, day bed and finally a double bed.  We bought the conversion kits at the same time as the crib and simply stored them. It is a heavy durable quality bed that he will use for years to come.

  

  I liked the simple lines of the Davinci Autumn 4 in 1 from WestCoast Kids

  In fact, having the conversion kits on hand allows for the spur of the moment ideas like the past weekend where I sent Rob off to buy Conor a double mattress and box spring and we converted him to the super big boy bed!  For Lily we have chosen a great 4 in 1 crib from Westcoast Kids.

 

• Furnish the room with what you will actually use and avoid the furniture pieces that look cute but won’t be touched.  With Lily we don’t have long middle of the night feedings or lengths of time trying to rock her back to sleep. This kid, similar to Conor pretty much is out for the night and wakes up around 9:00 am.  While it would be super cute to put a glider or rocker in her room, it would never be used and just gather space.  Some people told me they never use their change table.  We absolutely do, and couldn’t function without it.  So my recommendation is think about what your routine may be, and don’t invest in really large purchases until after baby is born and you get into your routine.  It is much easier for you to get the glider or rocker once you know it is something you’ll use.

I plan to have Lily’s room complete this weekend. I’m really excited to reveal it, as it is coming together nicely.  I’ve been pinning inspiration for months and completing some DIY projects, and the thing that I’ve impressed myself the most with.. I used a brad nailer, saw and did my own construction!!!  Reveal to come!

 

 

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To Pierce or Not To Pierce.. That Was My Conundrum

So my plan was to keep it all a secret. Don’t tell a soul.  The secret?  We are having Lily’s ears pierced on Saturday.  Why keep it a secret?  Parent shaming is at an all time high in my opinion.  People will judge every choice you make as a parent.  When Kylie Jenner posted a picture of Stormi with her ears pierced, the internet lit up.  “You have taken away your child’s right to choose”.  “You should have waited until she could consent to body modification”.  Ok, I get it.  I see both sides of the issue. Don’t picket my house with burning torches. It was the same struggle I had when trying to determine if we should circumcise Conor. In the case of circumcision, however, it isn’t easily reversed if he decided he didn’t want it. So we left that choice to him later on.

For us the choice to do it now is the fact that I can control how and where it is done, and I am the one responsible for the post care.  I have little doubt that Lily would not want it later in life, and if she doesn’t she can take them out.

Yes, it isn’t necessary to do.  I am, however, exercising my parental discretion.

In making the decision I researched best options, materials etc. We are having them done at Skin Dimensions, which is a professional piercing shop. On staff, they have a female professional that specializes in baby ear piercing.  Yes there is such a thing.  They use single use sterilized needs and the earrings are implant grade, which eliminates the fear of allergic reaction.  In my research, going to a professional piercing establishment is seen as the best option.  You are dealing with professionals that abide by strict rules of cleanliness and sterilization (make sure you research a reputable piercer).  The needle they use is hollow and it reduces any pain.  This is in stark contrast to say going to the mall and having a 17 year old girl at Claire’s use a piercing gun.  A piercing gun actually piercing using blunt force, which just shoots the blunt earring through the lobe.  Having had my original piercings done this way.. no thank you. Not only is it painful, but the sound of the gun and the high school part time worker likely isn’t the best option.

Yes, I have made this choice for Lily. For us it is the right one, and I can and will make sure she is safe and they are well taken care of.  Of course pics to follow on my Instagram, and a follow up piece on how it went.