Gender Neutral Nursery Nook

Violet will be six months next week, so it's time to share her little nursery nook! We live in a one bedroom apartment, so space is at a minimum. When I was pregnant with our baby, I knew that I wanted to make a special little nook for them. Dan and I switched our bedroom with the living room, giving us a spacious bedroom and cozy living room. That allowed us to free up a section of our new bedroom to dedicate the space to "baby".

I love our wall colour in the bedroom: it's a soft grey that seems very restful. I wanted to make our baby's corner a little bit different, so I found white polka dot decals on Etsy. The ones that I chose were a bit more expensive, but they're a durable, removable material so I can use them in Violet's next room, instead of the throw-away vinyl variety. The polka dots are white, so they would suit either gender, since we weren't 100% positive that V was a girl.

Each element of her bedroom has a special story. The crib was borrowed from an amazing friend - it's just like new and that was a big purchase that we were able to avoid. The beautiful rocking chair was a gift from my parents for Baby V. Her dresser/changing table was my grandmother's, and it's look is an interesting story. We had planned on sanding down the red finish and repainting it white, but once I saw it after Daniel sanded it, I wanted to leave it as-is. It has so much character, and the rough finish adds a bit of interest to her space.

I wanted a unique mobile for Violet's space, but didn't want to spend a ton of money. I found several styles on Etsy that I fell in love with, but the price tag was much too steep. I contemplated making my own, but with a newborn around, it's tough to find the time. The days were slipping by and I knew that I needed to find something. On a trip to Target, I spotted the sweet whale mobile that was fairly neutral. The only problem was that the arm of the mobile was bright blue. I decided to purchase it anyway, but when I got home and opened up the package, I saw that I could leave the blue sleeve off the arm! Score!

We tried to keep most of the space neutral, in shades of grey, white, cream, and mint. Once V was born, I took out a few pieces that I had stashed away in soft pink, just in case she was a girl. The little pops of pink make the space feminine, but you could really use the space for a baby boy, too. It was amazing how the space came together. Every detail was just how I wanted. I loved window-shopping at the Pottery Barn and RH Kids websites, but would never splurge. I found her crib skirt - a white quilted one with mint trim - at Value Village, and it was perfect… and from Pottery Barn. Amazing! Her closet was a tiny alcove, but we bought an extendable shower curtain rod to set the space up as a closet. Perfect!

Violet's dress collection is a little out of hand. Between gorgeous gifts and hand-me-downs from family and friends, she isn't wanting. She's grown so quickly that some of her pieces were only worn once. Above her closet, we hung two frames with photos from our maternity shoot. I found the frames at Target as well. What did we do before we had stores in Canada?

As much as I would love for V's space to be entirely matching, my main concern is being practical. The multicoloured basket is one that I had and wasn't using, is a great size for facecloths and towels, and it fits on her bookshelf perfectly. I purchased the lamp for the space (and bought a second matching one to have as a pair once she has her own room). The bookshelf is one that I bought years ago at a yard sale, and Dan sanded it down and refinished it. It's one of my favourite pieces that we own. The "sweet little one" is a letterpress card that we received from friends after V was born, and it's the perfect addition to one of the pink frames that I had stored away. The gal with the bunny is from the Black Apple, and was given to me by Kelsie. The adorable owl is a nightlight from Hollie. I painted the verse on the canvas while nesting before baby was born.

One of my favourite things to purchase and receive are book's for Violet's little library. Already, she enjoys reading, and I can't wait to instil that further. Dan and I are both readers, and we loved reading as children. There are so many sweet books with beautiful illustrations out there! We both have quite a few books saved from our childhood that will be fun to share with V as she gets older.

Since Violet's nursery nook is just a corner of our bedroom, it's difficult to get an overall view of the space. Here's a bird's eye view of her nook. As you can see, every square inch is used, from baskets storing extra sweaters and shoes under the crib, to the diaper pail and hamper snuggled in beside other pieces. It's just the right size for our baby girl. Thanks for touring the space with me!

Little Critter

This little munchkin eats up more of my day than I ever thought was humanly possible. She's such a kid of extremes - the happiest of happy, or the saddest of sad. Typical for babies, I suppose, but before V, I hadn't really spend a lot of time with itsy-bitsy babies. Luckily for us, she's a happy baby almost all of the time.

V is curious, determined, jolly, and snuggly… and five and a half months old. It's incredible that only that much time has past since I first met her. I'm so blessed to be able to spend my days with my baby girl. Her wild and free hair matches her bigger than life personality, and her hair is getting lighter by the day. She's gnawed on my apple slices the past few days, and boy oh boy, I don't think I have to worry about introducing her to food in a couple of weeks.

Days like today are hard, when all she wants to do is stay cozy in my arms (Don't you dare put me down, mama!), but the sheer fact that it's me that she wants to spend her time with amazes me. I'm somebody's mama. And I wouldn't change a thing.

Happy Tuesday!

Dear Violet: One Month

Dear baby girl,

Well, Violet, we're one month into this gig. We got off to a rough start, but your healthy little self made each day a little brighter. We spent a lot longer recovering than I had planned on, but you're totally worth it. I'm sad that I missed out on our first few days together, but we've more than made up for it in the time since. Watching you grow, change and develop seemingly every minute is an amazing thing to witness.

Watching you and your daddy interact is incredible. During our first rough week together, you guys really bonded in a special way that was entirely God-sent. If the situation had have been any different, I don't think that you would have had quite that opportunity. He loves you so much - his face lights up the moment that he spots you. He's been there every step of the way, falling into his role of a parent with ease. Not even your stinky diapers scare him… well, maybe a little ;) Seeing you two together makes me love you both even more than I ever thought possible.

Violet, you've been showered with grandparent love from all angles. Your grandparents adore you - they were each such a huge help during the first month. Your Nana flew in from Alberta to spend time with you within two weeks of you being born. Your Nanny MacLean spent so many hours with us, both at the hospital and once we got home: she love you girlie, her very first grandchild. Both she and your daddy were great mama stand-ins when I wasn't feeling so great. Your Gampy was delayed in meeting you, as fate would have it, but once he arrived he soaked up every moment he could spend with you. Your MacLennan grandparents did the same - everybody loves a Violet snuggle.

You got to meet so many new friends! I can't wait until you begin to recognize their faces and voices like you do with your mama and daddy. Between your baby shower and all of the drop-in visits, we were able to introduce you to a lot of awesome people. Everyone is so eager to be a part of your life… and no wonder. You're once special little kiddo.

Already, you're ten pounds and 22.5 inches long - you've grown so much since you were born. (Although I'm writing this a week after your last measurements, and I know that you're even bigger now! Wowza!) Because of our complicated start, you weren't too quick to gain weight and get back to your birth weight. Once you started gaining, you little stinker, you just don't seem to want to stop. Your new-found love of food is satisfying our health nurse and doctor… I think they may have created a milk monster. There's not much of a worry of you not thriving!

Your looks are already beginning to change. You're losing that newborn dark blue eye colour, and I think that you'll have your daddy's bright blue eyes. What a lucky girl! You're keeping your mop of hair, but it's getting so much lighter than when you were first born. I think that you may end up being a ginger as a child, just like your mama. Your uncle will be excited to share his hair colour with you.

Baby doll, I'm excited to document each month that I spend with you. Writing up this little letters to you is such a neat thought - someday I'll get to share them with you. Together we can read them and giggle at all of the silly things that you do. For now, I'm content with cuddling your warm little body and kissing your sweet nose.

Love always,
Your mama.

Our Newest Addition

A month ago today, Dan and I welcomed our newborn baby girl into our lives. Little Miss Violet was born on May 10th at 3am weighing 9 pounds, 7 ounces and 20.75 inches long with a whopping head of hair. She's taken our world by storm already. I had a really rough delivery with her that's taking me a while to recover from, but our baby girl was totally worth it.

Miss V is a healthy little bug that's growing like a bad weed already. She's changing daily, but one thing that's a constant is that she's a snuggler. Violet adores being cuddled by her mama and prefers my arms to her cozy crib for most naps. Can you blame her?

Here are a few photos that I've shared on Instagram of our girlie. If you'd like to follow along, all of her photos are tagged with #ohmyviolet. I hope to do a monthly progress post this week, so let these photos tide you over for a bit. After almost two months hiatus between finishing school, my work term, giving birth and caring for a newborn, I hope to be back to semi-regular blogging. I've missed my little online space!

Happy Tuesday!