Nursery decorating for Jack or Jill
My lovely friend C is expecting, and her hubby is determined to not find out if the baby is a girl or a boy.
Wow — the willpower! Darling Husband feels the same way, but I’m not as nice as C — wild horses couldn’t keep me from finding out the gender, haha.
So they are planning a gender-neutral nursery, and I thought I would help out by rustling up some inspiration!
Yellow and green have always been popular for couples who aren’t sure if they’re having a Jack or a Jill. But chic gender-neutral nurseries go way beyond slapping some yellow paint on the walls and buying a green blanket.
Decorating expects say you shouldn’t rule out blue, especially shades of periwinkle and turquoise. C and her hubby have painted their home in gorgeous, vibrant hues, so I know they wouldn’t shy away from an awesome stencil job like this …
I usually hate white walls, but when they’re splashed with bright colour, I admit they look great. I love this eco-chic nursery…
Don’t assume a nursery needs to scream “a baby lives here!” Trendy nurseries use fabrics and textures normally reserved for Mommy and Daddy’s bedroom — like polkadots, dark wood, and modern colour combos like chocolate brown and green …
Green can also be combined with warm yellows and peaches for a cozy space. Add a couple of soft lamps and artwork, and you have the kind of nursery that just exudes peace. Wallpaper borders make me want to heave, so I love the idea of adding interest to the walls with these broad stripes …
By starting with gender-neutral walls, you can easily add some pink infusions if Baby turns out to be a girl. If you paint the walls green and buy neutral bedding, all it takes is some art or a girly throw to transform the space …
Last but not least, I’m a big fan of the white-and-yellow combination — it’s clean, calming, and totally classic …
Happy decorating, C!
My husband rocks
Dear Darling Husband,
This week I have been freaking out — just a tad — about getting our condo in shape for the party I’m throwing next weekend.
To ease my stress, you installed new shelves for me, and will be painting our bedroom this weekend. You have even promised to install that final lightswitch-plate-thing, that I have been gently reminding nagging you about for almost two years.
And although you could care less about paint colours, vases, and comforters, you helped with the decorating in your own quiet way. You agreed to take me to Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and Home Outfitters, even though you despise shopping.
Thank you for heroicly disregarding the “Employees only” sign on the ladder, and bravely climbing to the top to fetch that comforter set I spotted waaaay at the top.
Also, thanks for not rolling your eyes when I gasped at the price and asked you to put it back.
I’d like to thank the Academy …
Isn’t it pretty?
So in return, I’m honouring seven of my favorite bloggers with the One Lovely Blog award:
These are all blogs that I read every single day, and I wish I could meet all of these bloggers in person. You guys are lovely!
Sorry, no vacancies
You know when you’re away from home, and after a while, you just reeeeally want to be at home and in your own bed? And eat your own food? And sit in front of the loving glow of your DVR?
Well, I think being in the hospital equals that feeling times a million.
I hadn’t really thought about what it will be like to bring the baby home from the hospital, and who would be there for those first few weeks. But AlphaMom just posted a great article on having company over after you’re home with a new baby.
Am I ever glad I read it! I love my mom, and my in-laws, but having company always stresses me out. The last thing I’m going to want — after spending three days in the hospital, and arriving home with a baby (and uncertainty) — is a condo full of houseguests!
Is there food in the fridge? Is there ice? Are there clean towels? The are not the kinds of questions I’m going to want to be obsessing over, when I have a brand-new baby to figure out.
The article mentioned that many parents institute a “no overnight guests for two weeks” rule, when they come home from the hospital. This gives them two weeks to adjust to parenthood without worrying who is seeing them in their jammies.
Many parents also specify that if someone is dropping by to visit the baby during those first couple of weeks, they should make the visits quick — and, preferably, bring food. Now that’s more like it!
I hope I never forget this …
“You can’t just think love will be fine on its own without tending to it. It’s a living thing, like a fire you feed or a garden you must tend. If you neglect it, it does wither. It can fade …
… A woman can feel like she’s fading if she’s not given attention, and a man can feel unimportant if a woman quits looking at him with excitement and admiration …
… If we treat each other plainly, we become plain.”
— Jewel on her official blog
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