I am now approaching the 33rd week of this pregnancy. I am just days away from the point where Hudson was born in a surprising way. We are recording my blood pressure daily and I am going for weekly check-ups with my awesome doctor. At my appointment this morning, everything looked great!
But I still find myself feeling the need to get everything in place -- just in case Nora decides to arrive early like Hudson did. My family and friends have been great to help me get the nursery looking the way I have envisioned. And, I must say, it is a definite work in progress. So many areas of the room are half-way complete. I've been itching to share with you some of these fun projects.
Finally, thanks to my in-laws and my husband, one corner of the room is ready to go!
Nora's room will still have the "guest bed" in it - so, whoever comes to visit has to get up with the baby! ...just kidding! The room is really too big to just be a nursery. And I hated to lose our spot for friends to stay. Nora can just have a sleepover elsewhere when guests come. Last time my parents visited, they helped to move the furniture around and switch our cribs. Nora will have the Jenny Lind - and Hudson has a crib that could transition to a toddler-bed, should we reach that milestone any time soon.
I hated to lose valuable floor space - but I knew that I wanted the changing table near Nora. It seems like you have to change a newborn every five minutes, and the changing table makes that a little easier. I think Jeremiah was the one to suggest putting the table in the closet - and I am so glad! It is perfect! The Diaper Genie even fits one one side of the table inside the closet. The Diaper Genie is a necessity to us, but I love that it can be out of sight!
In order to quickly be able to transform this room into a guest room, I love that I have the option of shutting the doors to the changing area. Many have asked if I will remove the closet doors, but I have decided to leave them as they are. When open, they are not in the way. And I love that they kind of look like shutters.
In order to not have Nora's adorable clothes hanging in our faces while changing her diaper, I asked my husband if he could re-do the top portion of the closet. While my father-in-law was here last week, they worked hard to recreate my idea. They sawed, painted and cleaned up - I'm already making a to-do list for their next visit!
There is now a space to hang her clothes on either side of the changing table. And, this arrangement isn't permanent. When the time comes, we can easily convert the closet back to it's original layout.
I am thrilled with the results! We will add a shade to the light above so that Nora isn't staring directly at it during a diaper change. I decided that a yarn pom-pom would make a fun, girly, light pull.
Since the area could feel closed in, I decided to hang a mirror on the wall. This will also give Nora something to look at and it will reflect the light nicely.
This mirror used to hang over the kitchen sink in my apartment. Spray paint would have worked so much better on this metal surface. But in order to get the desired shade of green, I went with a little sample pot.
These can be mixed in any color and are usually under $3. It only took a tiny amount to cover the black frame.
I love adding these little splashes of green! The vintage suitcase on the top shelf was my mother-in-laws. It will probably be used elsewhere in the room, but I needed the top shelf to look cute for the closet reveal! The jar pictured holds all the extra diaper creams, lotions, etc. The shelf will eventually hold boxes of clothes that Nora outgrows or extra diapers.
And, I have changed Hudson's diaper on this changing table in the closet just to try it out - it doesn't seem cramped or really any different that it would if the table were out in the room. You still stand the same distance in front of the table.
Since Hudson is not potty trained (and I'm not rushing things in that department), I decided to move my desk (that used to be in Nora's closet) into his room. I need to get another changing pad, since we will be using two.
The changing pad fits nicely on the top along with his diapers. His hamper fits perfectly below. And the drawers are perfect for clothes and supplies that I like to have close during diaper changes.
This was my desk that I used during Jr High and High School. It will be a great transitional piece of furniture for Hudson. When we originally hung the peg board here, I knew that a desk would probably end up in this space eventually.
Back to Nora's Nook...The space under the changing table is ready and organized too. I loved having the orange tool box to hold Hudson's diapers. It was easy to grab and looked a lot better than the plastic packaging. Nora's diapers fit nicely in this old doll cradle that my PawPaw Covey made many years ago. The old 7 Up pop crate holds Nora's shoes underneath. And the three baskets were a thrift store find. They worked great for Hudson's sleepers, hats, burp cloths, etc. That way, during those middle of the night spit ups, a clean sleeper was easy to grab.
A metal card file got a little coat of that green paint, as well. One drawer holds diaper creams while the other holds her socks. Q-tips are in the little dotted creamer. This Jenny Lind changing table that my mother in law found set out for the trash has served us well! (Read about the painting of the crib and table here.)
I am thrilled with Nora's nook and can't wait to finish the rest of her room.
Oh, and I rolled up her swaddle blankets into a magazine rack I had on hand. I loved those large muslin swaddle blankets with Hudson. I found some for a super good deal on Amazon recently here (2 for $12.50) - after all, Nora needed some girly ones!
I knew that I wanted these blankets in an easy-to-grab place.
I'm so thankful for all the help we have received lately! Every cut board, painted frame, sewn fabric and vacuumed carpet are greatly appreciated!
I couldn't do it without help! I can't wait to show you the rest! And I can't wait to bring Nora home to her room!
But I still find myself feeling the need to get everything in place -- just in case Nora decides to arrive early like Hudson did. My family and friends have been great to help me get the nursery looking the way I have envisioned. And, I must say, it is a definite work in progress. So many areas of the room are half-way complete. I've been itching to share with you some of these fun projects.
Finally, thanks to my in-laws and my husband, one corner of the room is ready to go!
Nora's room will still have the "guest bed" in it - so, whoever comes to visit has to get up with the baby! ...just kidding! The room is really too big to just be a nursery. And I hated to lose our spot for friends to stay. Nora can just have a sleepover elsewhere when guests come. Last time my parents visited, they helped to move the furniture around and switch our cribs. Nora will have the Jenny Lind - and Hudson has a crib that could transition to a toddler-bed, should we reach that milestone any time soon.
I hated to lose valuable floor space - but I knew that I wanted the changing table near Nora. It seems like you have to change a newborn every five minutes, and the changing table makes that a little easier. I think Jeremiah was the one to suggest putting the table in the closet - and I am so glad! It is perfect! The Diaper Genie even fits one one side of the table inside the closet. The Diaper Genie is a necessity to us, but I love that it can be out of sight!
In order to quickly be able to transform this room into a guest room, I love that I have the option of shutting the doors to the changing area. Many have asked if I will remove the closet doors, but I have decided to leave them as they are. When open, they are not in the way. And I love that they kind of look like shutters.
In order to not have Nora's adorable clothes hanging in our faces while changing her diaper, I asked my husband if he could re-do the top portion of the closet. While my father-in-law was here last week, they worked hard to recreate my idea. They sawed, painted and cleaned up - I'm already making a to-do list for their next visit!
There is now a space to hang her clothes on either side of the changing table. And, this arrangement isn't permanent. When the time comes, we can easily convert the closet back to it's original layout.
I am thrilled with the results! We will add a shade to the light above so that Nora isn't staring directly at it during a diaper change. I decided that a yarn pom-pom would make a fun, girly, light pull.
Since the area could feel closed in, I decided to hang a mirror on the wall. This will also give Nora something to look at and it will reflect the light nicely.
This mirror used to hang over the kitchen sink in my apartment. Spray paint would have worked so much better on this metal surface. But in order to get the desired shade of green, I went with a little sample pot.
These can be mixed in any color and are usually under $3. It only took a tiny amount to cover the black frame.
I love adding these little splashes of green! The vintage suitcase on the top shelf was my mother-in-laws. It will probably be used elsewhere in the room, but I needed the top shelf to look cute for the closet reveal! The jar pictured holds all the extra diaper creams, lotions, etc. The shelf will eventually hold boxes of clothes that Nora outgrows or extra diapers.
And, I have changed Hudson's diaper on this changing table in the closet just to try it out - it doesn't seem cramped or really any different that it would if the table were out in the room. You still stand the same distance in front of the table.
Since Hudson is not potty trained (and I'm not rushing things in that department), I decided to move my desk (that used to be in Nora's closet) into his room. I need to get another changing pad, since we will be using two.
The changing pad fits nicely on the top along with his diapers. His hamper fits perfectly below. And the drawers are perfect for clothes and supplies that I like to have close during diaper changes.
This was my desk that I used during Jr High and High School. It will be a great transitional piece of furniture for Hudson. When we originally hung the peg board here, I knew that a desk would probably end up in this space eventually.
Back to Nora's Nook...The space under the changing table is ready and organized too. I loved having the orange tool box to hold Hudson's diapers. It was easy to grab and looked a lot better than the plastic packaging. Nora's diapers fit nicely in this old doll cradle that my PawPaw Covey made many years ago. The old 7 Up pop crate holds Nora's shoes underneath. And the three baskets were a thrift store find. They worked great for Hudson's sleepers, hats, burp cloths, etc. That way, during those middle of the night spit ups, a clean sleeper was easy to grab.
A metal card file got a little coat of that green paint, as well. One drawer holds diaper creams while the other holds her socks. Q-tips are in the little dotted creamer. This Jenny Lind changing table that my mother in law found set out for the trash has served us well! (Read about the painting of the crib and table here.)
I am thrilled with Nora's nook and can't wait to finish the rest of her room.
Oh, and I rolled up her swaddle blankets into a magazine rack I had on hand. I loved those large muslin swaddle blankets with Hudson. I found some for a super good deal on Amazon recently here (2 for $12.50) - after all, Nora needed some girly ones!
I knew that I wanted these blankets in an easy-to-grab place.
I'm so thankful for all the help we have received lately! Every cut board, painted frame, sewn fabric and vacuumed carpet are greatly appreciated!
I couldn't do it without help! I can't wait to show you the rest! And I can't wait to bring Nora home to her room!
