Oh, what magic happens when a little room is suddenly filled with purpose + love + soft-soled versions of adult sneakers. No longer standing in the doorway, imagining our life to come, we now stand in awe of this little miracle who burst his adorable little way into our selves-centered world + turned us into a family. Lucas Jon Bravo arrived with an immediacy + ease I can't fully articulate. And we couldn't be more in love.
With our son's homecoming, his changing table finally has utility. The rocking chair rocks a little more intently. The Diaper Genie is, in fact, genius + we now have an adorably cheeky face to put with Lucas's brush lettered namesake art. (Check out my previous Making Room post for fun DIY instructions on creating this simple, bespoke nursery art).
RUG + OTTOMAN Urban Outfitters | WOOD FLOOR GYM Nin and June | CRIB + OCCASIONAL TABLE Ikea | MOBILE Lavender Kay Design | FAUX PLANTS Wayfair + Crate + Barrel
Christian + I are constantly being asked, "So how does it feel? Do you feel so different?" Perfectly understandable questions, of course. But truthfully, we find ourselves settling into the day-to-day workings of this new, strange existence with relative ease so far. Now, we've both been peed on more than we care to admit, we've certainly needed to adjust to our new sleeping arrangements + I now give major credit to my parents for keeping me alive without Google. Yes, we fully realize the first weeks are generally considered the adorable quiet before the storm. Sleep, cry, eat, cry, diaper, repeat. It's not rocket science. He's not yet mobile, so I can still clean the apartment, shoot off some emails + get some envelope calligraphy done in the couple hours between cycles. Lucs adores his Baby K'tan, so I can simply bundle the little guy up, warm to my chest + still take the dog out for leisurely autumn afternoon walks. But surely this paradise cannot last...
Now, we can't help but appreciate the fact that we seemed to nail a few essential functional aspects of our nursery setup. Perhaps this factors into our family bliss? In any case, my sincere hope in this post is that others can learn a little from our success.
Being a work-from-home calligraphist, my private studio was ultimately sequestered to a window nook in our master bedroom to carve out a dedicated space for our bundle of joy. Urban, soft-loft living naturally has its square footage restrictions, so we had to figure out a way to appropriate some of my design studio furniture into the new nursery space, where the largest storage closet resides along with some art related back stock. Incorporating as much of our current furniture + decor pieces as we could, I decided to invest in just a few key pieces to establish what would become the grounding style for the room, an underlying motif that would carry him (hopefully) into the coming years. That said, I had a rather particular vision for the rug, just not the budget for said vision. Not being one for kiddie-themed nursery design, I knew I had to use at least a little color to offset the inevitable black + white palette Mama is inclined to. And the muted hue of this Urban Outfitters rug nailed it for me - and our bottom line.
Now, I have to note that we have a pretty chill little guy, all things considered. At
least thus far. So, we are soaking up every preciously peaceful moment, waiting for the proverbial other moccasin bootie to drop. But he shows no signs of transforming into a baby monster just yet. Crying means addressing one of three simple needs: boob, nappie or cuddles + we're starting to perceive the intricate differences between the wimpers. But as I noted, proper planning for an efficient nursery has more than certainly helped keep the calm. One of the best decisions we made is our Keekaroo Peanut Changer. Attached securely with the provided strap to our existing occasional table, the ergonomic, soft polyurethane pad requires no fabric changing pad covers, which basically means no clean up time. Just wipe away the inevitable messes! You will thank yourself for this at 4am. Trust me. Plus, our little peanut loves his Peanut, so it's a major win for all involved.
P.S. When they tell you that having a boy means you will be peed on, believe them. You will be peed on. Just keep your mouth shut. You'll catch on.
While Lucas is still too little to fully appreciate the benefits of his Nin and June Floor Gym, it certainly isn't lost on us - besides, it allows for some pretty adorable photoshoots in the meantime, am I right? The reason for my love? The floor gym is so incredibly easy to set up + take down (remember Lincoln Logs? That easy.) so it stores like a dream in the meantime behind the crib until Lucs is ready to work on his hand eye coordination. And when the time comes, the simple, clean wood design allows for us to hang whatever fun things we want, from colorful pom-pom garland to these cute black + white patterned Celestial Baby Rattles to keep peeking his (+ our) interest over time, growing with his ever developing vision. Bottom line for me? It's simplicity truly appeals to my minimalistic nature, especially when you factor in our tight space restrictions.
fun fact:
Newborns start out seeing the world around them (approximately 8-10 inches from their face) in black + white,
so high-contrast patterned items will grab their attention much more easily than soft pastel designs.
I have noticed Luc take a more active interest this past week in my dark-framed eyeglasses,
so I've been wearing them more regularly. Worth a shot, right?
In keeping with the clean urban aesthetic of the room, I found myself slightly more than obsessed with the IKEA SNIGLAR crib. It seemed every nursery pic I pinned to my online design boards had one thing in common - the crib. And I mean literally, it was always this crib. That is was ridiculously affordable was just a side perk. I was more enamored with how it seemed to just pull together all the elements of a modern nursery that I wanted. Something to ground the aesthetic of our uber-urban exposed brick, West Loop soft-loft + act as the priming layer to the rest of the design, offering the perfect opportunity to pair high + low design elements the way finding that perfect slouchy white tee at H&M allows you the financial freedom to splurge on the Rag + Bone Ellis belt bag you've been eyeing... just sayin...
Now, while Lucs isn't actually sleeping in his room just yet, we are cohabiting with (surprisingly) relative ease in our queen bed for the time being.
This has truly been all thanks to our Snuggle Me Organic co-sleeper. Because we're breastfeeding, having something to keep him close + secure at night has been invaluable, for both his safety + our sanity. This ingenious little lounger pulls him in like a hug, holding him in place. It allows him the freedom to rotate his head while also keeping him from rolling into the sides or us rolling into him. The ability to sleep relatively without worry (parenthood is, apparently, never 100% worry-free) is such an absolute blessing during these first weeks home.
It really is true when people tell you that most modern day baby registry items are just not necessary. At the end of the day, you'll find yourself cradling your little burrito in your arms, sans the carefully planned coordinating outfit you found on Pinterest, no longer concerned if you chose the correct rug to properly represent the little person he will surely grow to become. You won't be able to take your eyes off his cheeks, enamored with his ever changing breathing patterns, trying to decipher if he got mom's nose + dad's toes, or if he truly did inherit (quite unfortunately) grandpa's hairline. But again, when you can invest in a few key pieces to make the process a little easier, why would you not?
Ultimately, there is no road map to parenthood. It comes down to one thing in the end - we're all just trying to give our best to our children. To keep them healthy, happy + provide a solid foundation to the adventure of life. To make a little room in our lives for something bigger + more beautiful than we were before we were a family.
Oh! One last essential. Instant coffee. You're welcome.
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