Monday, January 21, 2013

Some Progress


We've been steadily working on the nursery.  J finished putting in new moldings and painting.  I've been working on sewing a few things.  I thought I'd post some in progress photos because I can't believe how pretty the room is.  It's the nicest room in the house now.
 

J did all the picture frame molding- or faux wainscoting, I'm still not sure what the difference is.   I don't think I'd call it true wainscoting since it's not a whole panel piece.  He installed new chair rail and then used trim pieces to build the the squares and rectangles along each wall.  Then the entire bottom half was painted with enamel.  We know people do this in dining rooms normally, but it was an experiment.  I love it in the nursery.

Here is a before picture for reference.


The previous owners had a baby boy in this room.  It looks like we didn't change the wall color very much in these photos.  But the color we painted above the wainscoting is a very pretty pale blue-gray.  It's Silvery Moon by Benjamin Moore.  Love Ben Moore paint.  It's like a thick milkshake compared to any other brand we've used.


I made curtains!  I said I wasn't going to do pink but....

I am holding off on making the pink crib skirt until we have our last ultrasound this week.  J says he wants confirmation it's a girl before we go forward with all the pink ;)


The sun is insane this time of year.  The window in the room faces southeast and the low morning sun is intense.  My parents bought us the crib and J's parents bought us the matching dresser.  This little girl isn't even here yet and she's already so spoiled ;)  Actually,  it's J and I that are spoiled.  We are both so grateful to our parents for these pieces.  We never would have been able to put anything nearly as nice in to the nursery.  Both the dresser and crib will last a lifetime (the crib converts to a double bed).
 

I am in love with the furniture.  It is, by far, the best furniture we own.  I originally thought we'd go with a basic white crib, simple and inexpensive.  But when we saw this furniture, we couldn't go back to the idea of having a plain old white crib.  We chose the natural maple since we love our natural maple floors so much.


I made this little rabbit.  It was actually a prototype for something else I'm working on for the nursery.  Who doesn't love making stuffed animals?


We bought the little round shag rug from Shaw floors.  The company J works for is under the Shaw umbrella and we just discovered he gets an employee discount (sweet!).  J designs products for a hardwood flooring company.  He has a very cool job and I can vouch that he does amazing work.


And this brings me to these two little (well, not so little) fuzzy pests.  Our two cats.  They seem to think we are doing all of this for them.  They are in for a rude awakening.  I've been doing some research on how to best bring in baby.  I read an article online that suggested a few funny things.  It said not to totally exclude them from the nursery (which is why they are in there in these photos) or they will see it as a loss of territory.  The article suggested letting them in when baby is not there.  And to keep them off the furniture it said to cut cardboard the same size as wherever they jump up and then cover it with double sided sticky tape...!!!  I promise I'll film it if we go that route.  I'm not worried about the cats doing anything to the baby.  They'll never be left alone anyways.  But the little calico one likes to be destructive when she's mad.  She tears up paper and magazines, scratches things, opens doors, terrorizes the other cat, etc.  She's pretty rotten.  (...yet she's so soft-  we swear her softness is her survival mechanism).  Our sofa was sporting some new scratches when we got home from being in St. John for a week this summer.  Socks will be fine.  He's easy going.  Anyone have any suggestions for helping pets adjust to being knocked down a few notches?  And please don't tell me I have to get rid of them.  If worse comes to worse, they can live in the sun room for a while.

Anyway, some progress has been made!  Some good progress.  We still have a lot to do, but at least the baby has a place to sleep.  I'll post again when it's all finished.

Hope everyone has a great week!



42 comments:

  1. It's beautiful! What a fortunate baby!!

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  2. Oh, this room is so perfect! I love everything-- the molding, the floors, the color, the furniture, the curtains-- what a sweet room for your little one!

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  3. This is wonderful! J did an awesome job on the walls, and the furniture is so so lovely.

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  4. It's really coming together! It's so lovely, and gentle and peaceful looking.

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  5. You've done a lovely job of this room. Looks like it's coming along nicely. I like the way you've used pink for the curtains rather than the walls. It's nice to have a bit of pink but I've never liked pink on walls - way too cloying. You just need a nice big comfy chair now!

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    1. Right- I wanted some pink, but not all pink. And we got a hand me down glider now, too. It's the best!

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  6. That is indeed a beautiful room ~ I love the way the sun comes in. I agree with Karin - it's peaceful looking.

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  7. That crib is gorgeous! How clever that it converts to a double bed. The nursery is looking fantastic. I can't wait to see it all finished. Decorating Imogen's nursery was one of my favourite things when we were pregnant.

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  8. Beautiful room!! Very creative couple, eh! And yes, I love the idea of the crib converting to double bed. Where did you buy the furniture from, may I ask?

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    1. Babies R Us! I should have linked to it. It was called the Kensington crib.

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  9. Regarding the cats - I've never brought in a baby, but I do have one thought for consideration. Have you ever tried a Feliway-based product? I was very skeptical about it, and only purchased it in a moment of desperation when the pet store told us that they do refunds if it doesn't work... but OMG did it work! We had one stressed kitty who was desperate to get outside and another kitty who was fond of scratching our new sofa. After just one application there was no more sofa scratching and no more stressed-out meowing! I don't mean to preach because I think this is one of those all-or-nothing products (at least based on Amazon reviews)... either it works or it doesn't. But if your pet store has a good return policy it couldn't hurt to try it. (FWIW, we went with the spray option rather than the plug-in because we wanted to focus on the sofa and didn't want them growing immune to it too quickly.)

    I also think a good idea with pets is to introduce them to the scent of new people/animals/things if you can... so perhaps let them smell a receiving blanket or something before bringing her home? Accompanied by praise and treats of course :D

    Also: I love that you won't consider getting rid of them. I read this blog post recently on the subject (not my blog!) and I thought it summed up the topic of pets and babies really well: http://regressiveparenting.com/2013/01/15/kids-and-pets/

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    1. I *just* heard about Feliway. I think we are definitely going to try it on our doors. The little cat will scratch if any door is shut in the house and can do some damage. We are definitely keeping her out of the nursery when baby is in there sleeping so she's going to have to get used to closed doors.

      And I LOVE that blog post you linked to. I completely agree. They are part of our family now, and we love our family even when they are annoying and gross, sometimes! Lol!

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  10. I read up on the cat thing when I was pregnant, too. The big thing I took away from it was to gradually not give your cats as much attention so they won't feel slighted when the baby comes home and is your major focus. The sudden change can lead to that whole cat-puking-on-baby-things grossness. :) I have three cats. This method seemed to work well, though I sometimes have to remind myself (even now three yrs later!) that those few minutes of time that I finally feel like my lap is just mine and I'm getting a break from holding a baby...that's the prime and rare moment that kitties seek out to get a few minutes in for themselves. Also, Feliway worked as a plug-in in our house when we had a kitty freakout and two of them were at odds all the time and attacking each other all over the house, leaving trails of frightful urine. I am no longer a Feliway skeptic. Good luck with doors--ours can open them. ;)

    PS--He did an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G job on the faux panels!!!

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    1. I read about gradually pushing them away a bit ahead of time, too. Luckily, I've been doing that unconsciously already. Since I've been pregnant, I have not wanted a kitty in my lap every time I sit down and have been pushing them off. The big one now sits on my husband's lap nonstop instead!

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  11. What a gorgeous room, it looks so calm and relaxing.

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  12. Omg the rabbit is sooo cute! The room is beautiful, just look at the light! And I love the paneling. But that little rabbit just stole my heart...

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    1. Aww, thanks! I had a lot of fun making that rabbit.

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  13. What an amazing room! It's beautiful!
    I had a baby girl last year in May and I'm also the proud owner of two cats. One of them needs lots of affection and tends to scratch/bite/... from time to time. She can also be very sweet on occasion, it's difficult to say what it's going to be. The other one is very sweet and prudent (he'll rather hide than seek out a fight).
    I was very surprised with the cat's behavior when bringing our baby home: they didn't dare coming close to her. Actually, they ignored her for the first couple of months. I think they somehow sensed our protective feelings towards the baby because they even stayed out of the crib, the play pen and all other warm and cosy baby things. When our girl began to notice the cats (she was about six months old), the cats began to give her some attention too (ie they just watch her playing in her play pen/ on the rug/...). They don't go near her. When the cats are sitting on the sofa and we have our girl on our lap, she can sometimes try to get hold of their tail/fur/... but surprisingly none of the cats has tried to bite or scratch. (They would have if it would have been us!) They must sense that she's no danger or that she doesn't mean harm.
    In other words: don't worry too much! Give your cats some affection from time to time, let them get accustomed to your baby and the other way round and it will work out great!

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    1. Ok, that's good to know! I kind of feel like our cats will do the same. I'm sure they will be fine. But it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

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  14. This room is gorgeous! Your husband did a fantastic job on the faux wainscoting, it's simply gorgeous! Are you planning to use the dresser as a changing table? It looks like it might be a nice height for that if you bought just the pad and covers....which would save you some money. :-)

    As for the cats, I'd say you are on the right track. And, like you said, you do have a backup plan in case it doesn't work out right away.

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    1. We are going to use it as a changing table. I registered for one of those changing pads. We are trying to keep as few pieces of furniture in the room as possible. We don't want to cover up all the pretty moldings!

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  15. Lovely room! And it's not just cats who react badly. We have friends whose 4-year-old daughter peed on her baby brother's floor to express her annoyance at this new person in the family . . .

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  16. lovely! it's going to be a such a special place once she gets here! i don't have kids but i did read about a trick where you mimic the smells of a baby before she gets here. get a blanket and cover it in baby products (wash it with baby shampoo or put some baby powder on it, diaper cream or special detergent if you use it) and then let the cats sniff it/sleep on it. it helps them to get familiar with the baby's scent. i'm sure your kitties will be fine! :)

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  17. That room is great. When we had our first, we were living in a rental house and couldn't make any changes. For baby number two, all we had energy for was a quick coat of paint to the guestroom-turning-baby room!

    Re: cats and babies. We had two old rescue cats who sometimes liked to sleep on our bed. Because of lack of space, we planned to have the baby in a cosleeper on my side, so we wanted to make sure the cats knew that was a no-go area. We set up the cosleeper a few weeks early and covered the matress with aluminum foil. One jump on that foil made them hit the ceiling, and they never bothered the baby even once. On the other hand, the cats are probably in for a lot of abuse from the baby once she gets mobile. Our oldest cat had a broken vertebra at the base of her tail, so she couldn't move it and it hung limply all the time. The vet did an x-ray and said that because there was no sign of external trauma, the most likely explanation was that someone pulled VERY hard on the cat's tail. *pointedly looks at my crawling daughter*

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    1. Aw, poor kitty. I figure once baby is mobile it's every man/cat for themselves :). GREAT idea with the foil. We had planned on kicking them out of our room while baby in the bassinet in the beginning. But it would be a great idea to prepare them ahead of time. Using foil is another one of those things I'll have to film if we try it! Lol.

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  18. Don't strees about the cats. I had 2 when my daughter was born. The ony thing I was wary of was one of them sleeping on her head so I used a mosquito net over her Moses basket when she was in my room then just didn't let them in her room at night. I do believe its good for children to be brought up with pets. My daughter had colic and the screaming seemed to put the cats off getting too close lol! My best advice is be safe but don't over think it. Xxx

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  19. lovely, lovely, lovely! and that little bunny is adorable! i still think you should pursue your dream of making softies. good luck with the cat issue! :)

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  20. I love the room and the little bunny is adorable. You are going to love that glider for late night rocking/feeding so that's great you got that. Thanks for sharing the pics with us, it has been a while since mine were little (and probably a while before they have little ones...) so I am enjoying your preparations vicariously. The way you have done the room it will transition so nicely from baby to toddler room to older. We used a dresser with a pad on top for a changing table too, and it worked great.

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  21. Love the tutu on that bunny! It's so adorable.

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  22. Wow! It looks great. I want to join the cats for a nap on the floor, the whole room looks so cozy and so airy at the same time.

    I love the face on that little rabbit :)

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  23. What a tremendous amount of work you two have done. Such a beautiful room to greet your wee one.

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  24. Oh, it's looking absolutely beautiful Liza Jane! I wouldn't worry about the cats, they will cope fine. Our cat barely paid our eldest son any attention at all when he was a new baby. I worried a lot about her jumping up into the bassinette but she always steered well clear. I guess the times she heard baby-squalling noises coming from it might have freaked her out!
    That little bunny is the cutest thing I've ever seen :)

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  25. It's looking like such a gorgeous room!! And the kitties are clearly loving that rug :)
    Someone told me ages ago that apparently the pink and blue thing used to be the other way around (perhaps during medieval times?) - that Red was considered a masculine colour because it was fiery, and blue a more feminine colour because it was associated with calm and emotion. Interesting, non?
    I'm loving your little stuffed toy too - it's facial expression and the tutu are gorgeous :)

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  26. Looks lovely! Our oldest cat used to sleep in the downstairs bassinet prior to baby arriving. I tried citrus smells, balloons, draping a sheet over it. Nothing worked. Then I came home with Miss now 13 and placed her in the (clean) bassinet. Puss reared up on her back paws and sniffed cautiously. Didn't go near anything baby & textile related ever again!

    Both our cats and our dogs were astonishingly tolerant of the babies. They seemed to realise that the kids were young and really not able to control their movements. We were always careful to give the pets an escape route and a baby free space. Particularly once each of them started crawling. We always talked and modelled stroking an animal to the kids. Toddlers can't control a "pat" and it rapidly becomes hitting. Stroking from head to tail is easier to learn and control.

    I made all the cot and pram linen for my babies. Existing sets were so expensive! I used up old sheet sets that we had no use for. I also made up all the bunny rugs and wraps. Really easy with an overlocker... Sewing for the baby was very enjoyable.

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  27. Lovely room! Looks very relaxing.

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  28. I love how your moulding came out,I was wondering where you got it and what the name of it is? Especially the little trim piece between the chair rail and the boxes. I'm starting the same project and so far I like how yours looks the best. Thanks for any info!!

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    1. Arg, I thought I hit reply but I think I added a whole new comment! Just in case you hit the notify by email button, see my answer below.

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  29. We both can't remember what exactly the trim pieces were supposed to be used for, but we got all the trim from the decorative molding section at Lowes. NOT Home Depot. Usually we find the two stores interchangeable but not in this case. Both the thin piece under the chair rail and the pieces used to make the boxes were in the decorative section. The chair rail we used was further down the aisle with the baseboards. Hope that helps!

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  30. Came across your blog when looking for moulding examples... we are planning on painting the nursery this weekend. Did you hang your chair rail at the traditional 30-32 inches they recommend for 8 foot ceilings? I like how the moulding hits slightly above your dresser/changing table so I am just curious with that height you went with.

    THANKS!

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    1. Hey! The chair rail is actually a tiny bit higher. It's at 36 inches. It really ended up being the perfect height for the dresser.

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