Urban Suburban Mommy

Tag Archives: Nursery

Yes I’m pregnant, NOT fat – here are 4 things that bug me the most

Posted on by Posted in The Struggle is Real .

I’ve been away from blogging for a few months. Mostly due to being busy and just not having the energy while pregnant. We’re expecting our 2nd child in late March. I’ve been rocking the diclectin like it’s candy. UGH.

There are several things that really bug me while pregnant, but these few sure take the icing on the cake:

  • Touching my belly (without asking)

Not sure why, but maybe because I am not a big hugger. Or because it just feels wrong; like you’re invading my personal space or something. I have only had 2 belly touchers this pregnancy (other than my husband, son and Dr.), and one of them was a good friend (who asked) and the other an almost stranger! Sure, we live in a small town, and the lady (whose name I don’t even know) has served me at the restaurant once or twice before, but she thought that she was worthy of a belly touch. Umm no!  I let it happen, but I am sure that my face said it all. What. Are. You. DOING?!

  • Commenting on my size

I don’t find the comments much different than last pregnancy, but I do think that many comments just shouldn’t come out of people’s mouths! Whether you’ve experienced pregnancy or not, it should be noted that most pregnant women are likely already dealing with more emotions/over-thinking than they’d like, so, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything. Some of my recent favourites include: “Oh wow, you’ve really gained weight since the last time I saw you”, (and strangely on the same day), “You’re 27 weeks – you don’t even look pregnant – you better eat more!”

Whether you think I am not big enough, gaining weight quickly, or just want to remind me that I am eating for 2, just keep it to yourself.  By the way, it’s not any better when you point out where I’ve gained weight…..you’ve gained it in your face, or your butt, whatever! Just STOP!

  • Puking kids

I work in a large elementary school. It’s like working in a petri dish of germs. I know sometimes you don’t know that your kid is going to be sick (to their stomach), but for those parents that send their kids to school after they puked that morning, I want to yell at you! As well, sending students down to the office (they sit in my eye sight 95% of the time) to wait for their parents, and giving them a bucket/garbage can to puke in is not ok. The sound of someone vomiting makes me vomit, as does the smell. And this Mom has done enough puking with this pregnancy.

  • The stupid glucose test

Didn’t enjoy it last time, and definitely didn’t enjoy it this time. Over the holidays, I headed over to our local Dynacare to do the glucose test. I was so stoked to have one hour to sit and just read a book (I promised myself I wouldn’t go on social media…that would’ve been do-able, if the following hadn’t of happened). I presented my paperwork, and the lab tech said, “I will go and grab it…but it’s room temperature as our fridge broke over the holidays”. Well LUCKY me! I debated over heading home and trying another day, but it is not too often that I have it easy for someone watching Tyson (Ian was on holidays). I couldn’t imagine bringing him and having him sit in the small room and just wait for an hour after chugging that nasty drink. So, after giving myself a quick pep-talk, I uncapped the bottle and tried a gulp.

SO NASTY.

Worse at room temperature.

I tried to suck back what I could. And then at 4 minutes and 30 seconds, the lab tech reminded me that I only had 30 seconds left to drink and I wanted to cry. Both this time, and last time, she reminded me not to chug it, because if I puked (like I’m not already trying to avoid that), I would have to come back another day. So, I said that I would do my best, and keep trying to drink it. In just under 10 minutes I was done drinking it. Then she chimed in that my results might be affected (negatively) since I didn’t drink it within the time limit.

WHAT?!

Needless to say, I did remain there for the next 60 minutes and got my blood taken. I should note at my recent doctor’s visit – just hit the 30 week mark – that my results were in, and I was well under the range for the possibility of gestational diabetes.

And finally, people being absolutely baffled that my husband and I have chosen not to find out the sex of our baby. It’s not that I don’t understand why many want to know, but more so, why the H-E-double-hockey-sticks, it matters to you that we’re not finding out.

I am not a prepare-the-nursery kind of gal. Nor the themed nursery.

Or the person who feels less prepared because I don’t know what colour of baby clothes to purchase (on a side note – it is becoming harder and harder to find gender neutral clothing).  I am definitely not one for surprises, but there is something exciting about a surprise like this. As long as our baby is healthy, I am happy.

I know that it sure helped get through labor last time!

I’ll leave my pregnancy rant on a positive note – here’s a fun pic that our ultrasound technician captured at our 20 week ultrasound!

Drool-worthy nurseries!

Posted on by Posted in Domestic Goodness .

When our first was born we lived in a really cool apartment. It was the main floor of a big old Victorian home in a trendy neighbourhood. It had a great layout – there was a gorgeous den with an antique fireplace at the front, a really spacious octagonal bedroom (was probably once a pretty grand dining room) a roomy eat-in kitchen, and at the very back there was a little office with a door that opened out onto the little backyard.

When my husband and I agreed on the place we didn’t say it out loud, but we both knew that little back office would one day be the nursery.

And it was.

I found this gorgeous mid-century teak sideboard that was being put out to the trash one night as I was coming home, and my friend helped me drag it from the curb. Lots of drawers, I added a change pad and it was way cooler than any change table you’ve ever seen. We were given the family crib and a glider. My husband painted a feature wall “Maple Leafs Blue” and proceeded to create a chair-rail effect around the perimeter with hundreds of Hot Wheels cars.

I LOVED that place.

But I didn’t take the decor too seriously – I still don’t. Our place was funky and filled with great art – the nursery was totally our style – but sometimes I look at these nurseries that have been professionally designed and covet all of those pretty pieces. Other times I look at some of these nurseries – they’re so immaculate and sophisticated I wonder if the babies know they’re not allowed to have diaper explosions in there!

Check out these for some nursery inspiration. And if you want to steal my husband’s Hot Wheels effect, he says you should go for it!

I’m a girlie girl at heart and I love pink and purple. This nursery is a great mix of style and playful. The Novella Crib at Ella + Elliot is total eye candy! The feature wall is such a great way to create different areas of the room – if you’ve got a large enough space.

Leave it to RH Baby & Child (Restoration Hardware) to make me covet a nursery when I don’t even have a baby to put into a crib. Who am I kidding, if this crib came in king size, my master bedroom would look a lot like this.

Feeling a little French Provincial? AFK Fine Furniture for Children in LA has created some celeb rooms, and this one is fit for a little princess. Some may say “A little over the top” while others may say you simply don’t hold back on the sugar or the spice when it comes to everything nice for baby.

This nursery had me at the tufted crib and gold polka dots. And I’m a sucker for tassles!. I love that it’s kind of whimsical and juvenile yet full of serious style. This is one trendsetting infant! I have to admit I’m a bit of a Land of Nod junkie. I don’t think there’s anything they carry that I don’t love love love!

Straight outta the UK, Funky Little Darlings seriously lives up to its name! Can you even? I would never have even considered the £3,200price tag on that crib – but there’s something so completely amazing about the colour scheme for a little baby girl’s room. #Want (Actually, that darker shade is pretty close to my husband’s choice of “Maple Leaf Blue”).

Ooh la la! This modern French black-and-white nursery has luxe appeal and serious drama. Pottery Barn always has the best accessories – but those floors, I can’t help myself, I want those floors. And that chair. Who am I kidding, I want the curtains and rug too. This is one sophisticated little bébé, n’est pas?

Fresh. Modern. Playful. No, that’s not a three-sided crib, that would be crazy. Lusso Baby carries the Harlow, with acrylic slats so that the hipster baby you’re raising has an unobstructed view of the hand-woven artisan rug and the original one-of-a-kind flamingo stuffie from organic virgin cotton, which is, of course, the incarnation of the most ethical form of taxidermy.

Super adorbs while gender neutral, this cheerful little nursery has all the makings for a happy baby – and happy parents. Tell me you wouldn’t be happy snuggling in that comfy glider. The new line George Baby at Walmart has lots of new pieces offering that great combination of budget friendly and stylish!!!

 

 

From nursery to big girl room

Posted on by Posted in DIY .

We sat down with designers and lovely gals from 2Birds Design, Andi Wheelband and Renée Gammon about some great ways to transform a small nursery into a stylish and functional girl’s bedroom.  Andi and Renée offer some easy solutions and DIY projects that you can even try yourself.
Two Birds Photo USM

2Birds Design: Andi Wheelband and Renée Gammon

2Birds Design was hired to design a “big girl’s bedroom” as part of a birthday surprise for Valerie,  who would be turning 3 years old. The task: maximize the limited square footage/space of the room, provide storage and offer a built-in bed solution.

Andi and Renée met the challenge with open arms and, as part of their design, they wanted to create a fun and interactive space so that Valerie was excited about transitioning into her new room. Custom platform bed systems are very expensive, so 2Birds decided on a custom designed storage bed (using IKEA cabinets!). This modular cabinet system provides a ton of storage in a consolidated area to allow for more open space and flexibility with furniture placement as storage and function over time.

The platform is built using basic plywood. It is in IKEA material, and added wood stair treads as well as a removable safety guard. 2Birds also decided to use a custom match, textured floor paint and basic foam floor tiles in pink (which you can purchase from department and hardware stores) for an anti-slip surface up to the bed. Navy, grey and yellow work with varying shades of pink and pattern play to create a fun space that will grow with Valerie.

We chose the colour scheme because we wanted something playful but that would grow with Valerie over the years. I instantly fell in love with the grey, pink, navy and yellow ikat fabric used on our large accent pillow and pulled our colour scheme from there.

Instead of overloading the room with extremely feminine tones, warm grey walls and a striking navy wall create an almost neutral backdrop for our layers of pink tones. A subtle light pink on the ceiling adds further interest, with pops of yellow and navy in the accent pillows adds to the fun but ‘not-too-young’ palette.

We kept the main pieces, like the frame of the platform bed and cabinets, area rug and bookcase white, so that the colour palette can be tweaked down the line by switching out the accessories. Even the pink cabinet doors can be switched out for another fun colour that IKEA offers.

We found the perfect drapery hardware, white sheers and deep fuchsia curtains at Walmart for an amazing price. We had them hemmed at a drycleaners for next to nothing ($10 a curtain panel) but these can also be easily hemmed with scissors, a neat fold and an iron on adhesive tape.

The floral tiebacks were a fun DIY and one of my favorite pieces in the room. I loved the idea of pulling in more of the navy and found the perfect navy and white polka dot floral hair clip at the accessory store Ardene. The overall size wasn’t quite large enough though so I used a glue gun to attach the navy flower to a slightly larger white flower. A white button finished off the centre, and I then glued the blossoms to a 2 inch wide piece of white fabric I had already hemmed using the above mentioned iron on adhesive tape. A small piece of velcro tape was all it took to hold the tie back together.

Valerie is quite crafty, so the small table and stool set was a great, inexpensive solution from IKEA. Made in a durable and washable material and in our perfect pinks, this purchase was a no brainer.

The bookshelf, pink and white boxes and pink polka dot bedding were all snagged from Target weeks before they were officially closed.

The pink princess canvas is also from Target, and sits beside the butterfly framed artwork from IKEA, and framed pieces of Valerie’s artwork.

Room to play

Room to play

The rad cover was custom made by the contractor using pine boards we painted white, and geometric screen panels in the same pattern as our yellow accent pillow fabric.

The chandelier is available at West Elm and is made of capiz shells. I love the lightness of it against the pink ceiling and the pearlescent shells cast a beautiful reflection when lit.

girls room after 2Birds USM

Two Birds Photo USM

2Birds Design: Andi Wheelband and Renée Gammon

Two Birds Design is comprised of principle designers, Renée Gammon and Andi Wheelband. With over 10 years experience working in award-winning design firms across Ontario,  a partnership was formed to create  a boutique interior design business. 2Birds specializes in creating unique and livable spaces while providing dedicated and personalized service, unrivaled by larger design firms.

With a focus on exceptional quality, creative thinking and attention to detail, 2Birds ensures each project is handled with integrity and precision, from the initial planning stages through to construction and implementation. Rather than working in a “signature style” they develop each design based on the unique personality and lifestyle of our client. The first step to a well-designed space is carefully considered space planning. Without it even the most beautiful rooms can feel cluttered, cramped and uncomfortable.

instagram 2BirdsDesign