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Baby #2 is set to arrive in the next few weeks. My second pregnancy has been so different from the first. We spent so much time worrying about how to take care of a baby and making sure we had all the right things the first time around. This time, we already had all the big things and we all have survived to this point, so we’ve just been waiting for baby girl to make her appearance.
Eventually, that nesting impulse kicked in and I began preparing for the big day. I’m a big discount shopper, so I found a large amount of baby clothes on clearance at various stores. Plus my friend gave us everything she had left from when her daughter was a baby. I washed, sorted and folded all her clothes and decided to get started on decorating the nursery.
When we moved into the house, we chose a neutral gray for the nursery because we knew we’d be far too busy/lazy to re-paint when the time came. With such a neutral colored room, I thought I’d have an easy time finding all the nursery items I needed, but boy was I wrong. I ordered and returned so many items that I just didn’t like. Eventually, I resigned myself to the fact that I just wouldn’t really like the way the nursery looked and that’s okay (I know, a total first world problem).
After lamenting to my mom, she asked why I’d settle for something I didn’t like when there are a million and one fabric stores that are bound to have something I’d like. The thought of making everything for the nursery hadn’t even crossed my mind! But after a single, very successful trip to Jo-Ann’s, we picked a couple adorable fabrics that matched my gray walls perfectly!
I immediately got started working on all the various projects I knew I wanted to complete. First, I made a set of crib sheets as these were my highest priority. I wanted the little lady to have something to sleep on in the event that she came sooner than expected. I made one sheet out of each fabric. This gives me one for the wash and one for the crib and I still have all the sheets from baby #1 that don’t match the nursery but will certainly work if my system falls apart.
Then, I got started on the wipeable changing pad covers that are an absolute must-have for my husband and me. Again, I made one in each fabric. Admittedly, we don’t wash changing pads nearly as often as we should, but it’s always nice to have a spare.
With the crib sheets and changing pad cover finished, I felt like the pressure was off. The important items were finished and now I could have fun with it. We have an incredibly comfortable recliner in the nursery where I prefer to nurse. I’ve never been a big fan of the whole boppy pillow movement, but prefer just a regular pillow under my arm. I decided to make a matching pillow cover for a spare couch pillow we inherited from the previous owners of our house to match the nursery.
Finally, I used the remaining fabric to make two baby girl blankets. We literally have a storage bin full of baby blankets, so I didn’t want to go too crazy making my summer baby a bunch of blankets. I love the way the self-binding blanket turned out and I’m considering taking apart the first blanket I made to make a second self-binding blanket.
With all of the DIY projects finished, I turned my attention to the completely bare walls. A quick trip to Hobby Lobby later, and I returned with two adorable matching items for the walls.
Eventually, I plan to make a light gray (or maybe pink- I can’t decide) crib protector for the top rails of the crib. Baby #1 did a little bit of damage to the finish and I want to make sure baby #2 doesn’t add to it. I figure that I’ve got a little bit of time before the little lady is standing and chewing on crib rails.