Nesting - Master Bedroom

Before

After
Venice Navy/ Natural Embroidered Comforter Set c/o Just Bedding; shelf, vase and rug Ikea; lamps gifted; cushion handmade; bassinet was an ebay bargain, geometric cat print by Gingiber; framed painting by Kitty Horton; postcards from QLD Art Gallery.

There always seems to be much to do before one welcomes a baby - shopping, washing, folding, preparing - which is then followed by a period of waiting. How long those last few tiring days are! With both my children I'm quite sure the last week of my pregnancies has been as long as the first year of their lives - one going terribly slowly, the other just so so quick. I remember walking in and out of the nursery a hundred times while I waited for Cohen, trying to imagine what it would be like once my first baby was born. My hospital bag packed well and truly in advance.

It's a little different the third time around. I'm just as excited, but I haven't felt any real hurry to prepare for this little ones arrival until now. At 32 weeks I still need to wash the baby clothes and I haven't packed my hospital bag yet. We have most of what we need, except for the car seats (as we work out how to squeeze three of them in to the back of my car.) But 'nesting' mode has been kicking in, as it has with each pregnancy. And while I have been thinking about the children's sleeping arrangements, I've been thinking about ours too. I wanted to create a fresh, warm space to rest as I wait for baby, and to welcome baby home to. A little bedroom makeover was in order. I recently brought the bassinet upstairs so that Emerson has time to get used to it. I tidied away the paper work beside the bed, wiped over all the surfaces and changed out our bed linens for a new comforter set c/o Just Bedding. And then had a nap!

Yes, I think this will do nicely. When all is quiet on the blog and I am having a baby-moon after the birth - recovering, settling in to new rhythms and getting to know our new little one - you will know where to find me.

Were you super organised, or a bit last minute with preparations for your little ones arrival? 

Did it change depending on which baby it was?

Did you 'nest'?

Three children, two bedrooms... advice please

1. 32 weeks pregnant 2. Feed me? 3 & 4. Custom make 5. My little love

With a three bedroom house and soon-to-be a family of five, I've been thinking about the logistics of the 'who sleeps where' situation. So far I have decided that Cohen (5) and Emerson (2) will stay where they are, while the new baby sleeps in a bassinet in our room. However, when baby begins to outgrow those lovely cane surrounds, she or he will then move in to Emerson's room, which is the smallest of the two bedrooms, and take over her cot. Emerson will move in with Cohen and they will share the larger room. 

I had thought of pairing up the sexes - if the baby was a boy then I'd eventually put him in Cohen's room with Cohen, or were it a girl, she and Emerson would take over the larger room. Then my Mum pointed out that a five year old and a baby would not a good combination make, especially with night feeds and the like. Instead my two good sleepers would be better off in a room together. So now I am thinking bunk beds, with a toddler rail on the bottom for Emerson. At two years of age, she currently sleeps in a cot, and by the time I anticipate she will be making the move, she will be a little over two and a half. Cohen was still in a cot at this age, so it could be interesting. 

Cohen is excited about the prospect of sleeping on the top of a bunk. Though I'm not sure the actual 'sharing' of the room part has sunk in yet. They fight like cats and dogs at times already, I can only imagine how we will go with them sharing a room! When I was quite young I shared a room with my twin sister. I remember loving it. I wonder how my parents remember it? When we were a little older my parents built an extension on the house and we secured our own rooms, though given Fiona's room was air conditioned and mine wasn't, you were still likely to find me camped out in there in Summer.

If only an extension were in the budget...

Did you share a room with your brother or sister as a child?

Do your children share?

I would love to hear your thoughts or advice, and put this Mama's mind at ease.

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New picture ledge above our bed

Summer reading

Banana bread

And especially hot weather.
Feeling very pregnant indeed.

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Morning cuddles with a boy and a cat

Gifted knitting booklets

Baking shortbread with little helping hands

A 32 week ultrasound with nothing but good news so far

Relief, joy and excitement