From Pink to Blue.

You know how really good parents love their kids equally? They don't show favoritism and love each child for the unique gift that they are... On a smaller scale, that is how I feel about our kids' room. I LOVED Maelee's room. It was girly but not over the top. It was simple and ready and wonderful. And she would have loved it, too. My parents came in January 2010 to create Maelee's room and they did a super job. It all started with this birdie boppy that my sister gave me...and we were able to find pieces to match (for cheap, too!). My ubber-talented mom sewed this and that and my dad painted the walls to include a pink border and brown stripe on the top. He's a pretty darn good painter and it looked awesome. But her little brother probably wouldn't have enjoyed the pink loveliness. So a change had to be made. My parents were both going come in March but with my Grandpa dying that didn't work out. So instead my mom came last week and is just going to stay 'til baby is here. This means that not only is she having to sew up a storm but she had to paint, too! Taking down Maelee's things was not easy... even with the joy and thankfulness we have of getting a room ready for our boy. Tysse Painting Service would be proud. It wasn't easy to cover that pink with such a dark blue but after a few coats, she got it (and no paint on the ceiling - whoop!). We kept the main wall gray and Maelee's brown stripe is still there, too! Mom added an orange stripe (not an easy feat). But it turned out super! And no-VOC paint means the smell was almost non-existent and better for the environment. Win, win! Since we started with just fabric this time, my mom was able to create most everything (which keeps the cost low). And I found a plain navy sheet at BuyBuyBaby for $7 with a coupon. We aren't doing a bumper this time but I will go get a breathable brown one down the road if I feel like he needs one in there. And Burnetta is making us a quilt with the matching fabric to complete the bedding. My mom even made a changing pad cover out of navy minky. Check out the curtains! Complete with covered buttons (Maelee's were tied into bows but Mom thought buttons would be more manly for the boy). I'll post a close-up photo soon. The sweet glider chair is the one furniture piece that we didn't have in Maelee's room. I almost bought a glider last April but could never quite decide. I knew I wanted to buy one again this year (and again had a rough time deciding). But we found this one on sale at BabysRUs, with a coupon, and were also able to use up all the merchandise credit and gift cards we received as gifts for Maelee. That was a big deal for me. My mom had returned some gifts there after Maelee died and I didn't know what to do with the credit. But to me, it's sort of like the chair is partly a gift from Maelee to her brother. I like that. I'll take a photo of the actual final room once it's completely finished in the next days. There are still some sewing tasks that need to be done, a few items to find to complete the room, but the majority of the room is done. We are ready for our new occupant. And I recognize that having a super cute nursery is not a necessity in any way. You really don't need most all of the "stuff" our American culture tells us you do. But when it comes to babies, it sure is fun to make things cute. And speaking of babies, our little man is doing fine according to our appointment this morning! And his momma was emotionally much more stable. Win, win. -Heather PS - Many thanks to my parents and Tysse Painting Service's account at Sherwin Williams for making two beautiful rooms for our kids. UPDATE - Greg's mom found 4 yards of our fabric at Joann's in Bismarck and she's flying here Friday so we will have plenty of fabric! Yippee!