February 2014 - Part 5 - The one in which nobody has ANY vomiting, heartburn, or random leg injuries...

[marzipanned]

Well, here's hoping!

I'm a bit obsessed with nursery planning. I'm obsessed by interiors full stop, so this opportunity to create a whole new space is taking my rapture to another level. Baby will be in with us for the first few month in an NCT bednest but we're lucky in that we have a second bedroom and I'm making it solely a nursery. (I do all my work in the living room and have a giant cupboard for all my craft paraphernalia!) Also just got a proper loft hatch and ladder put in so I can store lots up there and get access to it quite easily. I'm quite into ikea hacks too. Wanted a wardrobe with drawers for the nursery for all clothes, toys, nappies etc but didn't like any I saw. Instead going to buy this and take top two shelves out to put a hang rail in. Jobs a good'un.

I have a big dressing room off my bedroom and sadly this makes most sense as a nursery . Baby will start off with Moses basket next to the bed and move in there. At the moment it has a wardrobe and four chest of drawers which I want to get shot of and have a floor to Cieling built in cupboard so that there's no trace of clutter and it can be calm and relaxing space for bub. I also desperately want carpet in there to make it cosier, I was so impressed with floorboards throughout our house at first, but now I'm worried it wil be noisy and horrible to crawl on. So exciting, I cleared a whole cupboard in the kitchen so it can be the baby cupboard. Eeeeeek x

Just to clarify, the kitchen cupboard is for bottles etc not for the actual baby.

Thanks thingy - I need it! Had 6 weeks holiday and done none of it. I'm blaming feeling crap and Preggo but its still frustrating.

Ooooh milk it's lovely! Hemnes stuff is so pretty will look fab when you hack it.

Champagne glad you're starting to feel less awful and well done on your week at work! If you can do it I can definitely do it when back next week!

Snack wise I second houmous with carrots/ryvita. I love nuts and dried fruit especially almonds and cashews and cranberries which taste so good together. Mini babybells are good too as a quick and filling thing to grab. Bowls of cereal might be a good option too. I'm gonna be laden down with food every day when I'm back - probably gonna take two lunches as I have brekkie about half 7 then break time at 11.20 then lunch at half 1! Gonna be ravenous! I'm planning on breakfast, preteaching snack before 9, loads of food at break, big lunch, snack at end of day, evening meal. I am going to be the size of a house but if it stops me feeling queasy and gives me the energy to teach all day I don't care! I will sit on my fat arse and wheel myself around the classroom on my wheelie computer chair!

I dunno Shropshire if I get a crier that won't sleep it might be going in a cupboard

That just reminded me of Brittas Empire? Baby in the drawer?

Ooh I hit remembered its my first aquanatal yoga class tomorrow. It sounds very much the sort of thing I used to rip the piss out of (and it still makes me wince when I say it), but now I'm preggo and have barely moved for 3.5 months I can't WAIT.

Brittas Empire= mega LOLS. Vaguely remeber a baby in a drawer.

I am loving my aquanatal swimming on a wednesday, its not hard work at all and you can talke to all the other preggos. Mine is nice because my country club is in the middle of the Shrops countryside and all the other fatties are local so ive made some new friends which is nice. Monday is my first antenatal pilates sesh, its my first pilates sesh ever, im the least flexible person ever, will have to get DH to tie the laces on my trainers in order to get there..........

PS I know what you mean about cringey yoga/pilates, I hate the thought of people thinking im an earth mother and that i'll breast feed till the child is 11.

Shropshire, our DS had wooden floors in his room at our old house (and does in new one). We bought some foam alphabet mats for the floor, soft to crawl/fall on and wipe clean. You can get them on amazon.

Nursery wise he has a shelving unit for toys in his room (screwed to wall) and a chest of drawers. Everything he owns I fold. Plus he used to have a chair but has a smaller room now.

Still puking here too :( Gutted not to be at the wedding today but it was the right decision not to go.

I've found an antenatal yoga near me but haven't felt well enough to go yet, hopefully this week.

Interiors pros (milkandtwo!) we are going to make DH's study into the nursery, however, need to keep some of the study stuff in there (ugly desk and computer) which I don't want intruding upon bub's harmonious space :)

The room is pretty big so is there a way to put up a curtain or something to divide? It's a rental so we can't go putting massive holes in the walls or anything...

Yay nursery banter! I've been planning mine for ages. Just stumped on colour scheme. As we're not finding out the sex I think we're going to have to go for some sort of neutral creamy colour which we can then accessorize with relevant baby gender stuff. Quite like this range from mamas and papas but probably would just get the wallpaper and border then get my amazing nan to make some curtains.

Do you reckon just a chest of drawers for clothes will be ok? Even for girls with dresses etc? My mum thinks I'm nuts to consider not buying a wardrobe but I reckon clothes are so small they will be fine in drawers for at least 6 months?

Also we have laminate floor in the nursery. I'm already gonna get a rug to match whatever theme we go for but reckon that most of its playing/crawling time will be on the floor in the living room (carpeted) so not much need to worry about soft flooring in tiny nursery for a while?

Seriously contemplating starting aquanatal once this studying is out of the way, also think my bump needs to look more bump like before I go in a swim suit and all the other preggos think I'm just a fattie!

Jazzcat - you should be fine with just drawers at first as all clothes just end up folded. It's only now dd is 2 that I'm starting to use a wardrobe more and that's just for dresses.

In terms of nursery colours I went for a nice lemon yellow with dd as despite having scans showing a girl I wasn't convinced till she arrived!!!

Morning! DH and I have been looking at paint charts this morning, as we're hoping to move into a new house around Christmas and get a nursery up and painted by the time Bean comes along. I'm torn between wanting a bright, jolly sort of yellow on the walls and a soft, soothing "go to sleep little one" neutral... We've looked at cute wall decals as well, and decided we quite like this one: www.parkinsinteriors.com/collections/childrens-wall-stickers/products/cheeky-monkey-wall-sticker so that may take the bother out of my original plan to paint a tropical beach/underwater scene. Maybe when they're a little older!

The nursery's a little small - bigger than a box room, but not really big enough for a teen/adult bedroom - so we're thinking comfy chair for me/DH, changing chest of drawers and a cot bed. Quite liking the Highbury range in Next. I think a wardrobe isn't really necessary right now, but if you wanted to keep it all the same look and the plan is for bubs to have the same room for quite a few years, it may be just as well to get it in now?

I feel like a right fattie, just scoffed two smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels! Now feel a bit bleugh

Loving the nursery talk. Colour charts are a great idea! I must get some. We're buying our first house and should be moving in a month, so exciting! Can't wait to start in the nursery. I'm thinking neutral with maybe nice pastel mint green highlights and animals somewhere!

Ooooh just been in mothercare and its buy one get one half price on loads of stuff. I got some maternity clothes (which I thought were pretty pricey but at least on offer!) and it's on baby stuff too. Not sure if its online as well x

Marzipanned - yes a curtain or idea curtain panels are good as room dividers but would necessitate a track in the ceiling. Ikea also do freestanding room dividers that are inexpensive. You can always paint them to suit your room (Annie Sloan chalk paint goes on any surface, including laminate, without the need to prep)

I'm not planning on decorating our nursery as I like it how it is - white walls and a lovely purple wall. I'll probably get some stuff for the walls etc but not sure what yet.

oh my god tho - i totally want this rug! www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/70251740/

Thanks milk, brilliant knowledge! The room divider looks just the kind of thing we need, and I like the idea of being able to paint it as we can't change the colour of the walls.

That rug is fab missk. Our room is carpeted but think I'm going to get a rug too, quite like this one!
www.valuerugs.co.uk/a~vr2863-valuerugs-kiddy-nursery-little-lamb-natural-rug-75-x-80-cm.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=googleshopping&utm_campaign=VR&gclid=CO3ojfXap7kCFQ_LtAodfQwAaQ

Also planning on lots of decals, and some large framed prints.

I saw a fab nursery online once in which a whole wall was shelves with ribbon across and then all the kids' books were displayed - I'm not explaining very well but it looked like a wallpaper of book covers and was amazing!

Milkandtwo I am officially Annie Sloans biggest fan. Stand still long enough in my house and you get painted French Grey. Fact.

It's DS's 3rd birthday today. Having so much fun but I am so exhausted!!! Not slept properly for a week now with this sciatica. Zzzzz

Welcome to the newbies, and Happy Birthday to your DS Vix! What presents has he got? It's my DD's 3rd bday in November and then Christmas not too long after that, so trying to work out what's worth getting for her that she won't outgrow/get bored of too quickly!

Like the nursery talk too. I'm going to move DD out of the nursery/box room to the 2nd bedroom, so baby can have the box room. It means that my double guest room that my parents stay in a few times a year will be gone so really need to find a solution to that, but there isn't room to keep a double bed in it and sofa beds still take up a lot of room so think it could ruin the look of DD's room. A blow up mattress doesn't seem fair my my parents. Hmm. Anyway I'm looking at a lovely white butterfly bed frame and drawers for DD - we already have fitted wardrobes in that room so don't need to buy them at least although I may have to give up my shoes and bag wardrobe!

I've been in my house nearly 2 years and we didn't get round to decorating the nursery so I can't wait to do it this time. We have a small (but tall!) wardrobe, chest of drawers and toddler bed that we will try to work out how to turn back into a cot. The wardrobe is really useful for storage even if you don't have many clothes to hang. Don't underestimate the number of blankets, big packs of nappies/wipes etc that you will have! Let alone all of the clothes/toys that people will give you for baby to grow into - generous but takes up a lot of space! I don't have room for a chair in the nursery but it's useful to have somewhere to sit and feed baby in the night when they're in their own room, so may have to squeeze in a small chair or beanbag! I won't get started until I find out the gender at the 20 week scan, still nearly another month to wait!

LittlePanda, let me see! He has:
Tesco till
Toy guitar
Duplo train and racing car sets
Lots of Spider-Man stuff
Books
Doctors kit
Remote control car
And main present was a one-person enclosed trampoline.

He's a very happy little boy but feels a bit sick after party food and lots of bouncing around!!

Eeeek littlepanda I'm getting scared about how I'm ever gonna fit a baby in my house! We barely fit as it is!!!

Awww vix I hope your son has a lovely birthday! Can't wait to be able to play with toys with my little one sounds so fun!

The baby doesn't take up much room - just all of the stuff it needs! Then soon your house will be full of brightly colourful plastic toys which get bigger each year. Some people start with the idea of having traditional wooden toys only which aren't as garish but no one manages to stick to it! You can't fight the tat.

I think my DD would like a doll's house for her birthday and maybe I would like it too but she also likes lego and dinosaurs. And baby dolls and trains. She kinda likes everything. The trampoline sounds good but she may not get much use out of it in the winter when it's her 'present season'. She already has a toy piano so a guitar could take her one step further to being a pop star

Moving back to the baby names topic. I really like the name Serena for a girl, but DH prefers Sienna. Serena makes him think of Serena Williams and Sienna makes me think of Sienna Miller. Neither bad people but I don't want such an obvious association with a famous person if you see what I mean! Any thoughts? It may be a boy anyway and we can have another debate!