I was mid-second trimester when the first wave of Covid-19 lockdowns hit Ottawa. Already being eager/anxious in my pregnancy, the extra time at home really got me fretting about everything baby early. There was a lot we wanted to change in our son's future room and many of the stocking issues made me worried we wouldn't be able to finish it in time. That worry was for naught and everything was done months before I went into labour. It's funny looking back now, but I used to go and sit in the rocking chair for a few minutes every day trying to picture what life would be like once this room was occupied. It was so carefully put together at the time, but now my son throws everything (stuffies, blankets, etc) to the floor on a daily basis.

The room we wanted to use as a nursery is really small, so we wanted to redo the closet to make more functional space. We decided to create the illusion of a custom built-in using IKEA Pax wardrobes units. Initially we were disappointed because the space available was 2 inches too short to use the two 100cm and 50cm models. Fortunately, my genius husband realized the Billy bookcase was slightly slimmer with the same height and finish. This fit perfectly and gave us the open bookshelf that we came to love. Despite being smaller than the original closet, this unit is so organized. Even 18m+ later, we've still got lots of room for all of Cal's things.

With my fondness for brands and time on my hands, I guess it's no surprise I went a little crazy with the nursery theme. We decided to go with a "Canadian Rockies" theme, with a mountain mural and decorations featuring local fauna like foxes, owls and moose. For furniture, I wanted something that matched to motif, so went with a driftwood type colour. Since no full sets came in this colour, matching it took forever. The mural took a weekend to do. It likely would have been shorter, but I was struggling with serious light-headedness pregnant and that wasn't a great mix with being on a ladder. One of my favourite pieces is the handmade felt mobile we got from All Tuckered Out Decor through Etsy. The quality is awesome, and felt neat to support a small business based out of Airdrie Alberta where I used to live.

Aside from the flooring (which we covered with a rug), we changed virtually everything: new light, new blinds, new paint, and new closet. It's actually pretty hard to believe it's the same room as before.

Today, we've added another small, white Billy bookcase for Callum to put his stuffies, toys and books on. We've also added black-out blinds which I learned was an absolute must when Callum was about 3 months old and refused to sleep. The set of three photo frames continue to sit empty. I dreamed of making some watercolour paintings for them, but after Callum came along I've never found the time.

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