With less than six weeks to go until due date, operation nursery has stepped up a gear. Not that it will be used for the first few months, and not that I’ve consciously started making more effort, it’s been a priority of mine from day dot as it’s just something I love doing and in all honesty, having the nursery to focus on has probably helped me cope with the overwhelming-ness of having my first baby. Read more!
I’m a huge fan of Home Sense and love nothing more than trawling the store and collecting unloved pieces to upcycle and turn into something perfectly unique for my home. I’m a huge fan of IKEA Hacks and this is a similar thing but with even more character, it’s like hunting for treasure in Home Sense.
Week 26 of pregnancy, and baby was the size of a Butternut Squash (finally a vegetable I’m familiar with). I’m a little confused as to whether this was the last week of my second trimester or not as everything I read seems to say differently and it ranges between 27 and 29 weeks. Answers on a postcard, or in the comments box below.
Anyway the week started off well with the husband completing his mission on the nursery and building all furniture in a two day DIY frenzy. I don’t know why he does this as we have so long to go, but after we got back from our babymoon in Wales he used his spare day at home to get on with the painting. And once that was done he couldn’t resist spending the next day building the wardrobe, the cot bed and the changing unit, leaving the tiny box room only when I dragged him out for food. He was ever so proud of himself though, and it looks great so I ain’t complaining. All that’s needed now is for it to be filled with pretty and practical stuff. That’s where I step in, I guess!
I’ll do a post soon on the furniture, but we went for the Mothercare Padstow 2-piece nursery furniture set for the cot bed and changing unit, which was on sale so was a bit of a bargain, and as it’s such a small room we went for the IKEA Pax single wardrobe which we bought in the extra shallow size so that it fit neatly in the corner without hanging over the edge of the window. We added the IKEA Vikedal door which is a frameless mirrored hinge door to make the room look extra spacious and light. And it worked a treat!
We also picked up the mattress for the cot bed, also from Mothercare and which we bought after being sent an email advertising the half price offer, reducing it from £160 to £80. It was the Mothercare Adaptive Purotex Pocket Spring Cot Bed Mattress (try saying that after a glass of wine) and as total novices in this game, we did a little research which suggested it would be fine, and took the plunge. Who can resist a half price offer like that after all?
In other exciting news this week, my first ever prize arrived all the way from Australia! I entered my first Instagram competition, run by The Little Fox Designs, who I came across on my hunt for mint green inspiration – they had the most perfect mint green triangle crib sheet – and what do you know, I won! It was for this beautiful little monochrome grid print crib sheet, which will look perfect in the nursery whether Baby Lynch is a boy or a girl. You must check The Little Fox Designs out if you’re looking for some individual fitted sheets in the most gorgeous, fun fabrics.
Symptoms this week have been gradually creeping up on me. Heartburn has reared it ugly hot head again and I seem to get it every afternoon as I leave work, so the drive home is even more like hell than I’m used to. Milk just ain’t cutting it anymore – funnily enough, ice cream seems to do the trick – but I’m going to have to get on the hard stuff. Gaviscon is at the top of this week’s shopping list.
Since we went away to Wales and did all that walking, I’ve become more aware of how much slower and heavier my body feels. I am carrying a more sizeable bump around now so it’s to be expected I guess, but I’m definitely feeling the effects of being home to this growing person, and I can feel myself becoming much more tired with every day. Still, I’m powering through as I don’t have much choice, especially in work where they still haven’t advertised my replacement and are still piling new work on as though I’m not going to be leaving in nine weeks.
Nine little weeks. Bring it on!
Pun totally intended, because as part of my ‘project nursery’ I’m looking for the perfect nursing chair to fit in the little bay window, and have been looking specifically at rocking chairs.
I’ve read a lot of articles and opinions on whether you even need a nursing chair, with many saying the nursing was done mostly in the parent’s bed or somewhere else in the house, and others saying they found it completely invaluable to forming part of the bedtime routine. I can imagine the latter is true and like the thought of making the nursery a safe and cosy sanctuary for both the baby and I (and Daddy Lynch of course) and you surely can’t have a sanctuary without somewhere comfortable to sit. And what’s more soothing for babies and adults alike than a rocking chair? Except maybe a rocking chair with wine.
So here’s my run down of some of the best nursery-perfect rocking chairs I’ve found, to suit a very broad range of styles and budgets. Starting with the luxury designer pieces and working my way to more of the budget friendly looks.
This glider chair from Custard and Crumble is a classic nursing chair, with the super comfy seating, glider action and matching footstool. If you’re going all traditional, this could be the one for you. But at £1,375 it’s not one for the masses, so try Mothercare who have a range of very similar styles at more budget friendly prices.
A couple more for the big spenders, Not on the High Street has a few gorgeously designed pieces. The Morpheus Rocking Nursery Chair is the ultimate comfy armchair on rockers. The quality is even obvious from the picture, and the shape of the wooden rockers shows there’s been a huge attention to detail and a lot of love from some furniture designer in this chair.
The Opulence Rocking Chair is also from Not on the High Street and if you have a spare £3,600 (and let’s face it who doesn’t?!) this is a simply beautiful chair which is the ultimate in chic and stunning nursery furniture. It belongs in a princess nursery, and is suited to a princess budget budget too.
Now let’s start bringing those pound signs down a notch. During my research I came across Nubie.co.uk which I love for inspiration. This Olli Ella Dada glider nursing chair is a nice change from the super pretty and feminine chairs I’ve seen so far, thanks to the more masculine lines and navy blue colour. But it doesn’t sacrifice comfort for cool, and at £875 I’d expect it all too!
Another Olli Ella number, the Ro-Ki rocker chair has a real retro vibe, with simple lines and clean fabric (not for long) and ergonomically designed rockers, this chair looks like it was made for speed rocking. Simple, beautiful and gorgeous imagery from Olli Ella, Pinterest-worthy all round.
One of the more budget rocking chairs is actually more of a grown up bouncer than a rocker, but you can’t go wrong with the IKEA Poang chair. Scandi-style and purse-friendly, it’s also more of a space saver than the other style. I am a HUGE fan of IKEA Hacks, I do them at every opportunity, and this chair is prime for a bit of upholstering and creating a statement, unique nursery piece for a bit of a bargain. Just look at this perfect example from How Joyful Blog and how the plain Poang has been transformed into a chevron beauty fit for any neutral nursery.
And last but not least, it’s the chair I have my eye on for that little bay window in our nursery. It’s the Charles Eames style RAR Rocking Chair. I don’t have room for a big comfy armchair and footstool combo, I need something compact and cute to fit the space and not over crowd the room. I love the simplicity of the seat and the blend of plastic, metal and wood. And oh my god, styled like this Pinterest inspo shot, with a faux fur throw and cushions, it adds the comfort factor and makes it a total must-have in my house.
The Eames style chair is available all over the web at a variety of prices. I guess quality also differs but hey, I don’t have over £300 to spend on a chair at John Lewis, especially when I can get an identical looking version from the likes of Wayfair and Tesco Direct (just not in white, damn it, but a bargain under £50 if you’re looking for something brighter). Now I just need to pick my supplier and find my faux fur throw and I’m all set for rocking those long, sleepless nights away!
Week 24 of pregnancy (6 months, I can’t believe it!!) has been a busy old week, with a few symptoms rearing their head for the first time in a while and the hottest day of the year meaning the entire nation spent Wednesday walking round in a fog after doing an involuntary sweaty all-nighter. Not that I’m complaining about the weather, before someone complains about me complaining, because I’m not. But 30 degrees, pregnant or not, is hot.
Normally in those temperatures I’d be glued to the side of the pool with a cocktail (more likely an ice cream) and wouldn’t even consider a walk to the shop let alone an hour and a half drive home from work, sat in traffic in a car that has gradually baked to 35 degrees throughout the day. And when you’re carrying around a tiny growing human inside you, I feel confident in saying it probably makes it a touch more tiring. Work has been STRESSFUL too, which I could really do without and it hasn’t been conducive to a relaxed state of mind.
Tuesday was the peak of the heatwave (or was that just summer?) and was also the day I had my whooping cough injection, the most pleasant part of which was the view on my way into the doctors surgery. Look how pretty…
The jab itself was fine, carried out by the loveliest of nurses, and I was on my way within 10 minutes. But boy does that bugger hurt later on and only made Tuesday night’s sleep more impossible. Can’t lie on my front or back for obvious reasons, couldn’t lie on my right side thanks to a long-term back problem which doesn’t normally bother me in bed, except for that night of course, and couldn’t lie on my left side thanks to the throbbing aching in my jabbed shoulder. What’s a girl to do! Sit upright and not sleep all night, that’s what.
Anyway, moan over, there were another couple of pregnancy symptoms which had nothing to do with sleeping or the weather you’ll be glad to know. I got my first nose bleed since I was about six, completely out of the blue, which as an adult who has never suffered from nose bleed is a mild shock to see bright red blood coming out of somewhere it shouldn’t! All normal apparently, and I haven’t had one since, but just highlighted the weirdness that pregnancy can cause to your body.
Another weird one is a numb bum, or a sore coccyx to be specific. I’ve had this mildly since the early days – you know when you’ve been sat on a hard chair too long then you go to get up and your tail bone right at the top of your bum aches. That. But oh my god, this was something else. I haven’t been able to sit on my work chair for more than 5 minutes without being in a crazy amount of pain when I try to stand up again. I have to stand in stages like an old lady to release the pain an inch at a time. I’ve messed around with cushions and have found a way of creating a gap for the tail bone to float in while I’m sitting down, which helps a little. It’s all about softening bones apparently, and if you also are suffering with this I have nothing but sympathy because it bloody hurts.
And last but not least for my busy week of the aubergine, we bought our nursery furniture last weekend! We found a set in Mothercare that we liked and was in the sale so went for it. It’s the Padstow 2 piece set, and as the nursery is a little box room we’ve gone for a mirror-door IKEA PAX wardrobe which is especially shallow at just 35cm and so fits nicely in the corner without overhanging the window. It’s all boxed up in the garage at the moment but I’ll share pics as soon as the nursery is done!
And last but not least, I’ve been making progress with my “must-be-colour-perfect” mint green wall stickers and the fabric for my nursery blind – I’m very excited, and I’ve spent more time on them than any normal person would, but I’ll share updates soon!
From Day Dot 