Forgot to share a few of Nelle's newbie pics weeks ago...not to be confused with nudie pics...

but that is actually a bit contradictory since she was in fact nakie.

And pooped more than any other newborn I've ever photographed.  

Some days, I have to consciously remind myself, I have a baby girl.  

 

Not that she's one to be ignored or forgotten, but it is just taking me time to completely relish in the fact that I have a daughter!  

After Henry was born, particularly after he turned one and became the ultimate little boy, I found myself picturing our family complete with a house full of boys - little stair steps lined up next to each other, never standing still and always picking on each other.  Of course I thought having a girl would be fun.  But just as fun as having more boys would be.  Not one better over the other, just different.

More than anything, once I became pregnant for the second time, Andrew and I both wanted a healthy baby.  

 

But how did I not know how completely smitten we would be over HER?  

She's what we needed all along.

The perfect compliment to her big brother and the best addition to our family. 

My little squish.  You weren't what I expected in the most amazing way.  And as quickly as these first six weeks have flown by, 

I can't imagine the joy and happiness you and your brother will continue to bring us in the next weeks, months and years.   

It's funny to me how once Henry was born, his gender-neutral room suddenly looked like it was always meant to be a boy's room.  And ironically, when I posted a sneak peek of Nelle's room to Instagram a few weeks back someone commented "surely you knew you were having a girl this time?!"

Both times I just picked things I really liked without thinking much about gender.  

I guess my subconscious knew more than I thought.

Because once Nelle arrived...well, it totally looks like a girl's room.

I had started a secret Pinterest board (of course) before I was even pregnant this second time so once it was time to actually get started on Nelle's room, I had a pretty focused idea of what I wanted.  Lots of light, whites and greys, textures to add interest, a cowhide rug, a green stained dresser
and pops of color from a full wall of book shelves.

I originally begged (and begged and begged) Andrew to construct built-ins with a window seat on the north wall, but he held up against my arguments and eventually squashed the idea when he pointed out that we'd have to move a vent to make it work,
and it just. wasn't. going. to. happen.  

(I just couldn't let this idea die.  Until I had to.)

This will be better for us.  We can take the bookshelves with us whenever we decide to move (actually picture ledges from Ikea), and Henry is so entertained during diaper changes by picking books off of Nelle's shelves.  (Good thing he hasn't caught on that they are mostly his books just in a new home, with a few good classic and vintage finds from estate and garage sales last summer and fall.)

We moved the chair and ottoman from Henry's room into the nursery and made a new cozy reading/nursing corner
with another handmade quilt from my mom and another original painting from my super talented sister.

The sweetest.

The rug was an Amazon find - just couldn't beat the price for the size or the free Prime shipping,
and Handy Andy refinished the dresser with a dark green stain after I bought it off of Craig's List.

She looooves staring out the window during diaper changes.  

 Vintage piggy bank from Etsy.  Also Nelle's Christmas present.  
 Side table was a TJ Maxx find long ago.  I had just been waiting for the right room to put it in.

Rolling toy tub was a garage sale find and is currently being used for blankets.  
For the first couple of weeks Nelle was home, Henry thought it was his job to pull them all out and put them in her dirty clothes basket. 

Truth be told, I felt like I was settling on the Ikea curtains when I first bought them.  It was hard to find something "naturey" without going too boy or too girl, but since they've been hung and the rest of the room has been filled in, I've really loved both their simplicity 
and how they add a little whimsy.

The prettiest corner crib setup if I do say so myself. 


And probably the most serendipitous project of the room...
...the handmade mobile.

I constructed it from tissue paper not feeling very confident about the outcome, but it is just the loveliest little touch.  
It flutters with just the tiniest amount of air movement and pulls out the touches of gold I curated into Nelle's gallery wall.
  

I still want to layer in a few more pops of black and white to offset the color from the book covers, 
and I do need to figure out where to organize our small, but mighty collection of headbands.  

For now though, it's easily become my favorite room in our house.  Even at 2am.  

I couldn't get the exact same expression from Henry and Nelle,

 and one's photo was taken at an earlier stage than the other's, 

but really...

can you tell who's who?

When I started this post, it was the most magical part of my day...double nap time.

 

 Nelle was up for just long enough to eat and was sweetly snoozing beside me downstairs.

And Henry decided Kids' Day Out after a three-week hiatus for the holidays was just so fun that he had to talk about it for an hour in his bed before he finally fell asleep.  After both my parents went to check on him.  While I napped.  Bless them.

 

Fast forward another amazing friend bringing us dinner and staying to hold and love on Nelle, Daddy coming home, another feeding, the dog being walked, eating dinner, showers for Ham and I, bedtime stories, hugs and kisses, prayers and tuck-tuck-tuck sleep tights...I'm back to wrap it up.  

 

Oh, and a pre-shower escapee enjoying the Christmas present from Papa and Gram that finally arrived.  And then he peed down it.

I can't help but laugh.  

 

--

 

I was really looking forward to this week...our first step towards our new normal -

Playgroup on Mondays, Story time on Tuesdays and Kids' Day Out on Fridays.

Henry has adjusted to being a big brother so well, but I really wanted to get back into somewhat of a routine where he can get out more and burn off some energy.  Otherwise, he uses me as a step stool while I'm feeding Nelle to climb our coffee table.  Again and again and again.  Which is better than the alternative of throwing things at us to get attention - Frank's dog bone, Bill, cars, blocks, etc.  

(Someone in our house should really read our discipline book.  Whoever has spare time.  

Henry picked it up and gave it to me today so even he knows we've got to bite the bullet.)

 

Mostly, he loves his baby "sisstah" and tries to find her when he wakes up, wants to hold her, and love on her.  Even when I'm trying to photograph Nelle's room.  (We talk a lot about Henry being such a good listener and helper.  I mean, he's 19 months.  It's not going to work 100% of the time.  

I'd say we're at a solid 75% of the time.  And that's pretty good for right now.) 

My sweet, sweet babies.

 

There are definitely trying times that mostly coordinate with Henry being tired and struggling to express himself properly, 

but for the most part, he's taken Nelle's arrival in stride.  

 

We were leaving story time on Tuesday morning, and I ended up having to carry Henry in one arm, and my purse and Nelle in her carseat in the other because Henry wasn't ready to leave Watermark Books, the kids section, his friend Layla, or her snacks.  I really thought I was done carrying 50 pounds of baby around since Nelle was out of my belly and Henry has two capable legs he uses to run with everywhere...except when I need him to.  Obvies.  

 

The woman parked next to me must have been watching this spectacle of a situation for a while because after I got Henry back on track and thanked him for being a good listener, she spoke up and with a knowing smile commented, "I don't know how you do it!"

 

"Ha!  This is our first outing out of the house alone so I'm not sure either."

She smiled and told me she had FIVE, but she just doesn't remember those days.  

And that's the secret.  

It goes by so fast.  We take it day-by-day...sometimes hour-by-hour or even minute-by-minute, and all of a sudden, Daddy's home from work, 

it's next week, it's next month, and once you stop you all at once realize how far you've come, all that you've accomplished and reflect 

with a smile on all the good times and memories made.  And maybe, yes, the bad too.  

First bottle this week!

I promise we're having our fair-share of both these days, but tonight (after a delicious and self-declared much-deserved glass of wine), 

I'm choosing to focus on the good from Henry and our last couple of weeks:

 

Lately, Henry loves reading his big brother books, and it just blows me away how he's made that connection to our new life. 

He's babbling allll day long, and I can't wait for everything to click and for him to really start conversing with us.  

I've caught him twice on our dining room table sneaking food he wasn't supposed to have.  Chocolate chip cookies and chips.

Clearly the picture of health.  Ha.

 This belly!  I could just squeeze it all day long.

A couple of weeks ago, he was really into spinning.  He spun so much that he fell over.  Later I got him to do it again for Andrew.  

He spun and spun and spun, except that time, he managed to maintain his balance.  

 

Unfortunately, the room must have kept spinning because he flung his arms out, 

looked at the floor in terror, looked at us and had to be rescued from the spins.  The funniest thing ever.

 

He grabs my hand and leads me to the fridge 20 times a day asking for oranges.  

 

Sometimes while I'm holding him, he strokes my hair in the sweetest way.  Until I mention it, and then he pulls my hair instead.  You'd think I'd learn.

 

And if we ask him to, he says "yuv you" for love you, and I just beam.

 

Yuv you, too Henry.  Yuv you, Nelle.  Yuv you, Andrew.  

And yuv you, Frankie.