A Co-Ed Nursery

This past week my parents and sister were visiting from Alabama, and I put them to work! We labored for many hours to get the nursery ready for Baby Girl- coming in less than 10 weeks! Here's some photos of our progress....

We decided to put both John Mark and Amelia in the same room. Our 3rd bedroom is really small and while it would be okay for a nursery, we would be giving up our only guest room/Mallory's office. And since they are so close in age (19 months), we thought it would be a good thing for them to learn to share. We plan on having Amelia sleep in our room the first few months anyways, since we already have the cradle my dad built for John Mark.


The closet- before the laundry was done.

Mom and I spent a large portion of Monday and Tuesday doing laundry. I lost count once we passed load #7. We are so blessed to have been given many clothes for both of our kids. John Mark is set well into the fall, and Amelia has lots of clothes and blankets from newborn to 6 months. Mom helped me sort through countless boxes in the garage and Traci went to Wal-Mart to purchase more hangers!


The finished closet!

We spent as much time in the closet as we did in the room! Aside from the clothes, we cleaned out the top and organized John Mark's toys.


Mom, being the developmental expert she is, helped me get all John Mark's toys organized and age-appropriate!


I don't often post about my shopping trips and love for couponing, but I thought I'd throw this one in for fun. Kroger had Huggies Wipes priced at $2.50 each. I had three coupons for $5.00 off any Huggies product. So, I got six boxes of wipes for FREE! I paid only the tax! I'm sure this supply won't last long though!

Decorating a nursery for two was a challenge! I looked around for ideas, but all I could find was for twins, and usually they were gender-neutral if the twins were a boy and girl. John Mark already had a sailboat theme, as you may remember from our house in Louisville, so I tried to find a coordinating pattern for Amelia.



Delaine and I found this ladybug pattern at Target after Christmas last year. It was perfect because it featured a deep red color that was an accent color in John Mark's room. I knew I could make it work.... somehow.



Then in January, mom and I found red curtain panels on clearance at JCPenney. I had a gift card balance remaining from Granny, so the curtains only cost me $3.38! Mom graciously re-made them to become more room-darkening (since we have a son who doesn't like to nap when it's light outside!). I think they really tie the two bedding motifs together.


Welcome to our co-ed nursery!



Mom and Dad bought and installed these shelves- they are so practical and beautiful. I found the three "chinese take-out boxes" (on the bottom shelf) at Michael's after Valentine's Day for just $1 each. They are great for holding diaper rash cream and other essentials. Mom found the ladybug metal containers at Hobby Lobby for 50% off in the garden section! I just love it when a room comes together!


John Mark didn't get left out on the shelves... he got two on his side of the room!


The boy side....


And, the girl side!

Still to do: Make curtain tie-backs, try to find a red rug, frame photos for above John Mark's bed and find a few small ladybug decorative/functional items for Amelia's shelves.

So, what do we still need?
- baby hats for Amelia
- cradle sheet
- crib sheet
- clothes 6 months and up
- double stroller (this really falls on the wish list as we could get by for a while without it)
- diapers, wipes, baby laundry detergent, lotion, powder, etc....
- lots of prayers and support for our growing family!!!!