pregnancy 1.0 | nursery picks

eight weeks away from my 'due date' (quotations infer my skepticism) and we are getting closer to creating a place for this little sniff to come home to. i shared some nursery ideas here, but as we do more research, look at prices and visit brick and mortar stores, it seems inevitable that the vision will end up a bit differently. and it all began with a dresser...

while visiting ikeas (mainly for frames, but also to look at cribs and dressers), we found the mandal. we knew we wanted a piece of furniture that was far more functional than a changing table. when we saw this cool retro style dresser, we both found ourselves drawn to it. i wanted something white and jon has a penchant for birch wood (a wood which i find can look very cheap, unless incorporated into the right design). we wanted more time to think about it, but the line was being discontinued so we took the plunge and are so happy with our choice! 

honestly speaking, buying a 500-1500 dollar crib was never an option for us. jon threatened offered to build one - which was an idea i wasn't wholly comfortable with. so after reading excellent reviews of ikea cribs online, feeling them in person, and understanding the stringent nature of both european and canadian children's product safety laws - we chose the hensvik crib.

it wasn't our intention to decorate jackson's room like an ikea catalogue - but i've always liked their products, the modern aesthetic and the prices are often hard to beat. and we do understand that kid's furniture is going to get pretty dirty and beat up (another reason not to spend thousands!).  we're excited to get white drawers and cupboards for this storage unit and hide away all the baby goodies and some of our own books.

there is basically zero free floor space in our living room and so i keep thinking about laying the baby out in his room...playing with him etc. but even with a blanket down i think the floor might be too hard. i would love to have a bit grey carpet like this one from target.

trying to find a rocking chair or glider has been such a challenge. why? because they are all SO expensive. there are some white twill rocking chairs and gliders from pottery barn that i love, and also some stunning armchair gliders from smaller high end baby websites like land of nod (which is what i really wanted). there are also some really cheap options that look like something from the 80's - but i know that will aesthetically drive me nuts. the outrageous prices have kept me searching and i think this ikea rocker + ottoman will be the perfect solution. the reviews are pretty great and it looks good too.

just a nice soft, inexpensive ikea paper lamp so as not to shock the little sniff's sensitive newborn eyes.

okay, so sometimes you agree to things because you love someone. this workstation for kiddos is one of those situations. jon gets points at his bank for doing upsell extra tasks and he's been eyeing and gushing about this little wood working play station for a month now - but we both agreed it was silly to buy something and then store it for a long time. i told him that as long as his hid the small pieces for a couple years, he could get it and we'd display it in the nursery. he's thrilled so that makes me happy.