Banners, Galore

Last month when I found myself looking for an activity that I could do while feeding Cole, I stumbled upon a paper banner tutorial.  I certainly couldn't make banners while nursing but it seemed like a good activity for those times when Cole is tired but still awake and watching me.

 

Since I found the tutorial I have made six paper banners for friends and myself. So far I've made Easter banners, birthday banners, and spring banners. Making banners certainly isn't rocket science (or even grad school work) but it does help my daily sense of accomplishment.

Father Daughter Time

One of our recent challenges has been finding ways for Peter and Cole to bond. In conversations with other mothers, I've learned this is a common conundrum of our season. Understandably, Cole shows preference for me; I'm home with her all day and her only food source so our bond is more about familiarity than favoritism.

In the last few weeks we've discovered we can stretch Cole's nightly sleep simply by bringing her into our bed. At first, during this cuddle time she was tucked in close to me. But when I saw her extended sleep as the perfect time to grab a shower and prepare for the day ahead, we started tucking her in next to Peter. Now nearly every morning Cole and Peter get to snuggle.

Cole's Room: Tour

Cole's room is finally in a place where I can call it "done-for-now" so I suppose it is time for a tour.

This is the view from the door. Our glider came in last week and after just a night I decided an ottoman was must. I found a golden-yellow one at the Worlds Away Outlet that matches her crib skirt perfectly. Erin gave me the pom-poms she made for my shower and I made a few more to cluster in the corner. Cole likes to look at the pom-pom bunch while on the changing tray so I call them decorative and practical. 

Over Cole's crib I put together a small gallery wall with her initials, small paintings, ceramic pieces and photographs. (Yes, her crib is pulled a few inches away from the wall to prevent injury in the event something were to fall.) She was given a darling elephant mobile by our kind friends, the Days, which Peter hung from the ceiling. The window treatment was a generous, hand-made gift from a skilled decorator in Baltimore. She added black-out lining to the back of the panels which has been very helpful during nap time. I had the crib-skirt made by a local seamstress with fabric I already had on hand. Originally I was going to use the fabric in our room but after changing my mind, it sat purposeless in the closet. Turns out I love the classic stripe in the nursery!

On the wall across from the dresser and to the left of the crib is the shelf we painted. Slowly but surely the shelf is filling up with books and other treasures for Cole. We picked up a beverage tub and two plastic bins from Target to hold her toys.

Overall I'm so pleased with the way Cole's room turned out. While I planned a gender neutral room, after Cole's arrival we added a few feminine touches that made the room decidedly girly. I used lots of items we already had which helped me stay within budget. It's been so fun to see how well everything, old and new, goes together. Cole officially moved out of our room into her own last week and, so far, our little Birdie has registered no complaints!