I wanted to post this the week before our smallest family member was born, but between working full-time and being extremely pregnant, that fell through the cracks pretty spectacularly.  The fun thing about posting now is that I can show you Tuck’s room after it has been initiated.  The walls have been peed on more than once, and the blankets have been spit up on at least a dozen times each (bare minimum).  This is now the well-used room of a little boy, not just a decorated shell of a room.  I like it better now.  Don’t worry, the walls and blankets have been well cleaned.

With no further ado…

Ta da!

I was debating between grey and navy walls, and we clearly went with the navy in the end.  Sometimes it looks greenish, other times it looks solidly navy blue or even a dark greyish blue.  I’m a fan of it in each of those versions, so no complaints here (Benjamin Moore Dark Pewter, by the by).  I’m going with grey paint in our downstairs living area, so there will still be some grey in the house soon.

I love our overflowing bookshelf and Lincoln Logs for the future. And did you have any idea how many baby blankets one baby needs?  I had no idea.  And hey, if Tuck doesn’t find the dark walls soothing at night, at least I find them soothing.

And there’s a crib.  Shocking, I know.  I love that we found this crib on Craigslist for $40, and it looks so nice now.  There were two coats of paint and a coat of wax between Craigslist and Tuck’s arrival, so I’m not in the least worried about other kid germs or the tooth marks that were on the inside of the crib.  Nothing but our germs and some food-grade wax for now.

If you want to know more about the painting process or milk paint in general (which is what I used), I don’t think I’m the expert you need.  You can find lots of information about milk paint here.

Here’s my expert rundown: The first coat looked milky and gross.  Second coat looked like mint chocolate chip ice cream (delicious, but not the look I was going for).  Sanding and waxing turned mint green into this nicer color that you see now.  It also made the finish feel more finished, less chalky.

This is a prime example of the tricksiness of the paint color.  I still like it though.  I love love love the Ikea cart that Scott got me for Christmas.  Someday, when I don’t need diapers and burp cloths at the ready, it might turn into fun kitchen storage or a bar cart.  For now, it makes diaper changes convenient.

The goat art is by a talented friend with an Etsy shop that you can find here.  I would snap up every one of her paintings if I could.

Then there are these guys, who embody what I love most about this room (other than the cute baby who lives in it).  Old and new, both full of love from my childhood or from people who love us.  And sitting in a chair that was Scott’s when he was a kiddo.  Hand-me-downs are the best.  Hats off to all of the people who have given us stuff for Tuck, old or new.  Seeing all of those things every day reminds me of how much support we have as we figure out this whole parenting thing.  And well, it’s nice to not have to buy Tuck a bunch of clothes, too.  All hand-me-downs will be well used at this house.  All help is welcome.

(For those of you who like recipes more than decorating and/or stuffed animals, we’ll be back to that soon.)