the raider diaries: an adjustment period

before baby girl joined us, raider ruled our house.  we went on long walks almost every day, played in the backyard, and practiced our snuggle buddy skills.

i think my family might have questioned my parenting abilities based upon the way i handled raider.  he was pretty spoiled and got away with anything.  most of their "checking in" questions include "so how is raider handling the new addition?" not gonna lie, it's been an adjustment, but we're trying our best to  make sure he doesn't feel the need to pull a lady and run away to make a new best friend.

raider is showing his slow growing approval by crashing my late-night slumber parties with baby girl. he loves snuggling up right next to us on the couch. sometimes he accidently sits on baby girls face, but we're working on that....

he is definitely still my best buddy, we're just learning to share time with our newest addition.  i have a pretty good feeling about their future relationship.  i even caught raider giving baby girl her first kiss the other morning.  they're best buddies in the making, I just know it.

photos by sarah carpenter photography

baby girl's nursery

when i started thinking about decorating emma grace's nursery, i realized that honestly, her nursery is really for me. other than looking through photos, she would have no recollection of the adorable crib skirt and bedding i picked out for her.  i started thinking of the things that were important to me (especially during 3 am feedings...) and i decided i wanted it to be calm, happy, and comfortable.  

bub-hub gave me a camera strap last christmas that had the most beautiful floral pattern on it and i just became obsessed. after searching the internet and calling hundreds of fabric stores, i found the amy butler fabric and started buying up as much as i could find.  i loved the bright colors and i thought the balance of pinks and blues and bright greens were just perfect. 

we painted the walls the calmest shade of pink we could find, and filled the room with white furniture and accents to keep the focus on the fun colors in her bedding. 

i also tried really hard to stick to our budget.  pinterest and etsy are fabulous dangerous places, but after many pro/con/do i really need the crystal chandelier conversations with myself (and bub-hub...), i chose the things that were most important to me.  i knew i wanted to do a hoop wall collage, and have a few elements for her name.  but i also knew that I would probably want to add things later on as she grew up and we started making family memories together. 

i'm pretty sure baby girl loves her room...at least, she loves having her diaper changed on her changing table! :)  

crib - pottery barn kids
lamp, night stand, dresser/changing table - ikea
quilt and crib sheet - shelly akerly
crib skirt - caden lane, etsy

photos by sarah carpenter photography