Good Night, Sleep Tight

Mike and his dad put together Emma's crib this past weekend. It's crazy how real everything feels when I look at that crib (as if feeling her kick and seeing my belly grow doesn't make it real enough). I keep staring at the crib imagining our sweet baby girl sleeping in it, or picturing me bending over it to say good morning to her ever day. But the absolute best part about having the crib set up is that it seems to have really excited Mike. After putting it together he told me that we could order the crib bedding too. When I asked what prompted him to want to order the bedding since he usually avoids spending money for as long as possible, he told me that seeing the crib made him more excited to get everything put together! So we ordered Emma's crib bedding yesterday and I couldn't be more excited for it to all get here. 

A while back, before we even knew if this little baby was a girl, I posted about some of the ideas I was having for a girl nursery. I mentioned that I was IN LOVE with Carousel Designs' Pink and Gray Chevron Design. What I love about it is that it's soft and clearly girly without screaming "I'm a nursery pattern". The only problem was that it wasn't cheap by any means! Well, as much as I have tried to find a cheaper alternative that I equally loved, I just couldn't find anything that spoke to me the same way so I had to get creative. One night I was staring at my crib and realized that the crib skirt won't be as visible as it is in the picture below because my crib has thicker slats and a thicker bottom panel. It just so happens that the crib skirt is the most expensive piece in the bedding collection ($167 to be precise), so I started looking for alternative crib skirts that would still match the rest of the bedding. As I browsed  other crib skirts on every baby bedding web site I quickly realized that one of the main things I loved about this crib skirt, besides for the pattern of course, was that it was the 3 tiered ruffled style instead of the more common flat box pleat style. I finally found a crib skirt from Pottery Barn Kids that is the same style but was all white and only a fraction of the price! I think it will still look great with everything else but be more practical for our checkbook.

I also bought coordinating fabric today from Joanne Fabrics to make a matching blanket. I decided not to order the matching quilt because it's just not practical since the baby won't actually be using it for quite a long time. I figure that by making a soft blanket, i can save money and have a cute blanket to bundle Emma up in throughout the day.

And lastly, I just want to address the fact that I am buying bumpers because I know it's a hot topic that some people feel strongly about due to SIDS. Mike and I discussed in depth the pros and cons to them and both came to a decision we are comfortable with. We also have decided to use the Snuza along with our baby monitor. It's an added precaution that clips onto the baby's diaper and alerts you if your baby's movements/breathing become weak or drop to less than 8 movements per minute. If no movement is detected for 15 seconds it vibrates gently which often rouses the baby. If no further movement is detected for another 5 seconds, it will alert you. Anyways, I just wanted to say that I am in no way saying the use of bumpers are right or wrong and I certainly don't want to start a debate. I think all parents want is to do what they feel is best for their baby and they make the best decision they can. 

I love love love the pink and gray chevron pattern on the bumper!!

I also love that the inside of the bumper is a different pattern but still coordinates!

The sheet pattern is hard to see in the full picture. It's also the fabric used on the ruffles/ties of the bumper.

Pottery Barn Kids Maya Crib Skirt

My blanket will look exactly like this but instead of the chevron pattern I bought the white/gray polka dot fabric