Nursery Reflections

Over the past few months, we’ve been busy planning and implementing the transformation of Ryan’s nursery to his big boy room. Designing his big boy room has been no less involved than designing his first nursery, partly because we’re indecisive, but mostly because we believe a child’s environment can help shape his personality and influence his outlook on life.

Prior to sharing photos and stories of the room transformation, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on Ryan’s nursery – specifically, how and why the design was conceived and special memories that were made there.

Given that his nursery was the first place for Ryan to dream, to experience, to learn, and to grow, we wanted to be sure that we were thoughtful and deliberate when designing it. When selecting a theme for the nursery, we wanted something that would not only stimulate his imagination, but also reflect our personalities and interests. Ultimately, we chose the “Aloha Baby” tropical motif because it was fun, not too “babyish,” fairly gender neutral, reminded us of growing up near the beach, and represented the Jimmy Buffett-esq laidback “island escapism” lifestyle (a carefree beach bum lifestyle we’d all like to live if we didn’t have to work, pay the mortgage, or finance our children’s future education!).

Despite all the time and energy that went into the preparation of the nursery, we’ve discovered that a well-designed nursery pales in comparison to the memories it holds – from the pee stains on the walls (which I’m guessing grace most little boys’ nurseries), to the sleepless nights spent on the floor holding hands through the crib rails, to hours spent snuggling in the glider comforting Ryan or rocking him to sleep, to countless readings of “Good Night, Moon” and “Guess How Much I Love You.” These are the moments we’ll remember for years to come as we look at photos from the nursery. We’re sure Ryan’s “big boy” room will be equally as special and we look forward to the memories that will be created there.