Mila's Nursery Tour
(Giveaway Closed) Friends before getting into today’s post … I’m doing a fun giveaway with Land of Nod today on my Instagram. So keep an eye out for a post around 5pm PST today and be sure to enter!
Looking back at Mila so tiny is beyond bittersweet. Though it also floods me with such pride. Watching her learn and grown into such an amazing little girl is a great privilege. My greatest joy! Before Mila was born I had the incredible opportunity of working closely with the Land of Nod design team. Together we created a lovely space with meaning and hints of her big brother I am so proud of. Truth be told, Dan, Ryan and I used to live in a 3 bedroom house in South Pasadena. After Ryan passed away we found it too heartbreaking to go back to that house. We’ve actually never been back since. Thanks to our incredible family, they moved us out and into storage until we were able to land on our feet and find another place to call home. We now live in a two bedroom apartment in the heart of Pasadena and quite honestly I adore our tiny space. We’ve been living in this apartment for three years now and I tell my husband I never want to leave. We can walk everywhere and although Ryan never physically lived here with us, I feel him in every nook.
When planning Mila’s nursery I knew I wanted to create a space that she could grow into. Which is why I had to have the teepee and book case showcasing books at reachable height. Watching her now go through her books and ‘read’ them makes my heart sing. She now also crawls into her teepee and likes for us to pretend we can’t see her. Then she says in baby babble “er is issss!” which translates to “there it is!” Dan says “there it is!” all the time and she put the two together. We are trying to get her to say “here I am!” … work in progress. Sometimes Mila will crawl into her room and just play with her basket of toys quietly. I posted on my Instagram stories a few weeks ago of Mila just sitting in her room in conversation with herself laughing. (perhaps with her big bro)
When designing Mila’s nursery I felt it very important to let Mila be Mila with out too much influence from her big brother Ryan. I wanted to keep her space very much her own. Although, it is also important that she grows up knowing her brother and how incredible he was. I decided to the best way to incorporate Ryan was to feature his best art work from preschool. Mila’s walls showcase a purple jellyfish made with Ryan’s tiny hand (his fingers the tentacles), a bright yellow bird, and a bountiful tissue-paper flower basket. When we sit in the rocker reading or play in her room, I like to imagine Ryan’s tiny hands at work during art time at school. I like to think he knew on some level he was creating masterpieces for his sister!
I had never designed or put together anything with such care to detail and I have Land of Nod to thank! Their design team is flawless and beyond helpful. Fun Fact: we were able to design Mila's entire room over email. Dan and I measured the room and the Land of Nod design team drew up a readable blueprint. From there we put together a Pinterest board of colors and items I loved. We placed items and furniture into the blue print so I could see how things would lay out. It was seamless. For someone who likes to think they are interior design smart, but truly isn't, the Land of Nod team made me feel very smart. Take a look around Mila's room ...
Photos By Megan Welker & Sarah of Plain Jane