Baby Boy Has a Name & a Room

Little brother will be called Carson Lynn McClure. We just like Carson and Lynn is my middle name.  Since Miles has Darrin's middle name, Cooper, we wanted this baby to have a family name too.  Since choosing the name, I think I've heard of a million little boys named Carson.  I know it's more common than Miles, but I thought it had run it's course several years ago.  I actually still think that's the case.  I'm just hearing it a lot b/c of kids that are Miles' age.  Hopefully there won't be a gazillion Carsons in his class one day.

My mom came up a couple months ago and helped me get started on the nursery and I was able to put the finishing touches on last week.  Thank goodness for Pinterest is all I have to say. If I can follow an example, I am fine.  Decorating with my own ideas never turns out well.  This was my inspiration...

This is Carson's room...

The wall in the example is black, but Carson's is navy.  The color is Sherwin Williams' Anchors Away. I actually thought the Pinterest room was navy, but regardless I wouldn't have been brave enough to paint a wall black.  I love the navy.  The trees are vinyl decals from Amazon.  They were a little tricky at the beginning, but my mom and I made a pretty good team installing them.

There are only a few things in the room that were brand new. Almost everything was secondhand from Craigslist, FB swap shops, or another room in our house.  The curtains were new from Target.

The little table and the bookshelf in the background also came from Target.  The bookshelf was quite a challenge. By my measurements, it should have fit exactly in the space, but I failed to take into account the baseboards.  We ended up having to remove the baseboards on both sides, squeeze the bookshelf in, and then cut, reinstall, caulk, and paint the baseboards. Major pain, but I love it now.  Darrin was a trooper despite my poor measurements. The closet in this room is fairly small, so I think the bookshelf will help with toys in years to come. 

On the bookshelf.  "Welcome Little One" frame, which was a gift from Darrin's parents when Miles was born.

The changing table was bought used from a FB swap shop.  It was a stained wood.  I went back and forth on what color to paint it and landed on a shade of red like the Pinterest example.  It looks orange in the pictures, but it's actually a deep red.  This was my first experience with chalk paint.  It was a learning experience.  Two different paint colors, four coats, two different top coats, and one week later I love how it turned out.  Chalk painting is the way to go.  Maybe I'll blog one day about what I learned in another post, but I will definitely be chalk painting again.

The monogram letters came from Etsy.  I was very impressed with the quality.  It came unfinished and I painted it Sherwin Williams' Perfect Greige.  I think it looks good next to the navy wall and the white vinyl trees.  The crib came from Craigslist.  It was 2 hours away from me.  It was only 45 minutes from my mom, so she & a friend picked it up for us.  I love it.  It's very nice and we saved a ton of money.  I did buy a new mattress b/c I wanted my baby to have a new, soft place to sleep.  I think comfortable cribs (not too soft at first...I know) are one key to good sleep habits for babies.

I ordered some adorable fox sheets on Amazon that eventually couldn't ship b/c they were no longer available.  I settled on these.  They are cute, but not as cute as the original order.  There were several on Etsy that i loved but they were between $50-75 for one fitted crib sheet.  I've been known to make some stupid decisions for the sake of kids, but that is just ridiculous.  The quilt is Darrin's baby quilt.  Miles used it some too.  It is so soft.  My mom mended some tears and it's ready to go.  I love the way it looks in the room.

The teddy bear on the left is also Darrin's.

The entire changing table is filled with baby clothes Newborn - 6 months that are washed and ready to go.  I also have a tub full of 12-24 months clothes.  I've done a little shopping, along with the grandmothers, but most of it has come from FB shops and generous friends.

I know it's kind of early to be completely finished with the room, but the Pinterest idea just came to me and I was ready to get it done.  I like to have the room finished so that as I buy stuff or as we receive gifts, I can go ahead put everything in it's place.  Plus, you never know if the baby will come early or if I will get put on bed rest and not be able to do anything.  I had fun setting the room up and I'm very happy to have this 'to do' checked off the list.  Thank you mom & thank you Pinterest!