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appreciate the time and energy I put forth to create the ideal resting spot for their sleepy, little bodies. I have many memories of this nesting period of my life and can distinctly remember each and every room and the feelings they evoked in me. I remember nursing warm, cuddly babies to sleep, their little fingers curled around mine and their rapid little heartbeats drumming against me. I remember lying on the floor beside the cribs of my two difficult sleepers, holding their hands (praying that they'd finally fall asleep) and making mental notes to myself to purchase a soft rug so my shoulder wouldn't fall asleep before the baby did. I remember, as a first-time mother, agonizing over the perfect crib set, only to be crushed to discover that you aren't really supposed to have quilts and bumpers for fear of smothering them. Sigh...I even remember the sweet scent of babies... Ivory Snow- scented, milky goodness that if you were able to bottle it, would sell out faster than any other fragrance known to man. I also remember many nights, succumbing to the need for sleep of my own and the temptation to sleep as one with my babies, bringing them in to my bed where, of course, they were very happy to be. Pretty room or not, nothing beat Mummy's arms!! 
(photo: source unknown)
So, if I am to give my best advice for decorating a nursery for your little one, it is this - decorate it so that it feels right. Of course there are rules to follow: up-to-date crib, secure diaper changing area, no shelves over baby's crib, subdued lighting, comfy chair for rocking restless babies...but this is a room where you may or may not spend many an hour. For those who bring the baby in with them most nights, the nursery may just be a rite of passage in the new parent stage...a shrine of sorts which the baby visits from time to time and naps. For the rest, the nursery will be a place that is most familiar (besides in her parent's arms) to baby. It is a 
place to be decorated with love, with comfort...for parents and baby... in mind, but most of all as a nod to the memories you will make and revisit in your mind as your baby grows into older childhood. The nursery is basically your gift to yourself. Sure you can design it with colour and stimulation (or not) in mind...pictures of educational prompts, Pottery Barn Kids perfect accessories...but ultimately you will remember the nursery in the darkness. You will remember watching the reassuring rise and fall of baby's chest, marvel at the lushness of his eyelashes, breathing in your baby's sweet scent, and the shadowy outline of your carefully chosen decor as you sway with baby in your arms...anticipating with fatigue his impending slumber. Decorate with love, but don't take it too seriously. All the accessories to babyhood are so incredibly tempting, but your loving arms will be where your quiet memories will be made...
photo above: www.potterybarnkids.com
(photo below: source unknown)
