Weeks 25-27: Decorating Miss M’s Nursery

I can’t believe that I am actually having 2-3 hours to write this evening! I haven’t had a moment to do this in nearly three weeks. During the last weeks, I was: chasing cockroaches (yes, this is also Dubai… Big thanks to Rentokil who did a fabulous job! Hope we won’t see these little fellows any soon again…), interviewing nannies (and trust me, getting rid of cockroaches is not an easy job but finding a nanny? A million times more difficult…), taking care of little L who had croup and didn’t manage to sleep at night (poor him… I had never heard of croup but he really sounded like a barking dog at night and this horrible cough wouldn’t let him sleep 🙁 ) and having a friend over from Switzerland. I was not: sleeping (no way you can sleep with a barking 18-months old in the room next to yours and a travelling husband), having a rest during the day (I was literally obsessed with reading nanny ads as soon as Luca was napping… really need to calm down a bit), having such an absurd thing as me-time to write, read, spending more than 5 min in the shower or even go out. But, hey, here I am and I even found some time to think about Miss M and her future room. I needed something easy and fun to change my mind. Will share some of the décor ideas with you in this post.

The symptoms I am supposed to have in weeks 25-27 (and how I am really feeling)

• Rib pain: As baby is getting bigger, the uterus expands and can push the rib cage upwards (there’s also much less space for stomach and intestines now – not so fun…). This can lead to rib pain, especially when you’re seated for a long time. Well, so far, I can’t really complain. But I remember that I had this when I was pregnant with little L. Rather towards the very end of the pregnancy though. Let’s wait and see 😉
• Feeling hot: During pregnancy, it seems to be quite normal that you’re feeling hot and that you’re sweating more than usual. This is also due to the fact that you’re carrying an extra weight. The weather is a bit fresher at the moment in Dubai. So, I don’t really feel that hot during the day. But definitely at night! There are moments when I cannot stand the blanket on me…
• Strange and vivid dreams: Oh gosh, definitely, haha! The strangest dreams! And I remember them much better than I would usually do. I’ve read that this is mainly due to the hormonal and emotional changes during pregnancy. You also wake up more often during the dreaming phase of your sleep cycle when you’re pregnant. This means that you recall dreams better.
• Heartburn: Yes and no. Let’s say, I know now what I shouldn’t eat to avoid heartburn… This doesn’t mean that I do what I am supposed to do… For example, I know that my stomach really doesn’t like it when I eat dairy products such as yoghurt in the evening. Chocolate is not the greatest thing neither. But, the other day, I really wanted cereals at 9pm… So, I ate a whole bowl of cereals with fruit yoghurt and milk. I instantly regretted it.

Tired mummy with a big belly at the kids’ hairdresser in JBR

Little Miss M
At the end of week 27, our little angel weights about 1kg and is not so little anymore! Just like her brother, she is kicking like a football star in my belly – and it actually can hurt a bit now! As Miss M is very active at night (especially at 5am… sigh), her kicks are even waking me up sometimes. It’s funny cause, already now, I can feel how different Miss M is from little L. Luca was a quiet baby, didn’t move at night at all and did not seem comfortable in my belly when I was stressed (in a heated discussion at work for example). He would move around a lot in these moments as if he didn’t know what to do to calm me down. He still is like this today. He is very sensitive to people’s emotions, doesn’t like loud discussions and loud environments overall and sleeps rather well at night. So far, Miss M doesn’t seem to be the same… She never moves too much when I am stressed and is much more active at night. I wonder if she already has a different personality than Luca before she is even born… I often hear that siblings can be very different from each other. Can’t wait to meet her and to find it out!!

This week’s topic

Some nice nursery décor ideas
When I was pregnant with little L, we started decorating his nursery way too early. We (or was it only me??) just couldn’t wait. The excitement was too big 😉 Honestly, I thought that, this time, we would not even have the time to think about nursery décor for Miss M before the very end of my pregnancy. Too many things going on. And still. Somehow we managed to buy the cot and changing table again in the sixth month already haha But this is mainly due to the fact that the Shopping Festival was going on and Pottery Barn had some amazing offers!

So, as I don’t seem to be able to wait (I just love decorating rooms, especially nurseries), I thought I might just as well share some nice nursery décor ideas with you. Here are the brands and items that have inspired me for Miss M’s room so far:

MINI LEARNERS
MiniLearners is my latest Instagram crush 😉 Not only are the nursery prints of this Lithuanian based nursery décor brand simply gorgeous and very stylish, Egle, the owner and creator is also super nice and offers free worldwide shipping! Here are three of my favourite prints (I’ve ordered the first one for Miss M’s future room and can’t get enough of it).

Instagram: @minilearners
Website: www.minilearners.com

MINIWILLA
MiniWilla is another brand (Swedish this time) that sells stylish and cool posters for nurseries and kids playrooms. Their illustrations are simple, playful and funky and available on www.marmarland.com – which means that you can get your favourite design as quickly as some days after ordering it! We like 😉

Instagram: @minivilla, @marmarland
Website: http://shop.miniwilla.se/en/ and www.marmarland.com

LAURETTE
I guess I quite like everything about the kids furniture that this French company creates, especially its retro-design look! There’s one specific piece of furniture that I should mention: the Laurette Toi & Moi chest of drawers. Not because of its storage space (even though this is an advantage if you, like me, always forget to remove the baby clothes that are already outgrown, meaning you’re your baby’s drawers usually contain one top layer of clothes that fit and, below, several layers of baby clothes that are way too small already…) or cool design. No – because of the changing mat that comes with it and that fits perfectly on top of it 🙂 I don’t know about you but I always feel uncomfortable when I need to change little L in restaurants and the changing tables are installed in a way that he is laying sideways, meaning that I am standing at his side (well, now that he is a toddler I use changing tables only very rarely to be honest… I rather run after him with a new nappy in my hand haha). Anyways, I find it much easier to change a baby’s nappy when you’re standing at his/her feet. Maybe I’m a bit bizarre but I just got used to this… And it’s a fact that there are only very few chests of drawers with changing mats that are not sideways here in Dubai. So, thanks Caramel & Sun for brining the Laurette one to Dubai 😉

Instagram: @caramelandsun
Websites: www.caramelandsun.com and www.laurette-deco.com

KIDSMILL
Every evening, we give little L a bath and carry him, wrapped in his towel, to his room where he gets a massage (yup, still now haha cause he absolutely likes this moment before bedtime). I intend to do exactly the same thing with Miss M. Since nearly 18 months I wonder every evening where to put the wet towel (and no, we haven’t done anything about it so far…). So, for Miss M’s room I swore myself I would get something where I could hang the towel. And then I saw the Hallstand Tree of Dutch brand Kidsmill. I love its contemporary design that will perfectly fit in our little girl’s nursery. Seen at Just Kidding.

Instagram: @kidsmill_baby_nursery; @justkidding_me
Website: www.kidsmill.com; www.justkidding-me.com

LE PETIT M
I have to admit that I love cushions. In every form, colour, size. I could buy hundreds of them for our apartment. Well, if my husband was not holding me back… There are so many gorgeous cushion designs available in Dubai! One of the brands that should definitely be mentioned is French interior design company Le Petit M. I especially love their “Glow in the Dark Moon” and “Glow in the Dark Owl”: they are made out of soft jersey cotton that has been painted with phosphorensence, meaning that they glow in the dark! Both designs (and many more) are available on www.brighteyez.ae.

Instagram: @lepetitm, @bebrighteyez
Website: www.lepetitm.com; www.brighteyez.ae

FERM LIVING
Ferm Living is another (Danish) brand that creates the most beautiful cushions and accessories for kids rooms (they also have great collections for adults by the way). Here are three of my favourite Ferm Living items: the bunny cushion “Little Ms Rabbit”, “Mr Inka Snake”, which can be used as a cute and stylish bed bumper, and their laundry or storage basket (I absolutely love the colours of its graphic pattern and have actually already bought one for little L’s toys). You should also have a look at their floor cushions (maybe a bit off topic for a baby nursery but definitely worth checking them out). Items seen on www.marmarland.com.

Instagram: @fermlivingkids, @marmarland
Website: www.fermliving.com; www.marmarland.com

THE BOWERY COMPANY
The Bowery Company is not really selling items for baby nurseries but I really like this Dubai-based online design store. And who says that cool design items don’t belong int kids rooms? Just have a look at these honeycomb-shaped shelves with lovely pastel colours. Perfect for Miss M’s future nursery 😉

Instagram: @thebowerycompany
Website: www.thebowerycompany.com

THE BUTTER FLYING
No nursery without a mobile, right? At least, little L loved his when he was a tiny little baby (and it makes nappy changing time so much more interesting 😉 ). I am absolutely in love with the handmade cloud mobiles of The Butter Flying, a Montréal based company run by a French designer. They exist in different color combinations and can deliver to Dubai in a reasonable time (2-3 days with DHL, otherwise you need to count 2-3 weeks).

Instagram: @thebutterflying
Website: www.leptitpapillon.etsy.com and www.thebutterflying.com

URBAN WALLS
I recently came across Urban Wall’s IG account and found that they had beautiful wall decals for nurseries! I’ve always been a big fan of wall stickers as they are so easy to install and you don’t need any nails (and believe me, I’ve made my experience with walls of Dubai apartments… so, no nails is not a bad idea…). I especially like the ice cream cone and mini clouds wall decals! Of course, I wouldn’t put them on every wall in Miss M’s future room. But I think, it might look fun to put them on one or two? Only thing to consider: delivery takes min 3-4 weeks.

Instagram: @urbanwalls
Website: www.uwdecals.com

Must haves for Miss M:
I have to admit that this week’s “must have for Miss M” might be a little bit off topic. It’s not really a must have for her. But there’s an obvious link, I promise haha And there was no way I could not tell you about the loveliest cake designer in the city! I’ve always been convinced that only people that are passionate and gorgeous from the inside can create gorgeous things. And Rasha Rmeily perfectly proves this. Rasha is a Dubai-based cake designer. But she is not only that. She is a real artist who makes the most wonderful cake and sugar creations! Perfect for a baby shower or the arrival of a little princess (or prince of course hehe). Have a look at the pictures on Rasha’s Instagram account (@rasharmeily) and you will see what I am talking about 😉 All these tiny little details made with love! If you want to contact her, it’s best to send her a message via IG or on [email protected].