I think that one of the first things most women think of when they start trying to conceive or get pregnant is the nursery.  What room will it be in?  What colors will we use?  Well, plans I had in my head for what it would be like to start a family and be a mother changed pretty quickly when we found out we were having 3 babies instead of one.  Despite what God continues to teach me about my plans vs His, I am a planner.  I like knowing how my whole week is going to go when I wake up Monday morning haha.  

I had planned as best as I could before we even started trying to conceive.  I contacted our insurance company to find out how much it would cost us out of pocket to have a baby.  For a few years I had been working temporary technical recruiting jobs for large IT companies full time, and building my portrait photography business in the evenings and weekends.  The hope was that I would be able to leave corporate America and be a photographer full time when we started a family.  I figured I would be out of work for maybe 2-3 months and then I would pick my photography business back up.  Well… I learned pretty quickly that my plans were not God plans.  My temporary job that had been extended several times and was slated to go through August, ended without much notice in June.  I was just starting my 2nd trimester carrying triplets and was unable to find another job.  I also could not do photography much longer because of the physical constraints that come early on with a high order multiples pregnancy.  We had purchased what was pretty much my dream house a year earlier and I had imagined us starting a family in that house.  I pictured myself, with my husband by my side, carrying a newborn baby through the front door and up the stairs to the nursery.  It became apparent pretty quickly that we weren’t going to be able to stay in our house with 3 babies on the way and only one income.  Plus, we knew that we would mostly have some hefty hospital and medical bills after everything was said and done.  So… a bit brokenhearted, we sold most of our belongings, put the rest in storage, and moved in to my in-law’s basement about 2 hours away.  

I ended up being admitted to the hospital less than 2 weeks after my baby shower at 26 weeks.  There I remained until the girls were born at 31 weeks.  Since the hospital was a couple hours from my in-law’s, going home was not an option.   I was pumping and breastfeeding along with recovering from bed rest, preeclampsia (lots and lots of swelling), and a c-section.  The girls each lived in the NICU for 77 days.  For 110 days total, the hospital walls were our home.  We were discharged with 3 preemies on feeding tubes and had some obstacles ahead of us still but were just so glad to be leaving the hospital.  We couldn’t wait to be able to hold and kiss our babies when we wanted to.  

It took most of an entire day to get all 3 babies discharged.  By the time we got checked out, and drove the couple hours home through a blizzard, it was pretty late.  We walked in the house and downstairs with 3 tiny babies.  They walked me over to a room (that was previously my mother-in-law’s sewing room) and to my complete surprise, they had put together a nursery for us!  It was beautiful!  As happy and emotional as I was that we had a nursery when I didn’t think we would have one at all, I still yearned to be able to pour my heart and creativity and style into a room for my precious girls…. some day.

We were finally able to move back into our house when the girls were almost a year old and I vowed to decorate a nursery if it killed me (not literally).  I wanted so badly to create a beautiful space for my girls.  I knew that our family would have so many pictures and memories in that space and it had to be perfect.  First was the paint color.  I decided it needed to be mint but there are so many shades of mint.  Did I want it to be bright, or more pastel?  More blue or more green?  These were not easy decisions.  I finally decided on a subtle mint but still wasn’t sure how to choose the exact color.  My husband was going to buy paint for me so I found the perfect mint shirt that was Lily’s and sent it with him to have them color match it.  He helped me paint the walls mint, I painted the changing table coral, and that was my starting point.  

I had some large tissue paper flowers that my sister-in-law made for my baby shower.  She had kept them for me and I knew I wanted to use them but I wasn’t sure how. I initially thought they would hang on the wall but then I thought about the ceiling.  Then I thought how amazing it would be if I could cover the entire ceiling!  I started looking on Etsy and Pinterest for tutorials and/or a shop that could make some for me since time was not something I had a lot of.  I ended up finding Pretty With Sprinkles and thought her tissue paper pom poms mixed in with the larger flowers from the baby shower, would be perfect (in my head anyway).  There was no way to really know what this was going to look like without doing it… so I went for it.  She made me about 50-60 poms in different shades of pink, peach, white, and coral.  They were also in various shapes and sizes.  I was planning on making a few giant crepe paper flowers and lanterns myself to add but after making one flower and one lantern, I realized I was not going to be doing any more.  It was a lot of work!  As the flowers were being hung, the room and my vision started to come to life.  It. Was. Perfect. Even more beautiful than I had imagined.  It really had become the focal point of the whole room and like nothing I had ever seen before.

I started getting more ideas and ordering things online and slowly but surely it was coming together.  Every time I thought I was about done, I would see something else on Instagram or Pinterest and find just one more detail the room needed.  Well, it’s finally done… and it’s everything I had dreamed it would be.

I love supporting small businesses and working mamas whenever possible and I am overjoyed that I was able to have so many amazing shops contribute to my vision.  Below all of the images, I am providing links to where you can purchase almost every item in the room.

My hope is that you enjoy this space as much as I do!

Tissue paper pom pom on ceiling: Pretty With Sprinkles

Pom pom pillows, mini pom pom and animal pillows, pig pillow, small canvases on bookshelf wall, sweetie dolls on bookshelves: Live Sweet Shop

Gold glitter name banners: The Bannerie

Gold polka dot crib sheets and changing pad cover: Ivie Baby

Plush camera toys: Bloom Theory

Door Silencer: Latchy Catchy

Gold sequin “hello” pillow cover: Cushion Cut Decor

Canvases “Happy Girls Are The Prettiest” and “Small Steps Every Day”: Vine & Ever

“You Are Loved” peach with gold foil print over changing table: Lucy Darling Shop

Floral scripture card over changing table Colossians 3:2 : She Reads Truth

Crochet bunny rattles: The Faded Wildflower

Floral gift wrapping paper on changing table shelves: Love Mae

White wood house shelf on wall next to window: DeMeeuw handmade wooden houses

Triplet Illustration on canvas over crib: A Spoonful of Faith

Handmade custom baby dolls: Sew Many Pretties

Peek a boo house pillows: Ink & Bobbin

Floral “R” initial card: Lucy Darling Shop

Floral hoop art names on door: Miss Tweedle

Toddler pillow cases: The Olive Grove Shop

Teal metal storage table: Amazon

White fur rug: Rugs USA

Cotton knit storage basket: RH Baby & Child

White rocker lounge chair: Houzz

Pink pom pom trim baby blanket in knit basket: A Little Lady Shop

Pink smiling cloud wall hook: Eina Designs

White floating bookshelves: Smart Furniture

Hoop hair accessories organizers: LuLu & ChaCha

Cribs: Ikea

White fawn nightlight: Pottery Barn Kids

Cloud pillow with pink bow: Cali Cuteness Couture

“Jesus Loves Me” and “A Parents Prayer” prints: Sacred Made Shop