motherhood // a shared nursery

ever since walking into our current flat on the third floor we knew we were home.  we could feel it in our bones.  we knew in this space we would grow a family.  we would make cozy suppers and watch old movies and dance the weekends away. this special place, complete with its endless dust bunnies and whitewashed walls, echoes one of our very first homes when andrew and i first lived together back in iowa.  the charming and impractical layout.  the intricate crown molding and tiny bathroom.  the simple charm around every single corner.

the smallness of it all.

yet, somehow, despite the intimate floor plan, this space has the beautiful ability to make us feel like we are living in a wide open field.  one where we can see for miles and miles and where blue skies reach up to the heavens.  a landscape where we can breathe easy.  inhaling.  exhaling.  inhaling.  taking comfort and mindfully living in a peaceful environment.  this is why we love it here.  why we've chosen to live small while raising a family.  andrew and i enjoy the constant challenge in maintaining a simple, wholehearted lifestyle while raising two little ones in a world where materialism deems large, spacious homes as the only way when growing a family.  we have learned, you can most definitely have babies and a dog in a quaint, two bedroom home.  and so, despite the rather snug nature of our home we have created a nurturing space for our family.  one in which our babies share a small room, the sweetest little nursery.

if you would have asked me a few years ago if i would have preferred my children to share a room i would have politely said no thank you.  with the chaos of nap time schedules and constantly changing of sleeping patterns i did not see a shared room as an pleasant option. but in our current room sharing situation, and in many aspects of life, we have came to the understanding that in order to seek joy and maintain happiness one needs to throw out expectations.  by providing room for messes and babies waking babies and tripping over toys in the middle of the night and so on and so forth, we have created a new normal.  what our life looks like right now is quite different from day to day and shifts as our children grow and mature.  as a stay at home mother, i do my best to keep to a schedule and make sure my babies have time to rest in a quiet space.  it is difficult?  of course.  but in doing so, we have chosen not to focus on paralleling our parenting style with others and instead, place our energy in finding our own rhythm.  one that ebbs and flows with the fabric of our family.  comparison is the thief of joy, you know.

moreover, andrew and i feel it important for us to recognize and glorify all the good that comes from having our babies share a small space together.  it really is so much fun seeing them interact in their nursery and living so close with one another.  it's all about balance and teaching your kids that sharing is important.  does theo cry and wake her up in the middle of the night when he's hungry?  yes, sometimes.  but stella has learned that she needs to self-soothe in order to get back to sleep.  if we give her wait time she comes to the realization on her own that she is indeed still tired and her crying will taper off.  this took us weeks to figure out, but now, it happens regularly without causing too much discord.  the four of us have learned to take deep breathes and work with one another.

do their naps times over lap and therefore cause issues when one wakes before the other?  yes, sometimes.  but you just learn to go with it.  perfect sleeping conditions do not exist in adult life and this is a lesson our babies are learning while very young.  as parents, we support that and think that what they are leaning by sharing outweighs getting woken up every now and then for a few seconds.  andrew and i have also memorized the creaks in their floorboards, making middle of the night tip toe adventures to scoop up a crying babe rather helpful, and comical too.  these are the things we will remember.  this is just a part of our story and we love it.

in terms of the actual smallness of their nursery and how we deal with all the stuff, i'll be honest and tell you that it is a constant struggle.  we are always editing our belongings and making sure to maintain a simple and sensible lifestyle.  everything we have in our home is either something we use or feel is beautiful.  there is not room for much of anything else.  regarding what our children play with, we prefer items that encourage creativity.  in keeping with the natural aesthetic of our home, we like quality hand made toys and art supplies that push one to think outside the box.  things that will withstand the test of time and being thrown about all day long.  we always turn to a good book as a gift because we read constantly with stella.  she finds delight in a new read before nap time.  for holidays, the kids' grandparents give them experiences such as a trip to the zoo or things that take up very little room.  this works for us.  it places importance on doing rather than buying.  it keeps us grounded as a family.

what we have learned so far as a young parents in regards to what our babies need, less is always best.  our babies thrive when they have a few favorites as opposed to hundreds of options leaving them frustrated and overwhelmed.  we have learned that their normal will be whatever circumstance you give them, even if it means sharing a small dresser drawer with your infant brother and father.  yes, andrew and both our kids share the closet space in the nursery.  bless him and all of his suits!  and baskets, well they go a long, long way.  you can find them all over their shared nursery.  they are beautiful solutions to cleaning up quickly and house everything from dolls, to blocks, to books.  for now, in this season of our lives, this, old small flat suits our family.  sure, having our little ones share a itty bitty nursery is a daily adventure, but it's a beautiful one at that.

andrew and i have, and perhaps will forever, cling to the intimate feeling comes with sharing a space that was once someone else's.  this aged, modest home has given us so much, along with its' history and charm.  it's a space that has lived through many icy winters and endured more spring rainstorms than our total age combined.  a space that because it is simple and small, allows us to always be with one another, no matter what room we are in.  that, my friends, is priceless.