The babies, as you know, came 4 weeks early. They also came on the heels after a Melissa and Jeff visit, so we weren't exactly ready with the nursery as we had to preserve Jeff's room as long as possible due to the stream of sensitivities we deal with on a daily basis (said sensitivities - spread across all spectrums and members of family - are beginning to really wear me out, but that's another story).

We'd at least erected one of the cribs and moved in a few things when the sunroof was opened. Angus had started painting the nursery, and we had the clothes at least assembled in three main locations. But it was far from finished.

Two plus weeks after their birth, it's still far from finished, but then when you have infant twins, you kinda' have to prioritize. They have a place to sleep? Check. Place to get changed? Check. Pictures on the wall? Nope - but they don't need those to survive, either, so moving on now.

We chose colors for the nursery from our one tried and true interior decorating bible - the Dulux site. Dulux painted our home for us. Angus and I are hopeless with color, we take our cue from Dulux. Dulux, whose paint guides are my salvation and my light.

Dulux...my true love.

Dulux...the one who recommended the nursery color scheme as a combo that babies can see and enjoy from an early age, as newborns can't see much.

Dulux...who failed to mention that the color scheme they suggested would actually look like an acid trip when assembled on a wall.

Angus' brother, upon seeing the colors, remarked with a smile "So you're going for instantaneous psychological damage, as opposed to letting it take time over the years."

The colors, they are bright.

Now, we love the colors seperately. Put them together and they are a wee bit...much. In sunlight they look pretty good even. But we admit they're not colors that should be used together in day to day life. Or clothing. These colors should probably be limited to this one nursery attempt and the shell casings for antibiotics, anything else would just be too blinding.

We'd probably re-paint the room if we could be bothered, but a few things get in the way of that:

1) The room is getting hit hard by the extension work in several months' time anyway.

2) Not like the babies can complain, and they will see the colors soon which I like.

3) We have twins. Twins. This means painting a wall or two gets low priority on the totem pole of life.

So this morning with the twins tucked into our bed (it gets maximum sunlight in the mornings, and we still are pursuing phototherapy for their jaundice)

I set about hanging the rest of the stuff up this morning.

This is Angus, starting to get the room ready a month ago.

Then he painted the window frame and skirting boards.

Then the closet doors were addressed outside.

This is what the nursery looks like now. It's bright. I'm just warning you. Avert your eyes if bright colors send you into seizures.

The beanbag we use for middle of the night feedings instead of a rocking chair. It's perfect. The Rainforest Bouncer, from Auntie Margi, is what we use to content the babies when we're in the room with them, under the wall mobile from Auntie Sophie. And the "Happy Halloween" banner is from Grandma, since the babies were due on Halloween and that lovely holiday is coming.

This is the crib they share (we have another crib, but they take comfort from being together now, so we won't use it until they're too big to share a crib.) The mobile I bought from E-niko. The picture to the side of the crib was drawn for the babies by Melissa. The babies sleep swaddled in either the swaddles I bought, or one of the ones courtesy of Auntie Donna and Cousin Bridget.

The shelves used to hold binders, and now hold soft toys (including the one from Auntie Angela), extra diapers/formula, and books courtesy of people who love them (Hi, Lisa!).

The pictures above the cupboard I've had for many years, hoping to hang them in a nursery. The frog light was mine, and the long ribbon of birds is something Angus and I bought in Egypt years ago. The Brighton cupboard (an antique of ours that Angus restored) holds their clothes, many of which come from Auntie Donna and Auntie Statia, and various other lovely things-their monitor from Auntie Sue, wrist rattles from Auntie Becks, muslins from Auntie April, creams and Q-tips from Auntie Amanda and Auntie Rachel, Auntie Amy's lovely silver rattles, and more.

The babies have a lot of Aunties.

I sure love that.

And above their closets hang a picture I bought for them in Key West earlier this year. It's a message I hope they take with them forever.

Like I said, the room is bright.

Hopefully, they won't mind.

-H.

Posted by: Everydaystranger at 09:59 AM | Comments (44) | Add Comment
Post contains 855 words, total size 6 kb.

1 It's it quite bright, but there are so many wonderful things in there, it works. The important thing is not the wall color, but that the babies are home, and thriving. They won't care what color the walls are, but that those walls keep them safe and surround them with more love than they will know. =)

Posted by: Amanda at October 19, 2007 12:27 PM (ay+rD)

2 It is quite bright, but there are so many wonderful things in there, it works. The important thing is not the wall color, but that the babies are home, and thriving. They won't care what color the walls are, but that those walls keep them safe and surround them with more love than they will know. =)

Posted by: Amanda at October 19, 2007 12:27 PM (ay+rD)

3 Sorry, my mouse slipped when I tried to click preview and hit post instead...feel free to delete the one with the typo!

Posted by: Amanda at October 19, 2007 12:28 PM (ay+rD)

4 I like the color scheme. but then, my step-daughter's room has each wall painted a different color: red, (Screaming) yellow, blue (similar to your blue), and black. (she wanted her whole room black. She was denied)

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at October 19, 2007 12:39 PM (+MvHD)

5 My eyes My eyes!! I was prepared for something much more acid-trippy then what I actually saw. (Nick & Nora, Auntie Angela has never ever heard of Acid, it's a bad bad thing ;-p) The doors, yeah they are a little bright, but over all, not enough to be psychologically damning. Except to me... but that damage has already been done!

Posted by: Angela at October 19, 2007 12:42 PM (DGWM7)

6 Awesome. I used to have a dresser that was blue with hot pink drawers. I still have it, but it's black now. And they look a little less worried than before— gaining weight and looking good!

Posted by: B. Durbin at October 19, 2007 12:42 PM (tie24)

7 i am sure they will love the colour scheme! all that lovely sunlight, i am jealous! Abs x

Posted by: abs at October 19, 2007 12:49 PM (pejJ8)

8 It is cheery. I adored the picture of the kids in your bed. That was so charming! H, they are gorgeous!

Posted by: RP at October 19, 2007 01:09 PM (op1yW)

9 It is bright, but I have to say that I really do like it. I love the pictures on the wall :-) Nick and Nora are just oh so cute!

Posted by: Tracey at October 19, 2007 01:22 PM (jgdKP)

10 I don't think it's atrocious! The closet doors are a bit bright; I think the worst that will happen is that someday the twins will choose bright-colored clothes that don't match when they're learning to dress themselves, which is much more traumatizing for the parents than the children (besides, what children *don't* do that?). I love it all, and I'm grateful to you for giving us a peek inside the nursery to see how things are arranged. The twins look adorable soaking up sun in your bed - funny that clever Nora seems to have wiggled into a bit of shade and Nick seems to know that the sun is very good for him. Thank you for sharing! I think it appears you're all settling in quite well.

Posted by: Lisa at October 19, 2007 01:37 PM (EcHBm)

11 I love it!!!! I am into color and that is awesome. I am very impressed, Angus is a professional with those tools, awesome you have a handy man of your own and the babies, Heaven!

Posted by: Cheryl at October 19, 2007 01:44 PM (n3lCA)

12 It's great! I think they'll love the walls and you'll never get them to go in for plain old white walls ever again!

Posted by: donna at October 19, 2007 01:46 PM (Kco5r)

13 I think it looks fabulous! What a wonderful room!

Posted by: oddybobo at October 19, 2007 01:48 PM (mZfwW)

14 Hey man, they're probably going to experiment a little bit at some point in their lives. Maybe they'll think back with fond memories of their acid trip room. ...or maybe they'll be like, "ohhh, so that's what was up with Mum!!" :-)

Posted by: Ms. Pants at October 19, 2007 01:49 PM (+p4Zf)

15 Those colors are giving me 80s flashbacks. Hehe! But if I survived wearing all those heinous neon colors when I was younger and I turned out relatively normal (if I do say so myself), I think they'll be OK

Posted by: geeky at October 19, 2007 01:53 PM (RX+qr)

16 Wow, those colors are really bright, but I think they could grow on me and be very invigorating in the morning. Those hardwood floors are wonderful. Hmmm, this post is about babies and here I am commenting on the floors. Clearly, I don't have any of my own yet, or I would not even notice the floors. Nick and Nora are so adorable. It will be fun to watch them grow up.

Posted by: Mr.Thomas at October 19, 2007 02:43 PM (HRp3U)

17 Its very tropical! Like going on a vacation to Jamaica.

Posted by: Dani at October 19, 2007 02:49 PM (huxXf)

18 Oh wow! It really is bright but like you said its getting redone soon anyway and that looks like ton of work with the window frames and closet doors. I otherwise adore the decor, you did a really great job with the decorating. Very sweet but not at all baby'ish.

Posted by: Christina at October 19, 2007 02:55 PM (cu+y1)

19 I love it. It does look like an acid trip carnival, but so what? It's bright and fun and EXACTLY what they need to be looking at through infant eyes. And that picture from Key West? I want one.

Posted by: caltechgirl at October 19, 2007 03:00 PM (/vgMZ)

20 I think it looks like a fantasyland come true. And I adore your storybook people print. We have several. Those babies sure are gorgeous, Helen.

Posted by: Deb at October 19, 2007 03:08 PM (v2b6T)

21 Their room looks like Miami exploded in it. It's AWESOME!

Posted by: amy t. at October 19, 2007 03:12 PM (3dOTd)

22 Um, call me crazy but I think the colors look fine. Kids love bright colors; I'm lucky that I remember some infant memories and several toddler memories and I LOVED bright colors! I'd make a beeline to anything that was bright. But then, I did say you could call me crazy. ;-P

Posted by: The other Amber at October 19, 2007 03:38 PM (zQE5D)

23 Kids LOVE bright colors like that! You guys did an awesome job. If they're staying in that room for some time, those colors will suit them well into toddler and childhood.

Posted by: Dotty at October 19, 2007 04:44 PM (KJE2B)

24 Ohhhh! I love the colors, how cheery and uplifting. And I have several prints by that same artist, I love the quotes/poems on each drawing.

Posted by: watson at October 19, 2007 05:35 PM (PQSFi)

25 This post brings back memories of making our first baby's room. Thanks. Oh, and motherhood agrees with you. Even things that bother you appear to be typed while wearing an enormous smile on your face.

Posted by: physics geek at October 19, 2007 07:10 PM (MT22W)

26 The text on the picture made me cry. Of course, everything makes me cry right now. But still.

Posted by: uccellina at October 19, 2007 07:19 PM (emYvd)

27 So, here's the thing. my initial reponse to the colors was "Holy Crap". Then I looked again and decided the main "problem" is the bright blue trim. The salmon color is lovely but if it were set off by a warm brown or light green, the effect of the room would be a little less intense and still bright and cheery. This may not be an option for you but that was what I felt. It definately is fun & bright (how it is) if it were raining or dreary out!

Posted by: karina at October 19, 2007 07:21 PM (rJ7JI)

28 It looks great...the bright colours must help when staggering around in the middle of the night, whether drunk or going to feed them. I love being an Auntie, and Nora is my first niece, so I am a happy girl!

Posted by: Becks at October 19, 2007 07:37 PM (pc2ik)

29 It is so lovely... and I adore that last picture. What a beautiful sentiment. You can just look at those pictures and see all the love. I'm honored to be an "Auntie"...

Posted by: sue at October 19, 2007 07:58 PM (QPmVy)

30 So, I'm totally thinking that the colors remind me of the "Flamingo area" at the zoo. At first I was like, "Oh.my.God!" But really, when you add the colorful decor and such, it all blends well. I think a greenish wall-trim (not neon...but a subtle, darker green) would be better. Then you REALLY have Flamingo colors. Just my two cents.

Posted by: Mia at October 19, 2007 08:02 PM (qfY45)

31 Beautiful babies! Congratulations. )

Posted by: Milly at October 19, 2007 08:32 PM (ljgDB)

32 Actually I'm quite fond of the color. Yeah, I know... I'm strange like that...

Posted by: Heather at October 19, 2007 09:35 PM (66jI5)

33 Oh my...those colors are certainly bright...the babes will love them! I followed you here from the TO site. I have to confess everytime someone refers to you as H or Helen I always, always have that moment of WhoTF??? In my mind you are Vanessa dammit! I'm getting old over here, the mind is sort of crepe papery...don't mess with it! lol The Lemonheads are TOTALLY adorable. Totally.

Posted by: Poppy at October 19, 2007 10:22 PM (lOcUU)

34 Well, I LOVE the colors and they are certainly better than pastel blue and pink (gag me) or mint green. Also love the pic with the prose!

Posted by: kenju at October 20, 2007 12:27 AM (TiGru)

35 Girlfriend, my first thought is, "How the hell do you find the time to post all of these lovely updates?" But my second was that I adore the room. It reminds me of a packet of Chicklets exploded in glory.

Posted by: Jennifer at October 20, 2007 12:35 AM (RlFqM)

36 Oh I am so sorry, but when I saw the first picture of the room, I nearly spit and I laughed out loud! Holy crap. It's the pink doors. Can I tell you? I LOVE it. It's crazy and fun and bright and cheery and... fun. Don't repaint. I love it. And your smoochy little babies sleeping together in your bed, that just made my heart sing. Oh My God, they are so beautiful. It made me wish I could be there, just to lean down and lightly smell then and brush my lips across the tops of their heads. Blessings they are.

Posted by: Bou at October 20, 2007 01:13 AM (fGpp7)

37 I love the room, bright colors are always fun. And the babies are so cute. I swear they get more adorable every day.

Posted by: Theresa at October 20, 2007 05:17 AM (Wqa8L)

38 Well you know how I feel about pastel colours! I love the bright walls and all the special touches. Amy didn't have her own room until we moved into our house in June - she was 11 months! And guess what, its a pale yellow but I just can't seem to get around to decorating. Lovely to see your babies so chubby and peaceful looking.

Posted by: Super Sarah at October 20, 2007 06:35 AM (rRa5H)

39 I think it looks... perfect.

Posted by: Kathy at October 20, 2007 04:05 PM (fFUuk)

40 I think it's awesome! Thanks so much for the Auntie status. It means much.

Posted by: sophie at October 20, 2007 09:22 PM (AY+fk)

41 urm... pink doors. Nuff said. :p But the wall's colour is not bad. Bright colours make happy children (okay, I made that one up but still....)

Posted by: Lisa Y at October 21, 2007 07:34 AM (WBuVr)

42 I want to come sleep there too!

Posted by: Teresa at October 21, 2007 02:43 PM (GXAWI)

43 Colors great. The love that went into them is much more impressive. N&N are muy lucky children.

Posted by: Foggy at October 22, 2007 12:05 AM (YR4WJ)

44 You can save most of that room just by muting the blue. Mix equal parts that blue and white, add just a touch of brown to take away the neon brightness, and repaint the trim. That'll do it. I'm not an interior decorator, but I have a knack for colors.

Posted by: Ted at October 22, 2007 01:11 AM (yRolC)

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