December 3, 2003.

This is what used to be Nic's drum room and is now our bedroom. The picture was taken after my dad & his brother ripped out the closet wall and the funky marbleized mirror tiles. In case you never visited the basement in all its glory, this is the famous reflective hexagonal wallpaper (the orange shag carpeting was long gone by this stage of construction). I also enjoy the exposed roof & ducts; it's all very Brazil.

This is what that corner looks like now. I thought I'd take a picture in case the bed is never made again. That's my teddybear, Lilith. Yes, I sleep with her every night. No, I'm not ashamed in the least.

Note our ugly, ugly comforter - it started out life in a "bed in a bag" package won at a golf tournament, and quickly became a mainstay of our life when we discovered that it's the only comforter we own that fits the bed. Such luxuries as an attractive comforter cover will have to wait until a much more affluent day.

It's the Sprout corner! Just looking at it makes me happy (although it'd be happier with the Sprout inside, of that you can be sure).

Almost everything you see is a gift or a hand-me-down: the watercolour was painted by Javina's mother, the lamp came from my flower child's family, the dresser is of mysterious origins and may have been my mother's, the alphabet tapestry was a gift from Poet & Marcie, and the mobile was picked up in a Chicago swap shop last summer. Even the baby grooming stuff on the dresser were all shower gifts (the cotton balls were an anniversary present from Palaver). The only new item is the Ikea crib & all of its green & white accessories.

A good deal of my happiness comes from the extreme generosity of my friends, family & coworkers. But I'd still like to put a red-faced, wiggling baby in that scene.

The baby bookshelf, also of mysterious origins & full of books & toys & clothes that need to be washed. Both the bookshelf and the dresser were painted in white & finished with yellow paint leftover from the walls. It has a custardy effect that's pretty pleasant. And no, I didn't decorate in yellow because I don't know the Sprout's gender. I just like yellow, okay?

The cradle came from my zia as a temporary roosting place for the newborn. One day a big white wardrobe will live in that space. In the meantime, it holds a few baby outfits from Aunt Scout, Mrs. Sommers & Fairy GothMother Stacy. Meow!

If you look on the second shelf, you can see Sprout's first present: a Borg bear from Palaver, purchased at Convergence 9 before he even knew that I was pregnant. It's spookily cute. Like me.

Just for contrast, this is what the rest of our love nest looks like. You can peek through the door to the serenity of the bedroom...but out here chaos reigns supreme.

{ b a c k }