Rooming with baby

When I got married back in October, I had all sorts of romantic visions about newlywed life.

My husband would never leave the seat up (and he doesn’t). I would cook dinner for him every night (and I do, unless I’m throwing up). And, we would share our room with a baby before we celebrated our first anniversary. Oh, wait, that last one definitely wasn’t one of my expectations.

When I realized that Baby Palmer would be bunking with us for at least the first few months of his life until the lease on our one-bedroom apartment was up, I determined that I was going to keep the space adult-friendly—or, at least as adult-friendly as a room can be with a crib taking up one-third of the floor space. I love Winnie the Pooh as much as the next mom-to-be, but I don’t want to share a room with him or any other kid-type creature, excepting, of course, our actual kid.

Sadly, all this meant that my dreams of a cutesy Noah’s Ark themed room would have to wait for Baby Palmer #2, if ever there is one. Because our bedroom is decorated in black and cream with shades of grey, I knew similar muted tones would work best for the baby bedding. I wanted something that would be for baby but not babyish. As for the crib, I scoped out umpteen million models and came up with an extensive must-have list. Aside from the obvious demands of safety, the right crib would have an espresso or cherry wood finish, an attached changer with built in drawers and shelving to capitalize on space, and be convertible to a toddler/full bed down the road. It would also be $100 or less. (I never said I wasn’t picky.)

While I’m sure that most boxes on my “wish list” could have been easily fulfilled with a trip to Babies ‘R Us or some other retail store, our bank account would have been quickly unfilled. So, straight away, I went to the money-savvy mama’s best friends: garage sales and Craigslist.

My husband and I started off our “baby stuff” search in a neighborhood-wide garage sale in my parents-in-law’s well-maintained subdivision. After a few hours of hunting, we hit the jackpot: A never-used cream and black toile crib set with black satin bows. It was lust at first sight. When I turned the package over and saw the $7 price tag, my short affair turned into true love.

After getting back into the car, I got out my husband’s iPhone to see how well we did. A few clicks later, I found the exact JoJo designs crib set that was sitting happily in my back seat. The only difference? A $237.99 price tag. Praise the Lord and pass the biscuits!

With bedding in tow, all we needed was the crib and mattress to go with it. After a few days of searching Craigslist, I finally found “the one.” It met every single criterion, right down to the $100 price tag. We picked up the set, assembled it in a snap, and added the bedding.

Then, we stepped back and surveyed our room. I had been worried that once everything was put together, it wouldn’t look exactly the way I had imagined. And, it turns out, I was right: It looked better! The toile bedding is elegant but sweet and the rich cherry finish and brushed metal accents on the crib keep the whole thing feeling modern and sophisticated. I was sure that having Baby Palmer's things in the room would make it feel too crowded but, instead, it felt more complete.

I have a feeling I’ll be saying the same thing once our little one arrives. Right now, the idea of sharing our bedroom with a pint-sized person isn’t the most ideal thing I can think of, although I know there are plenty of benefits to the arrangement. But, just like the crib and bedding, I’m sure that once Baby Palmer gets here, he’ll be the perfect addition and even better than I imagined.