Sailor's Nursery / Newborn Shoot

I'm so sooo excited to finally get to show you guys these special, personal photos from our newborn/nursery shoot with our dear friend Heather Kincaid two weeks after Sailor was born. A big thank you to 100 Layer Cakelet for featuring this shoot today as well! Looking back at these now, I almost feel like I'm looking at three strangers in a way. With a new baby, everything is constantly updating and progressing and changing so much from the day before and this feels like a totally different time, even though today she's still only just over 3 months old. One thing I remember so vividly about this day was being kind of shell shocked, to be perfectly honest. It was the first time after she was born when we tried to do something that required us to get up that morning and be somewhat functioning human beings. I remember feeling so incredibly tired, puffy, overstimulated, and confused. I held Sailor and while I felt so lucky to stare and at this incredible thing I was so proud to call my own, at the same time I almost felt like I was playing a role of "new mom." I was in love, but also in so much pain (see this post if you don't know what I'm talking about) and all the emotions were still just so new that I could barely even identify them. Ian on the other hand was cool as a cucumber (he'll be offended by that analogy because there's basically nothing on this earth that he hates more than cucumbers) and I watched him swaddle her and hold her so naturally, and felt like he was way ahead of me in conquering this new parent thing. Now I see how that was such a special and raw moment to capture as new parents and I'm so glad Heather was there to do it (with her very own newborn in tow no less! She's a total pro at both her craft and being a mom).

Now, about the nursery! Putting this room together was essentially the project that brought me to a zen place throughout my pregnancy. While I had felt so out of my element in kid-prep, I kept reminding myself that I could do mommyhood my own way, starting with the nursery. It was important to me that this room be a place us adults would enjoy. Not only would we spending a lot of time in here, but it's also still the room where all my own clothes are held in the closets and where I get dressed everyday (if you follow me on Snapchat @thelifestyled then you know all about this struggle). So it literally is partly "my" room too. Not surprisingly, I didn't want a lot of color. I wanted it to feel fresh and light, with some playful yet sophisticated touches. Modern and minimal (lots of lucite and clean lines) with boho accents for texture and softness.

My mom also played a big role in bringing this vision to life since many of the nursery's best elements were handmade by her. Namely, the white wall hanging made out of leather and feathers (!!), the adorable quilt with little shapes we designed specifically to suit Sailor and me, a linen embroidery piece with lips in different pink tones (framed on the gallery wall), and the yarn mobile over the chair. These and many other of her crafts are all becoming available on her new Etsy shop, Elm Street Textiles. She's taking orders for custom pieces too so hit her up if you see something you like, and definitely keep checking back for new listings. My mom is one of the most creative people I know and I'm so happy to have her handiwork as a part of Sailor's room.