Blog - Baby Jives

Bella and Bodhi's Playful, Neutral Shared Space

Bella and Bodhi's Playful, Neutral Shared Space

What inspired your room design?

This room has been through so many changes these past few years, and I'm pretty sure it just gets better with every new look. Three years ago it started out as our daughter's "big girl" room, bright pastels like pink, mint and purple... and well, I kind of ended up not loving it at all. All the bright color just felt sort of too much for our home, so not long after, I got to work transforming the space yet again to feel more "us" this time.
We ended up with a beautiful neutral, yet girly space that was perfect for our Bella: white, gray, blush pink and sage. We LOVED it, but this past summer we found out we were expecting a baby boy, and since we live in a 700 sq ft, two bedroom apartment, our littles needed to share a space, and I needed it to be absolutely perfect for both of them. I instantly went to work removing this little thing and adding that, and we ended up with a gender-neutral mostly monochrome room with little touches of sage green and a few tiny pops of color.
Not only do I love the room, but our 5-year-old daughter, Bella, does too, Bodhi (age 2 months) still hasn't told me if he likes it yet or not haha, but I'm pretty sure he's okay with it! It's the right amount of gender neutral, with a few little feminine touches on her side of the room, I feel like it all blends together so nicely.

Bodhi in Crib with Silver Rain Cloud Mobile

Why did you choose your mobile? What does your child think of it?

I came across Baby Jives years ago but wasn't able to get one for our daughter, so when it came time to find a mobile for our baby boy, I got pretty excited when I came across their mobiles again and remembered how much I had loved them. This whimsical rain cloud mobile is just perfect in the room. He absolutely adores it too! He loves when I make it gently sway and he'll lay there for the longest time following it with his little eyes and he's simply mesmerized. It's a pretty precious sight if I do say so myself.

Can you tell us about a few of your favorite details in this room?

The mobile is, of course, a favorite and was one of the finishing touches for the room. I also especially love that both of my babies have matching white and black swiss dot sheets, and the wire shelf (that was originally gold and my husband spray painted it black) is both perfect and functional. I've loved those sage bookshelves forever too, another DIY (chalk painted spice racks from IKEA) that turned out amazing.

 Do you have a nightly routine for winding down?

We usually keep it pretty simple, choosing pajamas, brushing teeth, picking out an essential oil for the diffuser ("gentle baby" is one of our bedtime favorites), a bedtime story and snuggles until they fall asleep.

 Tell us one thing your child does right now that you want to remember forever…

Does everything count as a good answer? I love their littleness and I truly want to bottle every second of it up. The way my little girl slides her little hand into mine and says "I love you mama, I want to live with you forever", to the way my tiny baby boy snuggles up to close to me and falls asleep in my arms. Every moment is so precious.

 

What’s something that has surprised you about being a parent?

How hard it is to find time to shower hahaha. Seriously though, it wasn't so hard when I only had one kiddo, add another one? It's a whole new ballgame, I now understand moms who say they haven't showered in days. Also, the amount of love a heart can really hold. You'd think you'd eventually run out of room right? But no, it's this amazing thing that just keeps growing and growing. I've learned my heart can grow by leaps and bounds, that the amount of love it can hold multiples on a daily basis, and the capacity is infinite. Every time they smile at you, every hug or kiss or snuggle, every time they say they love their you without you even saying it first, the heart just grows more and more. Some days I'm pretty sure it might just burst at the goodness of motherhood and being their mama.

 What a quote or a saying or a phrase that comes to you often as you are parenting?

The C. S. Lewis quote "Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the Most important work." comes to mind often during the course of my days raising these tiny ones. 

 I’m always looking for new books to share with my children. What are a few of your families’ favorites?

Adventures with Barefoot Critters (by Teagan White)

Du Iz Tak? (by Carson Ellis)

You Belong Here (by M. H. Clark)

Home (by Carson Ellis)

Little Bear (by Elsa Holmelund Minarik)


Want to know more about this space?  Find it over at www.thejoyfultribe.com 
Gray + Silver Rain Cloud by Baby Jives Co. // Twin bed and crib by DaVinci Baby // Sugarboo artwork by Vanillawood // Pillowfort wire shelf by Target // Crib Skirt by Pehr Designs // Matching Black and White Swiss Dot Sheets by Crate and Kids // Quilt from Land of Nod // Vetiver Micro by Gathre // Bereber Rug by Lorena Canals // Moses Basket by Plum and Sparrow

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