Our Baby Girl's Safari Nursery

Thursday, October 09, 2014

When I realized that Scott and I would be moving to Germany not very long after the baby's birth, I thought I might put off doing the nursery. It seemed a little pointless putting one together just to pack it up shortly after, but I'm so glad we didn't! Scott and I have had so much fun putting this little safari themed nursery together. It's quickly become the warmest and happiest room in the house! I've frequently found Scott sitting in the rocking chair or hovering at the door looking inside. I smiled and teased him a bit the first time I caught him, but now I find myself doing it too. Being in this room makes her feel close. It makes her arrival and this next chapter of our lives seem so much more... real! This little one is going to completely change our lives! And as I sit in her room, I try to take it all in.

I know once this baby arrives, life will be very different, challenging and exhausting. Yet, I also know that it will be more wonderful than I can even imagine! Last night Scott and I laughed as she rewarded us with kicks as we tapped her tiny footprints. Man she is so real! She already has her own unique personality and she is coming so soon! We cannot wait to meet her!

The Safari Nursery:

Scott has been sold on a "safari" themed nursery since day one. So for the last several months we have collected and crafted everything in her room for under $200, and I do mean everything! Clothes, decorations, bedding, furniture, bouncers, diapers, etc. We have been super lucky and blessed to know wonderful people and find amazing deals!

A month ago my family sent us a "baby shower in a box". Literally! It felt like Christmas receiving that package full of baby clothes and goodies! Above are a few of the adorable outfits they gave us.

The super comfy rocking chair and beautiful crib were given to us by my sister and brother-in-law last year!

Scott and I fell in love with this Zebra canvas! You gotta love the random wall art you can find at Ross for $30! The bow holder above is also a little craft of mine that I threw together last week while watching General Conference. It's an empty oatmeal container covered in leftover fabric I used to make the giraffe wall art. You can find similar examples and instructions on how to make them on Pinterest or here.

The giraffe wall art is another Pinterest inspiration I found here. I drew individual giraffe outlines on newspaper, cut them out and pinned them to the fabric for a perfect cut.

Scott loved this miscellaneous little safari lamp that we found at the Airman's Attic and for reason's I can't explain I am fond of the quirky-little lopsided teddy bear that we got while attending Bundles for Babies on base. His home is on the awesome changing table we got from a neighbor for $20 at a yard sale!

In the Air Force, there is usually something on base called an Airman's Attic. It's essentially a Goodwill or DI where anyone can donate and everyone under an E5 are allotted a certain amount of free things every month. It was a huge lifesaver when we first moved here. Our stuff took a little over a month to travel across the country so it was super helpful having somewhere to grab cooking and living essentials. However, it's also been super awesome for collecting baby gear and clothes! People move around so much in the military that almost everything we've gotten looks brand new! I even found a few of my favorite pair of maternity shorts there for free!
I really appreciate that people volunteer their time to make a resource like this available! So awesome! The Keesler AFB Airman Attic is open every Monday, Wednesday, and down Friday, so if you're new here and need a few things to get by, definitely check it out! There really are a lot of resources in the Air Force to help out families and new members. It's been a huge blessing!