Constantly scribbling from Manila to Amsterdam
Marlon and I finally got to do the one thing we’d been itching to do since painting the chalkboard wall in Tala’s nursery: draw on it! It only took one rainy afternoon (lots of those in Amsterdam) to turn our blank “canvas” from this…
into this.
Want a closer look at the details?
While gathering inspiration for how to decorate the baby room, I saw an unbelievable number of animal heads. Stags, rhinos, bears, stuffed and mounted on walls like hunting was a kindergarten pastime. Along with chevron prints, cloud pillows and moustaches, animal heads seemed to be a huge trend in the world of children’s rooms. I just didn’t get it.
“I’ll never put an animal head in my child’s room,” I sniffed, adding this to a growing list of “when I am a mom, I will never”—a list that includes posting pictures of Tala when she’s sick, or making her feel guilty about what I went through when I was pregnant and in labor.
Anyway. I ate my words when I saw this unicorn trophy from Planet Fur, an Etsy shop filled with whimsical, hand-sewn felt creatures by Dutch blogger, crafter shop owner Marlous Snijders. I simply had to have it.
All my “I-will-nevers” faded in the face of my lifelong unicorn obsession. I first discovered them in a book when I was five, and it was love at first sight. I collected them all throughout grade school, and consider A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L’Engle one of my favorite young adult books ever because one of the main characters is a unicorn. I even have a unicorn tattoo.
Marloes made my daughter her very own unicorn trophy using the pink and gray color palette of Tala’s room. Now, this little guardian presides over diaper changes from the wall beside her changing mat. Maybe he (or she?) needs a name… what do you think?
The photos from Tala’s newborn photography session arrived yesterday… and I can’t stop looking at them! These were taken when Tala was a little over three weeks old, and already I can’t believe how small she was just two short weeks ago.
Not only did lifestyle photographer Melody Rae do a wonderful job capturing our home and our family in these images, but she was also generous with them—we received over a hundred post-processed photos, with color and black-and-white versions of each. That way we can just choose which ones we want to print, without having to pay a set price for prints.
I love the way the photos all feel so relaxed, like it would be on a regular Sunday at home. We couldn’t have gotten this same vibe at a studio. It’s hard to choose favorites, but here are some of mine.
A while back, I blogged about my desire for a traditional Filipino duyan, or hanging bassinet, for the baby. My mom presented me with one last Christmas, and after lots of plastic cling wrap and two plane rides, our duyan arrived safely in Amsterdam.
Plain rattan didn’t quite go with our baby room’s color scheme, so Marlon and I decided to give the traditional duyan a bit of a modern makeover. Inspired by the ombre trend, Marlon and I used leftover paint from our baby room bookshelves to create a gradient effect. We applied three shades of powdery pink, starting with the lightest shade then and blending them as we went along.
After revamping the duyan, we had to find a place for it. I wanted Tala to sleep in our room in the early months, but we didn’t have enough space to hang the duyan by the bed.
Since we had found a great deal on a second-hand Stokke Sleepi, Marlon and I decided to make that her main crib and install the duyan on the balcony instead. Luckily, our apartment’s previous owners used to hang a hammock on the balcony, and they’d left a few heavy-duty hooks in the ceiling. Marlon tapped into his inner Boy Scout to rig the rope and secure it with a few well-placed knots…
… and voila! One fully functional duyan, ready for gentle breezes and sunny days.
With the arrival of a long-delayed spring, we’re finally getting to use the duyan. We had great sunny weather last weekend, so we put the mattress and beddings from her Stokke crib in it and put her down for a nap while we enjoyed our first al fresco lunch of the season.
So many of my baby essentials are from home. The makeshift sun shade is one of our dozens of bird’s eye cloth diapers from Landmark, and it’s secured with pastel bull clips from National Bookstore. This is a Filipino baby, after all!
Now that we’ve managed to import and install a traditional Filipino duyan, I’d love to get more use out of it. If only it was as easy to bring over some Filipino sunshine!
Wow, this week was tough. Marlon went on a business trip for two days, the first time he’s traveled since Tala was born. Though I had babysitting help for a few hours in the evenings, flying solo in the wee hours left me completely exhausted.
So I’m looking forward to this weekend to catch a break, enjoy having Marlon at home, and spend time together as a family. Spring sunshine and warmer temperatures—as the forecast promises—will be a big plus!
I’m also looking forward to sharing the photos from Tala’s newborn session. We booked lifestyle photographer Melody Rae for a photo shoot right here at home before my mom and my sister returned to Manila. My sister took some behind-the-scenes photos of Melody in action, so here’s a little sneak peek until I get my hands on the goods.
And yes, it’s the duyan! We gave our traditional Filipino bassinet a modern makeover in the last few weeks of my pregnancy. Then Marlon rigged it up on the balcony to welcome the arrival of sunny spring weather, and just in time for the photo session with Melody.
But more on that next week… till then, have a wonderful weekend!
Moving into a smaller apartment with less closet space, Marlon and I agreed that under-bed storage was a must. We looked at a couple of (mostly expensive) options until we settled on the affordable Ikea Brimnes bed, which has clean lines and huge drawers underneath.
Because our bedroom has limited space, we also bought the Brimnes headboard, which features a ledge and hidden shelving that we could use in place of bedside tables. 
Confession: I wasn’t totally onboard with this purchase. I agreed the storage was practical, but I had an irrational, possibly hormonally-fueled distaste for those two rectangles on the headboard and footboard. “Can we please do something to cover them up?” I grumbled as we paid for our purchases at Ikea. “Okay,” Marlon said. Smart man—never disagree with a pregnant woman.
With Little Mango on the way, neither Marlon and I were in the mood for elaborate DIYs. Our solution? Wallpaper!
Check out our quick fix and finishing touches, after the jump!
Sunday, March 10—my due date—came and went without so much as a whimper.
You couldn’t have found three more restless people in Amsterdam that Sunday than Mom, Marlon and myself. There we were, trapped at home thanks to a resurgence of freaky winter weather, trying to keep occupied, silently willing Little Mango into the world. She obviously wasn’t having any of that, because here she is two days later, still lodged comfortably (too comfortably?) in my belly.
Anyway, in an effort to keep busy, Marlon stepped out to the supermarket and came back with bulbs and herbs to plant on our balcony. Amidst the dismal gray, we found a little cheer from bright green of these hyacinth bulbs…
and the scents of fresh rosemary and thyme.
In hindsight, we couldn’t have chosen a crappier day to do our spring planting, since it snowed and frosted later that evening. But I think we were all just trying ease our restlessness with some activity.
We did save some of the hyacinth bulbs for indoors.
Into a tall transparent cylinder they went, with a modest amount of soil and a sprinkling of water. From what I’ve read, hyacinth bulbs should be kept fairly dry and watered only every two to three days to avoid rotting. They’re also able to grow without any soil—with just the roots immersed in very little water. But I’ll try them this way first and see how it goes.
As a keep-busy strategy, we could have chosen something more complex or time-consuming. The pop of color was nice, but it took us all of 10 minutes to sink our plants into soil and install the plant boxes on the balcony. Afterwards, Marlon and I were left staring at each other with a “So, what now?” look.
I guess now we wait. Again. And hope that Little Mango comes before the hyacinths start to bloom.
My last before-and-after of the week is the room that didn’t need much fixing up: our kitchen. Here’s what it looked like before we moved in…
and after.
Even though we didn’t have to do much with our kitchen, it’s become the most hardworking space in our house. We cook and eat at home a lot (and some of our meals can get pretty elaborate!), so our kitchen countertop is pretty full. We’re using this space just as I pictured it: Marlon cooking while I work at my desk by the window, the two of us spending time together even while doing different things.
Compared to our previous apartment, our new home has a smaller entryway. I actually don’t mind; I think if we had a bigger hallway, it would just collect more junk! Here’s how the hallway looked before we moved in…
and what it looks like now.
For such a small space, we managed to fit in quite a few things, including some of our favorite paintings and knickknacks.
Though I had hoped Little Mango would come early, I have to admit there are quite a few pluses to her taking her sweet time. One of them is having the luxury of easing into our new home—figuring out storage, shifting furniture around, and putting some essentials into place. For a while, it seemed the configuration of our home was changing every day, but Marlon and I have finally settled into a layout that we like.
So here’s a little before-and-after to show you how we’ve traded the pristine emptiness of a new apartment…
for something a little more lived in… a little more “us.”
