West Coast Nursery

So, now that our move is getting closer ( we don't have an exact date yet--but sometime within the next month and a half), I'm getting antsy to just.get.there.already! Having never been to China myself, I am a bit apeshitcrazy nervous about what it's going to be like. Will I have extreme culture shock, or be pleasantly surprised at how westernized the area we will live in has become? NZ assures me the latter, although he doesn't sugarcoat things at all, and totally admits that we will run into some aspects of dealing with cultural differences that will just.plain.suck.

My goal is to not stick out any more than one white girl can. Neither of us speak Mandarin, but in all of NZ's travels and business dealings over there, MOST people seem eager attempt to speak practice English with Americans. I've made NZ take pictures inside of a Chinese Walmart, just so I know that there is some familiarity and continutiny amongst the big box stores over there--I figure all is well so long as there is a Walmart close by. LOL. And yes, Walmart China is much like Walmart America...except for the Crocodiles on ice, Frogs in the food section, and motorbikes in the entry. I'm sure one day I will totally overlook the crocodiles, and even miss them once we're back on US soil.

Or not.

Knowing that we would be moving shortly after Salvatore's arrival, we put together a make-shift nursery. It's bare bones and everything serves a purpose. Other than the frame I repurposed into a chalkboard to announce his arrival, there isn't anything else that signifies that this-is-Sal's-room.

One thing that I have been looking forward to doing once we arrive in China, is getting Sal's nursery together. Like, a REAL nursery, that says, this is Sal's room. Not knowing exactly what we will find while shopping for his nursery, I started brainstorming ideas on pinterest. I came up with a not-so-babyish idea, which pays homage to his roots of being a California kid.



photos from pinterest

The apartment comes furnished, and since we will be there first inhabitants, we were able to suggest furniture color and style to the landlord, and he will do his best to match it. The furniture selected for the nursery is white. I think we selected a long dresser in white and a bookshelf. We will hopefully make it to IKEA to add a rocking chair, crib and rug to the space. (Yes, China even has IKEA!)



photos from pinterest and IKEA

And these are the fabrics that I plan on making crib sheets and changing pad covers out of.

fabric photos from fabricworm.com & pinterest

We will see how much of this I am able to re-create abroad. Most of the artwork can be purchased or printed and framed, so I think I can get close!