A Nursery for Two: Twins Room Tour

My twin babes are so chubby and smiley now! They’ll be four months next week! GASP!

We are all getting along together and have learned little routines and schedules and found our rhythm…you know until the clocks rolled back for Daylight Savings. WHY?! Oh, and then the schools here declared the kids will shift to remote learning online from home and that just threw us all for a big loop here. But other than that… I think, THINK, I have figured out some patterns with these two. For more frequentness, find us on Instagram! I even started a little page for just the boys on insta at @abitabouttwo.

I took photos of the babes in their room when they first came home, how ambitious of me… and then I never got around to downloading/editing photos and blogging. Then in early October, I again pulled out the big camera and wanted to document their sweet slumbering space and share, and now its NOVEMBER, in the midst of a tense election with no results YET, and now, NOW, I finally made the transfer from camera, to computer, to…. drum roll… BLOG! Of course, that wouldn’t be so smooth either because apparently my blog domain expired in October too, so that was a little hurdle to renew and get up and running again. I swear… why do I keep resuscitating this thing?! Sign of a true, old school blogger in me, I guess, the need to document and share, if not for anyone but her own memory bank.

I snapped some photos of the boys’ twin nursery to remember it all by one day. We started the twin nursery waaaaay back when I was newly pregnant. In anticipation of becoming huge, irritable and immobile, all of which accurately manifested in the final weeks, I delivered at 36 weeks, I was right to start the room early and get it done. A super planner and organizer BEFORE the big arrival, but a messy and scattered, untidy momma post arrival. I mean, FOUR KIDS, TWO INFANTS. What else is to be expected? I try to keep the organization and laundry baskets emptied, but all i can do is my best, and this last time around, I am completely content in doing just that. Maybe a little too content if you ask my husband! I have relished my time with just the boys and myself throughout the days when the girls were in school from August, until now. We just got word that as of November 16th, our district will be moving to remote learning with COVID numbers sky rocketing in our area. If we can get the community spread and numbers into a “green zone” for 7-14 consecutive days again, then they’ll resume in-person learning. We aren’t too hopeful that will happen before this year ends. Who knows. I never have wished 2020 to be over or cursed it, because of these two incredible blessing babes I received this year. I can’t come to blaming 2020 for being the worst year in our history because it was one of my personal best. The babies born this year are going to be something special. And the ones born NEXT!

I love my children, don’t get me wrong, but having a six and seven year old at home and having to administer their schooling and keep up with assignments and schooling was NOT part of the plan. If you rewind it all though, having twins was never PLANNED either. Having my last pregnancy during a pandemic and giving birth in the midst of a pandemic was never “part of the plan,” alas, this is life. Full, bumpy, chaotic, spontaneous, unexpected…. but all beautiful in the end. My husband has sweetly reminded me that it will be nice for him to be home and see me and the babies. He works so much that he is absolutely RIGHT and how selfish of me to miss that very important puzzle piece when first hearing the news of remote learning. And we will be safer at home all together, bonding and learning and growing together,, again something he brought to the forefront. So come on… what an optimist he is. The boys really do love when the girls are around, they smile and squeal and take the smothering of wet kisses squinting and kicking .

So, with all that, the babies are GREAT! They are so SO HAPPY! I couldn’t have dreamed it better myself actually. They are very complacent and calm in demeanor and really give a quiet fuss at home when their diapies are dirty or they start to get sleepy. We have a natural schedule built that they are hungry around 5/5:30- which is always the time I ate dinner myself previous to their grand arrival, so it makes sense that here in the world they are hungry at the very same time. The tricky part seems to be that the girls and EVERYONE is hungry at the same time, so finding a way to cook, and feed two young children while breastfeeding twins and getting them into jammies and bed, and bathing two little girls… and doing it solo six out of seven nights a week because husband works so much- THAT all has been the challenging part; just not having enough of ME. Once the kids are all down… i can relax. So you can imagine the last thing I want to do is open up a blog post. But I miss it, blogging.

These boys are showing me they love to be home, and they nap long and hard in the morning/afternoon in their beds. They don’t care much for outings or errands and sometimes give me hell for it, crying the entire way there, fussing at checkout on the way out- and these are hour-long excursions. I stay home most days, and its all I can do to get them fed and dressed and myself decent for a trip to get groceries for an hour. It’s a whole day affair. Feeding and changing two up unitl strapping them into car sears, sometimes feeding them again once I arrive at my destination before I head in, and then, feeding and changing them again in my trunk before coming home. My world revolves around these little guys right now. Frankly, the girls have even had to step up and be more independent and bathe themselves and get their jammies on, and nightly story time with them doesn’t always happen. It won’t always be this way, but for now, in this season that’s how it is. There is only one of me, one pair of breasts to keep these little guys alive, and everything else just comes second to that.

The nursery though. Let’s talk about their nursery! Shall we? Not much going on here, no theme really. Never was one for the matching wall border to the crib set kindda gal. Not much for the boho trend either where people are using baskets as diaper changers and hanging macrame on the walls. Seems like trends have gone bananas and saturated social media and everything is all starting to wash together and look the same same same. I am more of a practical, realist if you will when it comes to baby stuff. Perhaps its because I have lived through two newborns before these guys came along, I know where to focus my energy. What do you want in a twin nursery? Safe sleeping spaces, a functional area to change diapers, a comfortable place to nurse or feed them, a place to store their clothing and blankets. That’s pretty much it. As for the vibes of a nursery, I like color, eclectic things that have special meaning added as we grow, and vintage notes.

I definitely wanted two cribs from the get go. I love the contemporary look of the cribs I found by Delta. I can’t find the exact ones I bought, but this crib is also pretty great, modern and sleek, also by Delta and less than $300. I had a full size double bassinet/diaper changer set up in my bedroom to use in the beginning weeks, the Joovy Room2, but I only use it for the diaper changer. The boys have basically been in their crib since they came home. I napped them in their cribs immediately and then just put them to bed at night after a dinner time feeding and we just ran with it. So they both have shown to be really good sleepers so far and we are building excellent sleep habits. Do they sleep through the night? Absolutely not! I get this one a lot too, “How many times are they waking up at night?” Short answer, a couple. But it is always changing! They were giving me three to four hour stretches a couple weeks ago, but the last couple of nights every two hours again on the dot they were both hungry. Growth spurts is the logical answer. A baby changes about every two weeks, so next time you ask me, I could give you an entirely different answer. Bottom line, I’m not really keeping track! haha! All I know is I go in when they fuss, feed them, burp them, change them, and put them back to bed, one by one and the process for each could take 35-40 minutes it seems. So , not getting much sleep yet, but more than in the beginning. I never complain about having to wake up and feed these guys, never. It’s my job and my honor to be the one to feed these babes and make them grow. Plus, I get to see them all through the night and they smile when I change their diaper and I kiss their cheeks and tummy and feetsies… I am blessed beyond measure.

Back to the nursery! Nobody ever said I was brief! Also, the girls are home today so I had to stop, break up a fight about a broken doll hand, and realized they were probably “hangry” so I took a pause and made them a bagel and myself a bowl of cereal. The race to do something, one thing, a task, a load of laundry, the dishes from breakfast, or this blog post, before the babies wake…(update it is a day later and I am STILL finishing this post!)

I decided to use the Hemnes large dresser from ikea. I loved all the storage on it. I have the smaller, taller version in Remy’s room from when she was a baby, and it survived all this time and even a house move, so for durability and price and aesthetics it was a good piece, and has been so far. Perfect height for changing diapers and long enough to hold everything. I put extra diapers and wipes in two top drawers. Hats in one, socks in another. Jammies go in one drawer, separates in another, and in the bottom drawers we have pants and then blankets and burp cloths and bibs. I am sure this will get shuffled around as they grow. We also have an Ikea shelf in the closet and that is also an excellent piece to organize. I have the bottom row filled with baskets, from Target, and in those baskets I have hand toys for when they are a bit older, swaddle blankies, and clothes for when they are older. I have a lot of toys and books from when the girls were babes, so it has been nice to pull those out again and see them, and no need to buy more. I also have soft toys in a big round, rope style basket, also from Target, and also all toys saved from when the girls were babes. I love being able to see these special things again and the girls do too.

I LOVE children’s books! I love finding and collecting them from the thrift and on occasion, once or twice a year, I indulge and overspend at a school book fair, or the Scholastic book order forms, and sometimes we buy special books from our favorite local book store in Denver, The Tattered Cover. We HAVE books. I registered for a few sweet board books new for the boys and it was fun receiving them as gifts, just for the boys. I have this mod book shelf I got off Craigslist a few years ago. It was always in Arlo’s room, and doesn’t hold much beyond small board books. I asked her if she would be okay with handing it down to the nursery since all the books on it were a little young for her now, and she agreed. The art above the book shelf is actually from the girls. They did these when I was pregnant and I suggested we frame them and have them for the boys’ room. The frames are also Ikea.

The star mobile in the corner was actually on super sale and found at Anthropologie randomly in the back sale room. I decided on one in the corner rather than two above each bed. I remember growing up my mom had a hot air balloon mobile in the corner of my brothers’ room and I liked the idea of one focal point above the reading corner. This Rainbow Mobile from Anthro is adorable too… Eventually I may want to get larger throw pillows and make that cozier when they are older.

The skateboarder print on the wall is actually a vintage New York Magazine cover I framed, and the skateboard print is actually a vintage flash card I framed. I found both of those pieces of artwork on Etsy. They were both vintage and one of a kind, however I JUST sourced this old school skateboarder print by Marmont Hill which is pretty great! After husband helped me hang them, the soccer man he is, walked past me and under his breath said, “We’re not having skateboarders…” hahaha! I was a skater girl and got a board for Christmas when I was 16! I do think its super dangerous, but also really cool… I love watching great boarding….

Anyway, the extra wide rocker was an amazing find on Walmart, along with the cribs- you wouldn’t believe all the furniture they have online, and at an affordable price! (Not sponsored!) I personally don’t see the need in spending a ton of money on a crib, when they are really only going to be in it for maybe two years. you can really transition to a big kid bed around age three after potty training, and they grow out of them around age two anyway. I loved the sleek contemporary look of these by Delta. I think they came in gray as well. They are also light weight and easy to move around the room. The dresser is NOT light and NOT easy to move…I also need to figure out some stoppers for the drawers as they snap shut and could really hurt a finger.

I had a shaggy area rug in here to start, but it kept curling up and tripping husband and I and was unsafe. We tried moving it and flipping it around, and even putting it underneath the dresser and the cribs, but nothing worked so we took it out. I prefer to have a rug in there for the cozy factor, but safety wins over looks friends.

I haven’t been nursing much in there at night. I did in the beginning but slowly morphed and transitioned into me feeding them in my bed for middle of night feedings which has been hell on my lower back. I did that because I do one at a time and don’t want to wake the other up until I am completely done with the whole process. Otherwise you have two AWAKE babies and that gets tricky! I want to try to get back to that huge rocker though… my body will thank me. I got the little faux fur stool in front of it from Ross for like $25, and it is the perfect foot rest for that chair, but I just found this stool with black wire legs and its similar, maybe even better?!

The nightstand between the cribs is from Home Goods, but here is one very similar, as well as the acrylic high stool by the rocker that I intended on using as a stand for my water bottle and has turned into more of a decorative table instead. The acryclic stool wasn’t cheap, this guy is a cute alternative, but I loved it. Here is a tall stool that is a great blend of both of these pieces and would be great in a nursery. am a sucker for gold brass and acrylic. I actually use the top of their laundry basket on the other side of the rocker as a table for my water or coffee because it has a hard lid- that hamper is a Target find, but this one is very similar. I found all of these pieces back in March, right before a shutdown here in Colorado that closed places like that down temporarily. So, I am happy I was energetic and on the ball before the world went upside down, and I am glad I snagged them up! I switched the knobs on the dresser and the night stand to the glassy peach colored ones (found at Home Goods). I did these peach tones in the nursery before I knew gender, but even after finding out I was having boys I kept them because I love the color. Boys can have hints of pinks, golds and peaches too! I may tone this down when they get older. This space is not for getting political about gender and color and yadda yadda yadda… its an OP piece, opinion, hence blogging…

The sliding doors were off the closet from before we made this into a nursery, when my husband had this as his closet, and we decided to keep them off because those sliding doors are so annoying. I know it looks extremely crowded and cluttered, but I did my best. Again, practicality over aesthetics in my book- especially when you have babies. You need to grab things fast. I got the alphabet printed baskets for the closet off Amazon and I also ordered that white wire closet shelving from Amazon and added that to the top of the closet for more storage. I have their carriers in the bins, (never put them in carriers once yet because TWINS) and clothing they have outgrown, or things they will wear later. Those will be great even past baby and toddler years to organize in this way. I have bins at the top of the girls’ closets that I use for soccer clothing, and winter accessories (hats and gloves and scarves), or summer accessories (swimsuits, hats) and holiday or seasonal things. I like rotating their clothing, and it helps when you have a kiddo like mine who still wants to wear a neon pink tank top with a glittery pineapple on it in the middle of October. (update, Remy found said tank top and put her faux leopard print coat on top and wanted to go to her Gradnmother’s in that last night haha) I like to tuck away those lovely favorites of theirs that aren’t really appropriate for school or season.

Their crib sheets shown here are West Elm X Pottery Barn Kids. They don’t really “go” with anything, again I don’t have any theme. I LOVED the mid-century geometric design and color scheme on them and purchased not too long ago. The sheets I have on most of the time is a Terrazo print by Crate & Barrel Kids that matches their diaper changer cover. I like the traditional diaper changer pad myself. I lay a washable changing mat on top to prevent me from having to strip the whole thing for washing after blowouts and messes. Which brings me back to those silly baskets.. Like WHY?! Clearly for first time mommas who do not realize that poo can really fly and get ANYWHERE, and a basket isnt exactly easy to clean- gross. So if you’re planning your first nursery, think about that. I had registered for the wipeable Kekaroo pad, and never received. It’s a bit pricey, and I already had two changing pads from the girls so I used the money for something else I didn’t already own. I really like investing in a nicer sheet because they just FIT much better and they wash and wear better when you have a better quality of fabric.

Their Care Bears quilts are vintage! I found one thrifting a long time ago and put it away “in case” I had a third baby. I have a vintage baby shop on Etsy and always knew I could try selling it there if I never had another, but for some reason I held onto it. So HAPPY I am a saver in that regard! I loved it so much! I put it on the end of the crib and I loved it so much I decided to find another. I was lucky and found the other one, in nearly the same excellent condition off eBay. Yay! When they were born I used vintage Care Bears receiving blankies and I had purchased some Care Bears receiving blankies, since they are rainbow babies, I miscarried twins a year prior, I sort of like the idea of Care Bears, stars, rainbows… little hints of vintage and those sweet sentiments.

The mushroom night light on their dresser is a gift from my good friend Kate- thank you! On the dresser we also have a digital clock like this. I got it after we brought the babies home and I was nursing at all hours. The lamp in the corner is an Overstock find I believe. Other baubles on the dresser, always extra pacis. Tried the BIBS brand this time and they took to them! Found the acrylic containers for creams at Target over summer in the Dollar Spot area, but this one is great too for smaller necessities like nail clippers and cotton swabs.

Oh, and the large art on the wall! That was FOUND believe it or not! One day during the pandemic we took a family trip to City Park here in downtown Denver. The girls rode their scooters, I think I was around 20 weeks pregnant. We saw this painting coming into the park, leaned up against a tree, just sitting there- very strange. Nobody was near it, no other belongings. We were at the park for about an hour and on the way out it was still there, seemed like a sign. We cleaned it up and took her home and decided it was for the nursery, a token of that amazing family day together getting fresh air at a favorite place during a crazy time in history, but as a family. So there it hangs!

Oh, lastly the “J” and the “F” wall hangings were found near the end of my pregnancy at Anthropolgie, also on major sale. And by then we pretty much knew the names so it was kismet that their initials were still there. Usually they never have the letter you need when they are super sale like that!

We did decide to get a dual camera baby monitor this time, and its been helpful! We purchased the LBtech Video Monitor with Two Cameras but this baby monitor by Motorola is VERY similar.

I think that’s mostly it! If you have questions or comments about anything leave it down below or find me on Insta!

Also, by the time I add photos and post this we have an elected President now….

Hope everyone stays safe, positive and focused on family during these chaotic times,,, and guess what? We have Christmas coming to finish this year on a HIGH, our Lord’s birth!

Glo