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Courtney Malone

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Hi, I'm Courtney.
I'm so glad you have found your way to my little home on the web. I'm a photographer, graphic designer, and most importantly a mom to two sweet kiddos. I'm obsessed with newborns. family stories, helping mamas to better learn how to use their cameras to document their own motherhood journeys, and am constantly seeking to understand the wild and crazy ride that is motherhood.
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Personal Stories

Getting Ready for Baby Boy + Nursery Reveal

August 8, 2019

It’s hard to believe we have just one week left before we get to meet our son! This second pregnancy has FLOWN by in comparison to when we were expecting James, and while my symptoms have been almost exactly the same, the emotional roller coaster has been a totally different ride!

Putting together his room helped me feel bonded to him in this late stage of pregnancy, and it brought me so much joy to put together a loving and special space for him over the last handful of weeks! I’m so excited to share our sweet boy’s room with you today!

The Nursery

We kept things simple in his nursery, and I’m really happy with how it turned out! To be honest, I wasn’t going to do much in his room at all – this second time around I felt like I “should” be more practical, and just re-use a lot of the items we had for James when she was a baby. I realized quickly, however, that putting together a sweet space for our boy was an act of nurturing I couldn’t miss out on. Putting his room together made him feel so much more REAL to me, as crazy as that sounds.

In putting his room together, I really wanted to focus on making it easy to transition to a toddler room, and eventually a big boy room, all while not going overboard on nursery decor and budget and keeping things pretty neutral. I envision this room with so many of the same elements and an iron bed when he gets to be a bit bigger, and am glad it can grow with him.

His bookshelves are lined with books that were mine as a child, which is so special to me! The Little Dorothy book was actually my grandfathers (one of James’s namesakes), and you can see where he wrote his name in it as a child. It’s a special book – and I imagine when this baby boy is mobile we may have to hide it! For now, though, it makes for a sweet book on his shelves!

I had one of my favorite quotes printed and framed for his room to go over the bookshelves, and I hope both of my children live by these words by Theodore Roosevelt, and always strive to live by daring greatly:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Dresser – Pottery Barn

Crib – We are using a temporary super cheap crib found on Amazon, and will switch this out for James’s Kendall Pottery Barn crib when she gets a big girl bed! We thought we might transition James to a big girl bed before baby boy arrives, but she just isn’t quite ready and took the pressure off with a super cheap temporary option!

Rug

Lamp

Crib Sheet – Carousel Designs

Jellycats Bunny – we used this same bunny for all of James’s monthly milestone photos, and I wanted baby boy to have one too!

Changing Pad – we are gonna give the Keekaroo peanut changer a try! I’ve seen it at so many newborn shoots and had to have it myself!

Bookshelves

Sconces over bookshelves – I used the tutorial from Nesting with Grace to install these two “Magic Lights” over his bookshelves and I love the result!

Theodore Roosevelt Quote – DIY digital file, printed and framed by Framebridge

Mirror – Home Goods

Glider – No longer sold. Re-Used from James’s Room

Basket for Blankets

Bunny Prints – digital download purchased from Etsy and framed in these frames from Target

Poufs – Target

Other Things We’re Loving for Baby Boy

One of the hardest things about having a boy this go was starting from scratch on clothes and many other baby items! I was convinced I had tons of gender neutral items from when J was a baby, but when I opened the many many bins of clothing I saved for her I found myself LOST in a sea of pink!

We are grateful to have received lots of baby boy clothing as gifts! I also found a brand on Amazon I LOVE called Moon and Back which is by Hanna Anderson. The clothing is really well made and so soft. We’ve bought everything from blankets to onesies and sleepers from their brand and I’m so happy with it all. Here are some of our favorite items we’ve found so far:

Moon and Back Kimono Onesies – love this shape and cut since it doesn’t have to go over their head, which I always find super hard when they are very very new! I also love the really soft shade of baby blue on these!

Moon and Back Sleeveless Onesies – Love these colors again, and they’re perfect for a little guy arriving in the thick of the summer heat!

Moon and Back Organic Swaddle Blankets – I remember receiving so many blankets as gifts for James and wondering what I was going to do with them all. And dang if you don’t use a lot of blankets for a new baby! I loved these that I found from this brand on Amazon and bought them in gray and a soft shade of blue.

Kyte Bamboo Beanies – I love these hats with the little knot at the top! I bought a few from this brand for baby boy. They are SO soft!

Hatched Baby Sling Wrap – Our Solly baby wrap for James was pink, so I bought a more affordable white and gray one on Amazon and am looking forward to trying it! Given it’s literally just a piece of fabric, I think this one will work out well!

Parker Baby Diaper Caddy – I bought this to stock with diapers, wipes, burb cloths, lanolin cream, nursing pads, chapstick, etc. to tote around the house during the day as we bounce to different areas, as I anticipate we will with a toddler! I’m excited to have a little diaper caddy to move around the house as needed so we have what we need wherever we are in the house!

Gerber Cloth Diapers to be used as burb cloths – they’re the best because they’re super absorbent, and we loved them so much more than many of the actual burb cloths you can buy out there.

Dr. Brown’s pacis – We’re trying a new paci this time, per our pediatric dentist’s recommendation!

SmartyPants Prenatal Vitamins – This isn’t for baby boy (well sort of, but I’ve been using these prenatals for ages and love them!


* Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission should you purchase a recommended item. I only recommend products and services that I know or trust to be of high quality, whether an affiliate relationship is in place or not. Thank you for supporting Courtney Malone Photography!

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