Repurposing

The other day I was looking around at things in my house and thinking how lovely it is that we have repurposed so many things that were originally meant for a tiny human. It is something that used to make me sad, but now makes me feel pretty damn good, and reminds me of our resilience in the face of our losses.

Exhibit A: Lawn Bottle Drying Rack

This is meant for bottles and all their tiny, moving parts... but it is a BRILLIANT wine glass drying rack. (Also works for mugs, normal glasses, and travel coffee flasks, though those are less fun.)

Exhibit B: Baby Food Storage Containers

 These came in a pack of four and are meant for storing baby food that you make yourself. They are also the perfect size for salad dressing on the go, sauce leftovers, a handful of almonds for a snack. I love the bright colors and snack size.

Exhibit C: The Glider

 We picked a glider that was upholstered so it could end up being normal furniture after it was used for feeding and rocking. It ended up just being normal furniture, and matches our guest room perfectly (okay, maybe we bought the day bed to match the chair so it was less weird). It was a great place to sit and read and do puzzles when I was recovering from my hysterectomy. It is a great snuggle spot for our cat. And when my mother-in-law stayed in that room, she enjoyed sitting and reading in that chair. So, win!

Exhibit D: Dresser

 Ah, the Fisher Price dresser that once had a changing table on it. It does still say Fisher Price on the back, but it makes a handy dandy guest bureau and holds weird odds and ends in a drawer or two. Plus it's a great place to put the lamp and stuff for guests. Are the drawers a little shallow and small for adult things? Sure. But for guests, does it matter? Resounding NO.

Exhibit E: Nursery Cube Organizer

The craft desk is new, but the cubes to the right are not. They had different colored baskets and held diapers and toys and receiving blankets and board books, but now they hold craft and giftwrapping supplies. It matches the dresser and the craft table perfectly. It's like all this stuff was meant to be in this room, repurposed and decidedly UN-nursery-like.

Exhibit F: Maternity Sweatshirt of Joy

How could I resist picking this baby up? 

My best friend came to visit! We were walking on a rail trail and some running girls yelled, "I love your sweater!" Me too, ladies. Me too. 

This I bought new from Target, just a week or so ago. But I thought it was amazingly ironic -- it's a maternity sweatshirt (why, Target, is your pajama section morphed into the maternity section so it is unclear what's what initially???) . Why, might I ask, is it necessary to make a soft cozy oversized shirt maternity? It doesn't look weirdly bagged out in the front (on me at least, unsure how to feel about that), and I love the message (and LIVE it this year in particular), so I BOUGHT IT. Even though it says MATERNITY and that's a section I never really needed to spend a lot of time in. I bought it anyway, and it gives me a perverse sense of glee to wear it.

I'm feeling pretty darn happy with the fact that we didn't just completely get rid of all things reminding us of our unsuccessful quest for children, that we kept what still made sense and can make good use of. It just all looks a little differently, like our life now.