Tummy talk- 'Happy intrusion' creates new look

By Jane Han

There was a time when I promised myself that no matter how many children I have, I’d keep my house looking baby free. I’ve always loved kids of all ages, but I don’t know, something about walking into a baby-ridden house isn’t my ideal home environment.

I wanted to keep my soft, cream-colored rugs, ivory sofa and other furniture mostly in off-white hues. Yes, I’m sort of obsessed with the whole bright and white color scheme.

But with just a little over a month left till the babies come, my house has already taken on a whole new identity.

The cream-colored rug that once graced the center of my living room has been replaced with the ever-so-popular and flamboyant Alzip mat that comes in bright green, yellow, pink and purple.

Can’t picture the scene? Think of it this way: You walk in the front door; the mat is immediately the first thing that comes to sight.

The presence of this mat itself says that a baby resides on the property. But at my modest two-bedroom condo, there’s more that shouts baby land.

Next to the mat are two bunny-shaped bouncers, which ended up pushing out the existing ivory leather love seat to the storage room. Opposite the bouncers are two playgyms and a storage bin full of rattles, teeters, infant toys and books. And on the other side of the living room is a bassinet (a compact crib, for those unfamiliar with the world of baby vocabulary) readily set up for the girls’ nap time.

Basically, the only major “adult aspect” surviving in the living room is the television, which will probably begin showing quite different content with two infants present.

But gazing at my living room as I write this, I’m actually thinking that the new look isn’t all that bad: very pastel, very cute and very happy-looking. Who doesn’t like happy, right?

But space, or lack thereof, is certainly an issue once a baby arrives.

My husband and I didn’t realize how tight this unit was until baby stuff started coming in one after another. The nursery alone isn’t enough to hold all the necessary items to raise a child.

At one point or another, they’ve got to overflow to the living room, kitchen, bathroom, master bedroom and every other possible inch of space in the house. Whether you like it or not, it will happen.

I’m thinking hard to come up with a useful tip to make the “happy intrusion” less intrusive. But frankly, there is no tip. Really.

As a semi-obsessed neat freak, I definitely know how painful it is to see perfectly arranged items get shuffled around. But trust me, it’s not because of a messy husband or an unwelcome guest. When you know it’s because of a baby you love and once you start envisioning your child in the very space you’re decorating, things take on a completely new perspective.

Sure, there isn’t any need to stress if couples start out with a spacious house that has plenty of room for baby anything. But for us ordinary people, just know that rearranging the house isn’t the end of the world. There is going to be a lot of other rearranging in life that is going to drive parents nuts, or so I hear.

I’m not looking forward to that part just yet, but as for now, I’m enjoying relaxing on the Alzip mat. Need to test out the cushion, you know.