IKEA Rocker Mod

More Mid-Century, Less Frumpy

   The Lillberg rocker has the right aesthetic, but has been quite uncomfortable since day one. We live in a pretty remote area, and the closest Ikea is seven hours away. When we were putting together our nursery we decided to assemble a suite to match our other birch bedroom furniture.
   We had the entire order freighted to our house. So we did not have the benefit of trying before buying. Per usual, my easygoing wife did not really see the problem, but I knew the rocking chair could be better.
   The oversize cushions offered little support and were quite lumpy. After spending some time with this chair, I realized that the back was too reclined to get in to a tolerable position. As you know by now, I am not one that is not willing to give up on an item I paid good money for. And once again thinking out-of-the-box proved fruitful. With a little research I found that the Lillberg cushion dimensions were close to "deep seat" cushions used on outdoor furniture. I was able to find a pair of firm cushions at Target that fit perfectly. The best part is they are waterproof, which you could not ask for more in a nursery rocker.
   That resolved the seating, but the back angle was still off. I pulled out a set of quick clamps and played around with adjusting the angle. We came to an agreement and I used a simple wood screw with a steel bushing as a new backstop. The rocker is perfect and my son enjoys his bedtime story sitting beside me. Another very specific solution to improve upon a piece from Ikea.

IKEA Changing Table Hack

Ikea Sniglar Changing Table

   This mod is not the heavy lifting I am known for, but parenting has a way of subtly changing you. I thought this project might benefit someone that has purchased a Sniglar changing table and can no longer find a Gullunge changing pad that fits the top.
   We live in a small house and needed to keep our newborn in our room. We were stressed over this decision, but the Sniglar helped because of the small footprint. We paired this with a Fisher Price sleeper and our problems were solved, so we thought. At the time of purchase, Ikea was not selling the Gullunge changing pad online. I sought one out, but found that they all had vanished, apparently a recall. This left us with an odd dimensioned table without a pad.
   We knew Joann Fabrics sold foam by the sheet and that was a start. The key would be a waterproof cover, this is not even debatable. So with impending childbirth, I threw everything I had at the problem. I ordered 18" x 27" embossed fleece pads from Babies' R ' Us. These were nice for a soft top and waterproof, but did nothing to enclose the foam. We were chasing down another idea at Target, when I found waterproof covers for standard pillows. It turned out to be a perfect fit, Rock On! 

Custom Changing Pad

   The fleece pads are still nice to have on top of the custom pad so they can easily be swapped out in an inevitable emergency. My new son managed to put the pad to the test the second night. No need for explicit descriptions here.
   We also want to mention a must have accessory for 3:00 AM diaper changes. Energizer has a gooseneck, clip on LED light that is awesome. It is bright and manageable with one hand. Nice for the spouse sleeping in the same room. I know this is a very specific post, but it is a great solution for a unique problem.



Brand New Dude

   My second son joined us Thursday night and a heavy weight has lifted. Our first son's delivery was pretty rough on my wife and child. The experience put a healthy amount of fear in me. With all the modern advances, there is still a lot of potential danger involved in live childbirth.
   A lot of clarity has returned to my mind and I have been contemplating what to write next, then it became pretty clear. I am a stay at home dad and damn proud of it. It has allowed my family to live a life that would otherwise be unaffordable.
   You might think this is counterintuitive, but it really depends on your perspective and what you value. If a McMansion is on your list of successes, then this probably does not apply to you.
   I have gone against convention since my early teens and it comes pretty naturally. It is a shame that I still feel stigmatized for choosing this path. What would happen to the precious unemployment rate if one parent out of every family stayed home and reared the kids? It is clearly not for everyone.
   It is appropriate that I give my son an honorable mention. His pregnancy guided me to write down my thoughts as a new way to express myself. As we settle into a routine, I look forward to getting back to covering my unique, custom made, DIY projects.

Groundhog Day

   My wife rocks. Let's go ahead and put that out there. We had a pretty good session Sunday and it really lightened the mood. So again, let me remind you that my wife is now past her due date and rockin' steady beats. We covered some old classics from our band including "Lil' Lady."
   I wrote this song during our first pregnancy to deal with my fears of fatherhood. We recorded this song live while she was carrying our oldest son in utero. It is hard to see her in this video, but she is eight months preggers. She reads this blog and I wanted her to know how awesome she is. I knew she was tough, but after her first delivery, I knew how badass she really was. Hopefully, the next post will be about our fashionably late son.