My Baby-Rocking Rocking Chair

When I was expecting my first baby back in 1977, one thing I wanted for his/her nursery (back then we didn’t get to know the baby’s gender in advance ) was a wicker rocking chair. Visiting my then-in-laws one day, I see THE rocking chair of my dreams on their neighbors’ front porch. I told my then-MIL about it, and she immediately called them to see if they would be interested in selling it. Yes! They were! I think for $70, which seems like a lot for that time, as I look back! But that rocking chair has brought me such joy that it would be impossible to put a dollar value on it.

So when One Kings Lane invited me to do a post on a “statement chair,” I zoomed right over to their Home Décor Resource Guide (https://www.onekingslane.com/info/#.UwwKZGJdWSo), anxious to see what was there. Wow! What wealth of information, not just about wicker, but about a huge array of styles and periods and materials used in furniture making. And it’s broken down in so many easy-to-use categories: Style Overview; Period Overviews (dating back to pre-1600!). I encourage you to visit soon so you know about this great resource!

The stories of baby love that this chair could tell! I have a sweet memory of happily sitting in this rocker in the baby’s nursery, listening to a teddy bear’s music play The Teddy Bears’ Picnic. It’s where I rested when my back, tired from carrying those extra baby pounds (the first weighed 8 lbs., 8 oz., and the second a whopping 9 lbs., 6.5 oz.) begged me to stop arranging and re-arranging baby clothes in anticipation of their respective arrivals. And, of course, it’s where I rocked restless babies to soothe them back to much-needed sleep (for me!).

I never really put this chair away between my own babies and our next set of babies—grandbabies, that is. It’s mostly been in guest rooms, until that precious day when Baby Love visited our home for the first time, when she was only a few days old. Oh, the joy of holding her and rocking her in the chair where I once rocked her papá and her uncle! And then the others!

Here she is! In the babies’ room at our house.

Because we now live in a one-story, “she” probably has gotten more use in the last six years than in her first go-around in our family. This is “Ata’s chair,” where they sit on my lap to read some of their papá’s and uncle’s old books that I saved, such as~

The Giving Tree

Love you Forever

Bible Stories

Dr. Seuss

My Spanish Dictionary

The Missing Piece

Where the Sidewalk Ends

and our other “special” books.

It’s where I have the great joy of just sitting to watch them play, or rocking them to sleep. Isn’t there something so beautiful and touching about a baby asleep in your arms?

And, now that the two older ones are a getting a little big, when I hold Middle Chickadee at bedtime when they spend the night, I skooch the chair close to the bed and drape a soft blanket over my lap and the arms of the chair, so his little legs can rest over the arm of the chair and on the bed. Here, we say our prayers, talk about our day, and sing and rock and drift off to sleep {together :)}.

When babies aren’t here, she’s usually charged with keeping their bears and “bankies” safe—Baby Love’s Big Bear and her “flower” bankie; Middle Chickadee’s Ellie (the elephant :)), and Tiny Chickadee’s “Quejito”—a special Spanish name for a bunny. And she’s also my quiet place, where, in the comfort of their room and their essence, I find peace.

Now, mind you…she IS starting to show her age…after all, she wasn’t exactly young when she came into our family some 37 years ago.

Even if she was only about 20 when we acquired her, she’s getting close to 60!

And yes, a few little fingers have helped her aging process with a few breaks here and there…

But she’s STRONG…she’s good for another 37 years…  I often wonder who, of our babies, will want her and will rock his or her babies there, knowing the love that her history holds. Now, isn’t THAT what a STATEMENT CHAIR is?

Do you still have the rocking chair where you rocked your babies and grandbabies? Did it live on to the next generation? I can’t wait to hear!

A big THANK YOU to One Kings Lane for inviting me to share my beloved chair! I wasn’t compensated in any way to inform you about their awesome Home Décor Resource Guide (https://www.onekingslane.com/info/#.UwwKZGJdWSo). I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

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From my nest to yours~

Zuni