Cradle of love

The wooden cradle is the focal point of the space where we live, as it has been since we brought our Lulu Bean home. She likes to stay close to us, so her daytime naps take place in the eye of the storm while the hustle and bustle of the household carries on around her.

The cradle is not just a place to plonk our clingy little one for a toilet break—to me it represents the space this infant occupies in our lives, the centre of our home and our universe. To me it represents the peace, warmth and softness of a newborn. It is so much more than a simple piece of furniture. It is love.

Lulu Bean is getting too big and mobile for the cradle. Her arms and legs sometimes poke out and she will soon have nowhere to shuffle on her back. Our little family is complete so the cradle's days are numbered. It's going to be incredibly hard to say goodbye, even though we couldn't ask for a better new home. There will be a void where it used to sit, both literally and symbolically. Saying goodbye to this piece of furniture means we are saying goodbye to ever having a newborn in the house again, and all the wonder and magic of getting to know them in those early, hazy days.