Refinished antique cradle

This cradle was made in 1897 by my great great grandfather in Pentz, Nova Scotia. Its first occupant was his daughter, my great grandmother. Since then her siblings and many of her descendants have slept in it, including myself.
Two and a half weeks before my wife’s due date we picked up the cradle. It had been refinished in the ‘60s and the shellac finish was showing its age so I decided to refinish it and also to fix the loose joints where the legs connect to the uprights. Eight days before my wife’s due date I had the stand taken apart and stripped and ready to put back together, and the cradle itself about 1/3 stripped. On that day, March 10, our second son was born. For his first few days at home he slept in the portable crib that we have. My father and I spent the following weekend stripping the rest of the cradle and putting three coats of garnet shellac on it. I also made a bottom for it out of 1/4” birch plywood that just sits on the three existing slats. It was finished 6 days after our son was born, which, according to the original “schedule” means I finished it 2 days early. :-)