Co-Sleeping Transition

The room as it has been for the past year.

We've been working on making Mabel's room a bigger part of her life. Although we've had it decorated and set up for her, we have been co-sleeping since she was about 4 months old. We started transitioning M to her own bed about 8 months ago, then the first trimester icks kicked in and I wasn't up for any sort of change. As my belly goes from giant to gargantuan, and since we went from king sized bed to queen, sleeping has been a little tight. Now we're back at transitioning, which hasn't been particularly easy (neither C nor I thought it would be). I've been sleeping in her room, so I'm still close by, but told her at the outset I would sleep in there 8 times. Other than that, we've been trying different tactics to make our little one feel more like her room is her special place.

One of my first thoughts was to let her pick out the sheets for her bed. I started looking around at sheets online, but decided I wanted to feel them before splurging on sheets. I also couldn't imagine a good way to present the options to Mabel in a way that felt tangible. By the time we'd receive the sheets she would've forgotten all about them, and the novelty of making her own choice would've long lost its sparkle. 

Garnet Hill Painted Ponies ($68 for twin sheet set); Land of Nod Field Guide ($69.00 for twin sheet set);  Circo Pretty Horses ($17.99 for twin sheet set at Target);  Land of Nod Princess and the Pea ($79.00 for twin sheet set)


M and I took a trip to Target and made it to the bedding section just in time for an emotional collapse of her 3 year old spirit; sobs followed by a determined declaration that she was not going to sleep in her own bed.  I realized the choices were far too overwhelming, the change was too forced feeling, and we went home without the sheets. Fast forward to yesterday: another trip to Target. I had it in my mind that we were going to pick out a set of solid sheets for her bed and use fabric markers to make them her own. Straight to the solids, I asked if she liked the pinkish color they had, she said she wanted the blue ones. Blue it was! En route leaving the sheets, though, we saw another set with a cute little horse pattern and she said she wanted those, too! Success!

We're 3 nights into the transition, and it's been tough on all of us. I know co-sleeping is a touchy subject and everyone has a different opinion, but there are many different approaches to parenting. Plus, as my dad says, "There are enough ways for everybody." So yeah, we're finding our way. 

Progress

We picked up the new bed this weekend, but since we're still switching the studio over from this room to the former bedroom, we haven't finished painting the floor...which means no rug in the new bedroom yet. Still, it's progress.

I had a chance to work on the knot painting again, while the little one tested out the new bed (nap time!) but made it too mauvey/muddy for my taste, so let's just consider it still in-progress. 

Simply Simple

For about a week I was reading The Architecture of Happiness, but after a slow day at work, clicking through a long list links I read about the book me to Simplicity Parenting. The closer we get to 32" due date, the more we've been trying to create a comfortable transition for M. That book sounded like just the approach we could use: one of emotional support, without trying to control the natural emotions M is feeling. I bought the book and have been reading little blurbs to Charlie ever since.

A few points that stuck out: 

• Don't let your fears for your child outweigh your hopes.
• When it's hardest to want to show your child love is when they need it most. (And when it seems nearly impossible, call their favorite aunt, grandma or grandpa and get them to list all of the things that make your child so especially lovably special until your ears fall off from sweetness. Then go love on that kid.)
• Sometimes we all need to be grounded. . . as in "getting our feet firmly back on the ground" and away from excess stress, stuff, and whatever else overwhelms.

PS: I think Bluebird Baby covers simplicity parenting at its best, lovely pictures and all.  

Green flowers, walls, and floors

Lenten roses are in full bloom right now, and I think the colors are perfect inspiration for our soon-to-be bedroom.  The floor is about 1/3 painted with a first coat. You can see in the picture below the odd stain color that is meant to match the red oak throughout the rest of the house. The dark spots are discoloration from the 30+ year old carpet padding. The floors are pine and in not great shape.

We've tried to refinish the floors that are worth it throughout the house and decided the work involved in getting this area up to snuff would just plain be too much. Why am I rationalizing this decision to you? Because the guy at the hardware store made me rationalize it to him, so I feel like it's some sort of sin to want to paint wood flooring.

The brighter green (above) is the first coat and still wet. It darkens into a nice deep pea green when dry (below). The color is Sherwin Williams SW6180 Oakmoss, though I didn't see a latex floor option at SW, so I bought a latex floor/porch paint from Lowes. Next I'll nix the green walls, but since we have enough navy to get the job done I'll use that up, noting that I'd rather a soft neutral pink in its place.

Our pretend nest

After about a month and a half of horrible pregnancy sleep (bad dreams, sore hips, tossing and turning, waking up every 2 hours to pee) C and I finally caved and realized it was time for a new mattress. We've had a few beds since getting married, switching from a queen to a king somewhere along the way. The actual king bed frame was too big for the room, so we sold it on Craigslist, put the mattress on the floor with a headboard/shelf built by the Mr. and we've been sleeping that way ever since.

King beds are big, and C and I decided we wanted to sleep closer together, so now it's back to the queen size. First we found the frame, then we found the mattress. Naturally the excitement of a new bed brought on a full-fledged case of nesting, so I've been pinning and dreaming up what I'd like to seen in my own restful bedroom. Keep in mind we have the charcoal carpet, the bedside table, the long arm sconces, and the painting.
 

As an aside, and to make it clear I'm not actually on a spending spree, just daydreaming. I also feel I need to share some background: these little projects lately were updates necessary prior  to getting an appraiser back in the house as part of the mortgage loan process. We've had one appraiser who gave us value far, far less than the actual property value, and a list of repairs to be made before the bank funding goes through. While we've completed the necessary repairs, we realize a bit of paint here and there will benefit us greatly. Basically we're staging our own house so we can buy it. Cracks need repairing, paint needs touch ups, ceilings need replacing. Other than that, there are a variety of finishes on the hardwoods upstairs, so to unify the space we're going to paint the floor.