I was worried. So was the hubs. We had the best possible plans and intentions, but had no idea how it would be perceived. Still, this was our best option, so we had to go with it, consequences be damned.
We have a four bedroom home. Right now, all four of those bedrooms are occupied by myself/hubs, my oldest son, my youngest son and the au pair. So, the question was . . . where does the new baby go? We could have easily put him in a bassinet in our room, but that would only be a temporary solution and I have always been of the mind set to start them out early in the crib so they get used to it quickly.
Once upon a time, my youngest son’s room was a nursery. In fact, it’s pretty much the only room in the house that I actually spent time designing and decorating, as he arrived soon after we moved into the house. It has green/brown/tan painted stripes under a white chair rail with tan paint above and an adorable jungle theme. The only thing that has changed over the past six years of my son’s life is the bed. So, we decided . . . his room would once again become the nursery, and we would move him in with his brother. In order to make this a reality, we needed to get bunk beds for the boys.
They have wanted bunk beds for a while now, ever since we flirted with the idea of getting them a couple of years ago but never pulled the trigger. So, we were hoping that the excitement of finally getting those much coveted beds would trump the disappointment of them both losing their bedroom autonomy. We were already creating a middle child by having this baby, but now we were taking away my youngest’s sanctuary and making him bunk with his older brother. Like I said, we were worried as to how they would react.
Despite our trepidation, I found a perfect bed online and ordered it for delivery in early October. Being the cowards that we are, we wanted to wait as long as possible before we had to tell the boys that they were going to be sharing a room, and have the beds delivered then. But finally, we could wait no more, and we had to pull the trigger.
When we broke the news, we were surprised at how excited they were. They couldn’t have been happier. And while we were cautiously optimistic about their reaction, we still wanted to see how they would react once the reality of the situation presented itself. After sharing the news, we took action . . . removing my oldest’s existing bed and moving around some of the furniture in preparation for the upcoming delivery of the new beds. Then we waited . . .
Oldest son’s original room . . .
Room without bed.
The bunk beds arrived two days later and were set up and ready to go by the time my kids got home from school. When I returned from work, I found my boys upstairs, hanging out on their new beds. And loving them! They were so excited, it was like Christmas day. My oldest got the top bunk, which he thought was super cool. My youngest got the bottom, Full sized bed with a brand new mattress, and he said it was super comfy and soft. In fact, they loved their new bunks so much, that they without being told, took Clorox wipes to the dusty parts of it (the stairs, inside the cabinets, the top of the ceiling fan that was head height to the top bunk) and cleaned their brand new beds. Phew! Sigh of relief.
New bed.
My little animals enjoying their new bunks.
Since then, we have managed to somehow get all of my youngest’s clothing into the room, and with the addition of a new bookcase, have been able to organize their books and other items. So far, they seem to be enjoying the new set up, and I even found them sleeping together on the bottom bed a couple of nights . . . giggling and talking as if they actually like each other! So, I’m tentatively calling Project Combined Room Bunk Beds a success!
Now, I just need to get the baby’s room organized. Anyone want to volunteer to help me locate all of the boxes full of baby clothes in my basement storage room? I’m sure after six years, they will be super easy to find. Oh, and then there’s the massive amounts of washing to be done once those clothes are found. Seriously, people . . . I may actually need a village, so get your asses over here!
Misty's Laws 