Ahem, a tad more advice? Please?
While not yet in the nesting phase, I am definitely in the super-ambitious, want to make everything better, oh-my-holy-god-we-are-going-to-have-three-of-them stage. I am coming up with new projects faster than I can suggest them to Sean.
Swap out the bathroom light fixture
Fashion a shelf in the bathroom
Carpet the closet floors
Paint the plant tents
Repaint/Seal the porch railings*
Paint the bedrooms
Repaint the trim
Remove the wallpaper in the addition
Fix the ceiling*
Finish the trim in the bathroom
Touch up the molding in the bathroom*
Replace kitchen sink
In defense of what could potentially look like a high-maintenance me, please note that Sean has added to the list himself: Re-Do the entire kitchen/dining room area
*All because of the sleazy roofers who botched everything they touched resulting in four fun filled years of, “Oooh, what’s leaking/rotting/breaking now?”
Most of the things on my list he’d rather I not do, so I am focused on the one project I can push for because we agree that it is necessary that it happen before the baby arrives (April, if you are wondering). Here’s where I need your help again. Wondering over here, we’ll soon be moving the girls from their current rooms into a larger room that they will share. There are details still to be ironed out, like How the hell we’ll manage the transfer of our unwieldy clothes storage situation and buying the girls new beds, but let’s put that aside for now and take advantage of the vast wealth of mama wisdom out there.
In theory the girls will thrive together, each night they plead and negotiate that we do our bedtime rituals together. They run to and from each other’s rooms. They ask to sleep together. So it should work, right? Seems to me that the one thing I have learned in these three years of being a mom:
When it comes to sleep, nothing makes sense.
So my question: Are they going to flip? Are there things we can do to prep? Suggestions you have?
Added incentive to offer advice: I’d be happy to send you the name of our “roofer” for future practical jokes you might like to pull on anyone that you’re looking to really punish.
Oh. Again I feel useless. Only 2 kids, a boy and a girl. If they shared it was only because one of them was scared, usually my daughter would run to sleep on her brother's floor.
I have no clue how to manage that. š
But I CAN say – April is a wonderful time to have a baby! It's spring – the weather is wild and wonderful and the air is full of possibility!
Oh, did I mention I was born in April? Yeah, there's that. š
Hope someone gives you some good advice.
I think they'll be fine. When two of our girls had to move in together we made it exciting by doing their room up. They jointly chose the clours and they received new co ordinated bedding.
We didn't really have time to practice before the boys moved in but if I had time before a baby came into the house, I would ease them in a few months before, so they could get used to each other's little quirks… one of mine liked the light on and the other the light off, so we compromised with a soft night light.
That sort of thing.
Hope everything goes smoothly for you.
PS, I'll pass on the roof guys, thanks. LOL
My two older kids routinely ask to sleep together in the basement family room on weekends. Hailey would sleep with someone in the hosue every night, if we let her.
I think the girls will adjust fine. My only advice would be to impelement the changes in the sleeping routine way before the baby comes, so they aren't adjusting to a new sleeping arrangement and the soothing nighttime sounds of newborn.
I feel your roof pain. A previous owner decided that a flat roof over our addition would be a knock out idea. They forgot that we live in a climate of seasons and precipitation. Ugh.
i bet it would work–lots of kids share and do fine. but my fear would be that they would keep each other up late… just a thought.
I agree with Tiff about letting the girls pick out the colors and bedding. I shared a room with my younger sister until I got sick with mono in high school. The only part of the room we were allowed to decorate was the back of the door – where I hung my Kirk Cameron poster… later replaced by Luke Perry.
PS – If you ever need help don't hesitate to call – Jim is very handy and comes with his own ladder!
Oh, I am so excited for the girls. My sister and I shared a room for 12 years, and I can still remember staying up late into the night giggling or worrying above her in the bunk bed we had.
I would echo everyone's sentiment about having it done well before the baby comes. I would probably start with some "slumber parties" for the girls, making it fun and novel, and then work towards making it a more regular occurance?
I love you guys! Brilliant advice. Yes, we plan to do it well in advance of April. The girls will get to pick colors and help decorate, though I made out like a bandit on Disney.com one day and we have oodles of stuff already ferreted away.
Christine, I can't imagine they could make the bedtime ordeal last any longer than it does now. We start at 7 and often aren't done until 9, snif snif, which means that on Tuedays I miss the first 30 minutes of Biggest Loser – I know, I'm shallow.
Two Shews, I love the idea of slumber parties to prep for the transition.
I am so glad you posted this! I was just contmeplating the same thing with my two kids. Though, I just want an extra room for crafting! š
We tried putting our girls together and failed.
My only advice? Be prepared for late nights of giggling and jumping on the bed. If you can get through that, you will be fine.
Good Luck!
Our boys share a room, and they stay awake talking to each other for about an hour. It's cute to hear the things they scheme up when they think we aren't listening.
Trust me, it will work.
There isn't much I wouldn't give to go back to sharing a room with my sisters.
Make it fun; prepare for duct tape running down the middle of the room to denote where exactly, the boundaries that MUST NOT BE ENCROACHED UPON are, ignore the giggles you hear coming from the room….
That's the best I can do.
dude, I got nothin'.
It will be totally fine. We did the same thing with Eldest and Middle (bunk beds) and fortunately, Eldest is a good, sound sleeper, so when Middle fusses in the wee hours, Eldest stays sound asleep.
I think, though, when Baby is ready to be done with the crib (never if I can help it!), that he and Middle will share the bunk beds and Eldest will get his own room.
I haven't done this with my own as we stopped at 2 and have 3 bedrooms… BUT. I would imagine your girls will be just fine! I think it's wise to do it much before April so when they are 16 and hate you they can't say that you kicked them out of their own rooms for the sibling that you love more than them because you didn't love them. š
We condensed tow girls in one room when we were expecting Rowan. We used reverse psychology to get them hooked on the idea. First we through out the problem – where can we put the new baby? After we proved to them that the tree house wouldn't work, we gently brought them around to thinking that them sharing a room was their idea. Then we said, :"Oh no, that would never work! You would fight and stay up too late and have too much fun! They spent weeks trying to convince us of something that was really not even negotiable. Then we gave in reluctantly and made a big deal about 'giving it a try.'
My Bean was an April baby – a snow pea – what a glorious time to give birth!