babies, bunks, and big kid beds

Last night we tried to pull maybe a few too many changes on the kids. Well, one kid in particular.

Already, things will be changing quite a bit in our house in the coming weeks--when this baby joins us. For any who don't know the current set up of our house, we have 3 bedrooms--two upstairs, one downstairs--and one upstairs living area. For the past almost year, we have used the upstairs bedrooms for sleeping rooms (TEC and I in one and the 3 kiddos in the other) and the downstairs room as our play/entertainment room where we keep the TV, toys, couches, etc.

Our house actually has quite a bit of space if you include the mother-in-law apartment that currently houses a nice newly-wed couple. Someday, probably middle of next year, we plan to start using that space ourselves and spread out into what would make a 4th bedroom, a second bathroom, and an additional living area/family room.

But until then, the changes we are facing mostly involve where we will sleep the kids, where will be the play space, etc. When we consider that eventually we will have more space, it's hard to see any "for now" set-up we come up with as ideal, but we're doing our best to make it work.

First of all, we purchased a bunk bed. Poor 5-year-old RVC has been sleeping in a little toddler bed for too long now. With some new mattresses delivered yesterday and the purchase of twin sheets to fit, she finally gets to graduate to the bottom bunk. We may shift her up and have TLC sleep on bottom, but for now, we're keeping TLC on his little bed in hopes of encouraging a smooth transition for SCC from her crib to a toddler bed.

So, a lot of changes. And it all happened last night. RVC and TLC did great--fell right asleep. SCC was fine at first--excited to get "tucked in" like her brother and sister. I sat outside the room for a while because she wasn't quite getting the "stay in bed" part, what with her new freedom from crib bars and all, and I'd have to walk her back to bed. After a while of this, I was getting tired and I asked if she wanted to go sleep in her crib (still set up upstairs). I figured I didn't want to push this on her if she wasn't ready. She said she did, so we took her blanket and went upstairs. "I'll just sleep in the crib, mom," she kept saying. But then, I think, she realized that a lot had changed upstairs. The crib was there, but her roommates weren't. And there was a big couch sitting where the little beds had...not the room she remembered. It made me sad because I could see she was confused. It wasn't long before she started saying, "I want to sleep with the kids."

Back down we went. I think we went through the process all over again...hard to remember. Finally, she was tired enough to stay in the toddler bed and fall asleep. And she slept there all night!...until about 5 am. TEC had gotten up with TLC to use the bathroom and SCC must have thought it was time for her to be awake too. After two trips down the stairs this morning to put her back in bed, I decided to stay on the couch down there. SCC was in and out of bed. Finally I got her to lay down with me on the couch. Now, we have never had our kids sleep in our beds and I was skeptical that she would even go for this idea. But she did, and even fell asleep. I can't remember the last time SCC sat still on my lap for longer than a minute let alone the last time she fell asleep in my arms. The moment was very sweet. As tired as I was, it was a while before I could fall back asleep...just savoring the soft breathing of my "baby" girl against me, her arm occasionally flaring back against my face, while feeling another baby kicking inside me.

I feel very blessed yet somewhat scared. Welcoming another baby brings so much joy, but it's also hard to let this little one who has been my baby go--grow into that phase called "kid." I get scared of forgetting things, not doing enough of the right things, not enjoying moments enough because I get overwhelmed or exhausted. So many transitions need to take place and I just hope that in the rush of it all that my love for each of them comes through--or at least that it will as we work things out together.