Another new crush

Oh Craigslist, how I love you so. Seriously. I love this free service. So I wanted a toddler bed for Meg. I went on Craigslist, did some trolling and found a cute one nearby for $20. Sold. Then when it was clear we needed a second mattress to go with it, I went back on Craigslist, did some sorting by neighborhood and found one less than a mile away for $30. Done. Sure, they're both used, but both are in good condition and perfect for my needs. It's so easy! Why didn't I do this earlier.

Now I'm looking around the house during some spring clearning and holding a virtual garage sale. I've been hawking some of the bigger kids' toys that they never play with anymore. Today I sold an awkward piece of kids' furniture for $40. I know! I got $40 and the guy came and carried in away. Next weekend I think I'm going to sell the weight bench no one has touched in two years.

As for the big girl bed, Meg slept in it one night last week. She did fine going to sleep (it helped that it was late because Bjorn was gone and I tried to do too much so she was exhausted). The problem was when she woke up screaming at 6 a.m., which is before my wake up time. I did manage to coerce her into my bed where we snuggled for another hour, sleeping off and on. It was marginally better than trying to sleep on an airplane, what with the poking and kicking, but I did really love it.

Letting the terrorist win

Aw, sleeping baby. Adorable, right? Young Margaret actually has it out for me (and herself) these days. We've been having several power struggles where she looks right at me and does something she's not supposed to, like hitting or running into the street. I think it's a ploy for attention so I need to think about how best to address it. While she doesn't like being told "no" by everyone in the house, she definitely gets attention by it so I need to shift the dialogue and the attention to catching her doing something good. That has to exist, right? Right?

She's back to sleeping in the crib...for now. I am going to further remove everything interesting from the room and then try again. I initially thought this weekend, but maybe I'll wait a couple more weeks. She's also very interested in potty training right now (my girl went no. 1 and no. 2 on the toilet this morning!) so I might take one huge milestone at a time.

Operation big girl bed = fail

Young Margaret has figured out how to get out of her bed. I am not pleased by this development. Naturally I only want change in my children when it's charming and predictable, not when it affects my important television watching schedule.

Our of fear that she'd fling herself out and get hurt, I went on Craigslist -- the most awesome garage sale in the history of the world -- and found a cute little toddler bed. A cherry finish sleigh bed. I opted for the toddler bed, basically a low to the ground bed with rails that takes the crib mattress vs. a twin. For one, I liked that it takes up a lot less space in her relatively small room. And two, it's just so, so cute.

I moved Andy up to a twin  bed when he was ready to move out of the crib and I hated those add-on bed rails. I never could get it to work that great and they always felt flimsy.

Bjorn picked up the bed for me at the bargain price of $15 and brought it home. I invested in a cute new sheet and a Dora blanket and we were all set. On Friday at nap time when I knew she was tired, I made a big deal of her new bed. We read a book, sat nicely and I rubbed her back until she was almost asleep. It should have been perfect. Then about 20 minutes later, I heard the noise of a toy. So I went in, removed all the toys, put her back in bed. This continued for about another 40 minutes when I finally put her back into her crib.

I tried not to get too discouraged. Bjorn did the same routine come the evening and after about an hour, he too put her in the crib. After more of the same yesterday, I moved the bed out to the carport. We'll try it again in a week. Or never.

Movin' on up

Young Margaret probably only has hours left before she moves up to a toddler bed. Hours. I had planned to keep her in her crib until the summer, but the little bugger has demonstrated she can just bend at the waist just right and try to get out. She hasn't successfully gotten out. Yet. But the clock is ticking. I have casually been looking at toddler beds. I have some specific wants. I want either a bed that uses a crib mattress or a twin, but I don't want to get one of those in between beds that requires a whole new set of sheets. Right now, we're down to three sizes -- twin, crib and queen.

I am loathe to go to the toddler bed. Unlike Andy who I don't think realized he could get out of his twin bed for probably two months, Meg absolutely knows. And absolutely knows how to open the door knob already. On my list is one of those door handle protectors to keep her from letting herself out. I also will have to bolt everything to the wall that isn't already or take it out. She's turning out to be quite the thrower these days. Sigh.

All this is at a time when she's been struggling to go to bed. Last night the little brat darling refused to finally go to bed until after 10:45 p.m. She might have been up later, but I finally crashed. It's now almost 10 p.m. and she's finally quieted down after a 90 minute struggle where poor Baby Elmo and Daddy Elmo were sacrificed overboard as she protested the sheer injustice of bedtime.

Great room swap of 2010

Below are pictures from the Great Room Swap of 2010 when we switched three kids' rooms all in one day. We moved Meg from the yellow room into the middle room with the carpet. We moved Andy's stuff into the baseball room that had been Mark's and moved Mark into the yellow room. In the meantime, we threw away a ton of crap, including the carpet in the middle room. It was a pretty remarkable effort. Jennifer helped and it was fantastic having another adult so Bjorn and she could move stuff while I wrangled kids out of harm's way or vice versa. Everything looked pretty amazing for about a day.

The last picture is one Andy took just this weekend of his room as it now, complete with Legos strewn everywhere. Sure, it's good for his development, but it's a pain to step on one of those little suckers at 3 a.m. when I am returning him to his bed after a bad dream.

At least she comes by it honestly

The above picture is from last month. Meg climbed up to start attacking the gingerbread house/hovel the kids put together. The second is a picture of me on November 8, 1974, my older sister's birthday. Elizabeth must have received a barbie, some shampoo/lotion and I return, I sat on the kitchen table enjoying her loot. The expressions are not the same, but I certainly recognize her expessions in this old(er?) picture of myself.

Today was a big day. We moved Andy into Mark's room, Meg into Andy's and Mark into Meg's. Mark actually has far less stuff and spends a lot less time in his room so it made sense to make the move. I always intended to do this year, just not necessarily now. But with Mark coming home, it made sense to make the switch before he started back here full-time. Meg is still in her crib. I intend to move her into a crib in the somewhat near future, but now that her crib is happily assembled in her new room, I am not in such a huge hurry.

Flipped over

When Mark left for college, he took his bed and the rest of his furniture with him leaving an empty room. I have spent the past few weeks cleaning it out and removing a baseball wallpaper border that was there when we moved it.

Mark and Ahmed then painted last weekend and we finished up the painting yesterday. We then moved the bookshelves, put in an extra twin mattress and some toys and the result is a guest room/playroom. This is excellent as we now have a place for Mark to sleep when he comes back to visit.

While we were getting all feng shui, Bjorn flipped Andy's bed over so he now has a loft bed (see new pictures added to Flickr). Andy is absolutely thrilled about it, too. I'm a little nervous about him being up so high, but the advantage of the bed being flipped over is that the bed now has built in guard rails as the mattress is about 6 inches lower than top of the rail. The cool thing is that the bed being up higher (about four feet so not nearly as high as a bunk bed) is that he has a little "castle" underneath it now where we've put some toys. I know, it's a shame this kid doesn't have anything to play with.

The saga of the new bed

The new bed is turning out to be quite a dramatic element in our house. Last night I spent an hour or so showing Andy how it could be flipped upside down to put the bed on the floor or on the top bunk. He loved it, but he sorely missed the "tunnel" (space created when the bed is set up as a twin as the guard rails for the top bunk shield the space under the bed so it can only be accessed through the hole left in the ladder) so I then had to move the bed back. Fortunately, it's not heavy, just awkward to move in a small room that is fairly crowded.

Then tonight, I went in to check on him after putting him to bed only to find he had crawled out of bed. Fortunately, before I had a chance to panic, I heard him say, "Mommy, I'm sleeping in my tunnel." Otherwise, I would have freaked wondering where in the world he had gone to and probably convinced myself he'd been kidnapped or something else horrible.

Photos are stock shots from Ikea, you know, how it would look if the house was organized and color coordinated. The left one is how it would work as a bunk bed though as I could put a bed on top and then underneath as well. Unfortunately, Andy didn't like the bed like this. At least this week. Bugger. With the right photo, you can see the space left by the ladder. When it's flipped over, there is plenty of room for a 2 1/2 year old to wiggle underneath and disappear.

Wow

So Andy slept through the night not realizing he was sleeping in his new bed so we heard him when he woke up saying, "Wow! Wow! Wow!" as he examined it, complete with starry tent. He was quite excited. I love that he loves it.

The only drawback is with the new bed we went ahead and took off the guard rail we had because the new setup makes it hard enough to get in and out of for adults without that there. Unfortunately, he did fall off the bed during his nap today and never quite got back to sleep after that. Bjorn is ready to give away the guard rail, but I thinking we should hang on to it for a few weeks just in case.

New bed

The bed Andy's been sleeping on the past six months was actually a hand-me-down from my friend Liz. I think it might have been hers growing up. We have loved it and used it off and on as either a primary bed or a guest bed. For Andy, I tried to spruce it up by painting it white, but I did a terrible job and it has been really bothering me. I had been doing some research and found a cool loft-esque bed that we finally settled on and bought today. The cool thing about it is it's a low bed or a high bed. For now, it will be a low bed with the fun tent over it. When he gets older, we can flip it over and create a little play area underneath.

Bjorn was a champ and put the whole thing together mostly by himself over what seemed like three hours. In the excitement coming home from Ikea, I suggested we install it immediately, thinking it wouldn't take longer than an hour. But about the hour and half mark, Andy actually cried, "I'm tired," so I put him to sleep in my bed where he actually went to sleep.

Afterwards, it was late so I just carried Andy into his new bed. I tried to talk to him and let him know about his new bed and not be scared, but he refused to budge. Fingers crossed the night is uneventful.

When toothpaste attacks

After school last night, Andy was a little cranky so he suggested he go to bed for a little bit. Usually 15 minutes of being quiet, chilling in his bed, flipping through Thomas books helps him settle down into being his adorable self again. Last night, I was in the basement listening to him and he was quiet, like sleeping quiet, for nearly half an hour. I took the silence to mean he really needed the break. I went up after a bit to see if he was ready for dinner only to find him covered in sticky, clear stuff on his face. He'd had a bit of a runny nose so I started to clean off his face only to realize he had taken his toothbrush and toddler toothpaste and squeezed it all over himself and his bed. It was lovely.

I gave him a bath and eventually put him to bed in new sheets. This morning, unfortunately, I discovered that he'd gotten it on a part of his bedspread and one of his dogs, too, so now I get to wash all his bedding and perhaps the new sheets as well. Curious little buggers, aren't they?

Fish out of water

I woke up about 4 a.m. last night to the howls of one of the cats who had been left outside. Apparently she'd done all the whoring around that a spayed cat does at that hour and was ready for dinner and some sleep. On my way back to bed, I checked on Andy out of habit. Little guy was asleep at the foot of his bed with his head, chest and arms on the bed with his legs hanging off the side. Neither of us woke up to him crying so I can only imagine at some point he got up to get something, perhaps another Thomas book, and fell asleep on the way back. He wasn't upset, but I went ahead and moved him into his normal spot so it would feel more normal when he woke up.

Crazy little guy. The bed is completely blocked off on three sides yet he still manages to fall out somehow. I can't quite explain it, but I'm somewhat impressed by this.

Fireworks

For the 4th, Bjorn ended up buying us a huge assortment from Costco. They were great, even if Mark and his girlfriend declared them lame because they weren't the kind that shot up high in the sky (course, considering all the problems with the local fireworks, there was no way we could compete with mortar rounds into the crowd, thankfully). Andy liked them although the really noisy ones scared him and he had to be reassured that no one was getting hurt. After that, he really liked the colorful ones. Especially the ones with green in them. No surprise there.

We stayed up too late shooting off the fireworks so that somehow in the night, Andy wiggled all the way to the end of the bed and fell off the side. At 3:49 a.m. I heard the thud first and my instincts popped me out of bed before the first wail, which was loud. It's the kind of wail you know immediately is the cry of injury and not wanting apple juice over orange juice. Poor guy was really sleepy and scared, and so was I until I woke up enough to realize everything was okay. Fortunately, after a bit of hugging and calming him down, we all went back to sleep.

Operation Big Boy Bed, Photo Montage

A not great angle view of his old room. It was pretty tiny.

The room halfway through the move. I had gotten my computer and the rugs out, but Bjorn's computer, the desks and the bed still had to go.

The ultimate pack rat, I actually saved this carpet when we pulled up the carpet upstairs when we moved in. I have no idea why I picked this room over the others, but it was a nice square piece and I thought we might need it someday. I was right. It still has some lumps, but it's getting better.

The crib in pieces to be put into the attic. I did find myself a little wistful remembering how I was 8 3/4 months pregnant trying to put that sucker together. I will say it was much easier getting it apart than putting it together.

The new setup. As you can see, there is tons more room.

Operation Big Boy Bed, Part Three

It just took three days, but Andy has figured out how to climb out of his bed. Witness tonight's bedtime fiasco where he climbed out and I heard him on the floor banging something against the bottom of the door. Nice. He's just so darn big now that I can hardly pick him up and put him back in bed now if he doesn't want to. I'm also finding reasoning with a cranky toddler to be a futile effort. Funny, it took me a while to figure out when he was little that I was in charge of everything. Now that it's a few years later, I'm totally comfortable being in charge so his attempts to exert control over his life is causing some friction for all of us.

The 10 foot furniture swap of moving rooms is still not complete and the very thought of it depresses me after all the effort we did last weekend. Last up is switching closets. Andy's closet has wire shelving that I've used as his dresser for the past two years. The other closet has two filing cabinets and 200 vinyl albums on the shelves left over from when Bjorn was in high school (not that we're pack rats or anything). The closets are shaped differently so it's going to require some thought as to what will go where. Groan. I would leave them where they are, but that's a lot of walking back and forth some days. Bjorn has also announced his intention to be done with this whole project so I have a feeling I'm going to be trying to move these filing cabinets by myself. That should be interesting. I keep trying to convince Bjorn that after this project, I'm really done for a long while, but I don't think he believes me.

The move also somehow zapped our router so I haven't been able to upload any of my pictures. Bjorn talked to the folks at Verizon who couldn't have been more helpful, but Linksys' crappy help line makes you wait 45 minutes and then says you have to pay to talk to someone. Jackasses.

In lieu of actual photos, here's a picture of the bedspread. I haven't gotten him the sheets or sham. Yet. He does have one pillow case though. It was on sale for $3.87 at Wal-Mart. How could I refuse?

Operation Big Boy Bed continued

We spent most of yesterday moving things around and I'm pleased to say it's finally looking good. Andy's room is set up with a twin bed, diaper table, bookshelf and chair. Andy's old room now has the carpet pulled up, both desks and the bookshelf. Unfortunately, our Linsys router has decided to stop working again so we're down for one computer temporarily. We're also exhausted! Who knew moving so little stuff just between two rooms would be so much work?

Andy took his first nap in the bed just fine (photos to come once I can get back to my computer and upload them). He did wake up in the night last night with a leaky diaper that had naturally leaked onto his new bed and sheets. I may need to invest in a plastic liner to get us through the toddler years.

We also went to my nephew's opening day Little League baseball game. I forget that baseball is boooring. No offense to the kids playing, but there was a lot of standing around waiting for a play to happen. At least with soccer or basketball, there is always some motion no matter how uncoordinated the kids are. Plus, there is a time clock. We left after two hours and apparently it goes until 2 1/2 hours. It was fun to watch. Well, for the first hour at least. By the end, even the kids seemed tired and bored.

The funny thing I noticed about baseball dads is that by and large they have more facial hair than soccer dads. Goatees and mustaches were present all more than half the men at the games. The park near us has both soccer and baseball so I've been noticing this trend for a while. Bjorn didn't believe me until we got to the game and he saw it with his own eyes. I wonder what's up with that?

Fungal infection

I took Andy back to the doctor today. He now is down to an ear infection in just one ear, better than two ears, but a pain that he still has one. She also looked at the mystery rash that still hasn't gone away. The latest diagnosis is that it's some type of fungal infection (i.e. yeast infection of some kind) and recommended Lotrimin. Let's hope that works. He also got some more antibiotics. This one just goes for four days (score) and is already cherry flavored (double score). Good thing I have one of those Flex accounts as I seem to be spending $60 at the pharmacy every week. I asked about tubes in his ears and she thinks he will get over this infection and then have a lot fewer ear aches over the summer. Then (hopefully) as he gets closer to three, he will have fewer infections as he gets older. Fingers crossed.

I went to the Wal-Mart pharmacy in Burke for the first time today. They couldn't have been nicer and the bonus was I got to shop for big boy sheets while I was there. I settled on a Thomas and Friends comforter and some red sheets that match so long as you don't hold them up right next to each other in good lighting. My plan is to paint his bed and bookshelf today or tomorrow and then hopefully make the big switchover. This is proving to be logistically challenging to get all the moving parts where they need to be.

Last weekend I went to BuyBuyBaby in Springfield and bought a bed rail so hopefully we have what we need for his new bed. It's a shame that store is so awful. They have a good selection, but the staff is always less than helpful (witness a line of eight people at one register and four staff standing around refusing to help). They do send a regular 20 percent off coupon, but even then their prices are way higher than other places that are closer.

Operation Big Boy Bed

We're still gearing up for Operation Big Boy Bed. It's involving more moving parts only because his current room is too small to accommodate all his stuff and a twin sized bed so we're swapping the computer room with his room. The bad part is it turns out we have lots and lots of crap in both rooms (shocker) that needs to get sorted first. It feels good to shed a lot of stuff we don't need, but I'm getting some angry looks from the big boys in the house for disrupting their very busy schedules of sitting around. I'm also turning myself into a martyr about the whole thing. I'm sure they love that, too.

I did go out and get a bed rail for the twin bed (see left). The twin is actually one I inherited from Liz ages ago (she'd probably be shocked to realize I still have it). I would like to paint it from the wood color to white, I think. I'd also like to paint a wooden bookcase, but I think I'll do first things first and make the room switch and worry about decor later. I do want to get out with Andy this week and pick out some new sheets for the bed. Since he's not getting a racing bed or anything crazy like that, I might succumb to a Thomas and Friends pattern. It goes against my nature, but it just makes him so happy that it's hard to argue.

The weather here in Virginia is just dreadful. The drive to Annapolis for the baptism today involved pouring rain both ways and very limited visibility on the Beltway. If we didn't have to be there, it would have been a great day to hunker down, watch She's Having a Baby and Adventures in Babysitting that have been on TBS on loop all weekend.

Oh no!

A favorite phrase in our house for months and months has been, "Oh no!" Andy says it with such enthusiasm and inflection that it really makes you take notice, even if what he's excited about is the fact that it's raining outside, that Miles has jumped on the table or that it's dark outside. Now he's gone one step further and says, "Oh no. What happened?" What's great is the way he drags out the what happened part, really emphasizing every syllable. It's so great I just want to gobble him up. Well, when he's not throwing a fit because of something or nothing. Because he's been doing a lot of that, too.


There is also a new favorite book this week, The Goodnight Train by June Sobel and Laura Huliska-Beith. Like most kids' books, the plot is rather lacking, but he sure loves the pictures and we have fun pointing to the different parts of the train and the kids sleeping in the cars. He loves the book so much that he's insisted on sleeping with it the past few nights and I find him in the morning reading it. I checked it out of the library, but if this keeps up, I might have to get a permanent copy for his library.


Andy is also starting to show signs of outgrowing his crib. He hasn't climbed out - yet - but it's clear the way he throws his leg over the side that it's just a matter of hours at this point. We have a busy weekend ahead, but I'm hopeful we get some time to switch his room with the computer room where we already have a twin bed. I don't want to get rid of the crib just yet, but I think having both options for a bit will work just fine.