Tuesday, April 28, 2009

who shares a room?

Last night I was at a baby shower for one of my friends.
She's having a baby girl and she already has a two year old boy at home.
Everyone was asked to write down a bit of advice (aimed at having a second child and/or having a daughter).
I loved hearing all the advice, because I need to implement much of it myself.
My advice to her?
"don't be afraid to let them share a room."

It's been great to have Asher and Ivy in the same room (for the most part).   The two of them are such good little buddies AND amazingly they tend to sleep right through if one or the other is crying.  (When both are crying at bedtime, it's quite the symphony of sounds!) It's fun to listen at the door after lights out (unless they are crying). Some favorite room sharing moments:
  • Asher teaching Ivy the alphabet (and practicing many songs, and sometimes teaching it incorrectly)
  • Asher reasoning with Ivy as to why she should stop crying and go to sleep.
  • Finding them BOTH in Ivy's crib one morning eating cinnamon rolls that I made the night before. 
  • Ivy begging to wear Asher's pajamas to bed (and getting to quite often)
  • Stories and prayer (and sometimes tickling) on Asher's bed.
We are moving to a bigger place next month (so exciting) and I have been thinking a lot about what I'm going to do (that's probably why that piece of advice was on my mind last night at the shower).

Right now, we have 3 bedrooms so we have:
 (1)our room (baby sleeping in our room too), 
(2)Asher and Ivy together, and
 (3)a playroom (which was also the guest room).
When we move- we'll get one more bedroom and one more common area (family room upstairs and main floor).

new home gives us:
(1) Master bedroom
(2) I'm thinking of giving Canyon his own room
(3)Keeping Asher and Ivy together
and making the 
(4) extra room an office/ study for John (and me)
(5) playroom and toys would be in the upstairs family room (where bedrooms are)
and in the little Harry Potter/ under the stairs room on the main floor- tiny little hide out)
Canyons room or the office would become the guest room/ rooms if we get any visitors.
OR
I could put all 3 kids in the same room (and have an office AND a closed door playroom)
OR
I could give Ivy her own room and put the boys together. 
OR
[another suggestion?]

Thoughts?
(not that I'll heed any.  I may or may not have already made up my mind)

P.S. I have fond fond memories of Westgate.

15 comments:

  1. Is that the tree you made in the kids' room? So, so cute.

    As you know, I LOVE having my kids share. It has been the best for their little friendship.

    But, we are putting the baby in the guest room for now, so everyone will get some sleep. I am changing the guest room around a little bit and putting in Grant's old crib. I cleared out the kid's old dresser in their room to make room for a big chalkboard on the wall. Maybe someday I'll put them all three together, but probably not for a while. They talk too much. Which is fine for two toddlers, but not so great for a little baby.

    We use one of our common rooms as a play room and LOVE it. It has been the best. I think the people before us used it as a living room, but our family room is huge, and so another living area seemed unnecessary.

    I am sure you will figure it out. How fun that you get to move to a bigger place. I do think living at Westgate changes everyone. I learned to live with a lot less stuff and learned I could make any place home.

    I miss you. I am sure you'll make your home great no matter what you do.

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  2. I suggest giving Ivy her own room and putting Canyon and Asher together.

    In my opinion, the older the boys get, the more questions they're going to start having about what it means to be a girl vs. a boy.

    The tree is absolutely adorable. I have a piece of that brown fabric myself! Yet another indication of Ivy and I's kindred spiritness. How did you attach the fabric to the wall?

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  3. Here's what we did: M and A shared a room until they were old enough to wonder about each other (7 and 5, respectively). C had his own room until then. When H came along C moved into M's room and H has the nursery. My kids tend to wake at night, so having me in the room to feed the baby, I think would have caused more awakenings. My eventual plan is to have all the boys in one room (once baby is old enough) until M is old enough to want his own room and privacy. Miss A hates being by herself in a room, but I think there's a point where that's necessary and I wish she had a sister too (oh well).

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  4. I suggest keeping Asher and Ivy together then moving Canyon in there too - at least until #4 is born (you can't stop at 3). Then reshuffle the rooms so that it is 2 kids per room - I don't think you really need to separate the boys and girls until they older - and who cares if they start "wondering" and asking questions about anatomy - that's when you teach them privacy and modesty. But what do I know, I don't even have 1 kid yet.

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  5. Aaaahhh - four bedrooms!! AND a family room! (I'm squelching my envy by reminding myself of bunk beds in the laundry room.)

    I keep pondering your room options, and I like them all, so I'm banking on you having already made up your mind!

    Do tell how you made that tree so I can copy it! You're a genius!

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  6. I love the tree...how did you do it!? As for room sharing, do whatever feels right. I'm constantly changing up the roommate situation with my kids. Right now girls with baby in one room, and boys in the other. It works for now. Good luck!

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  7. thanks for sharing these sweet memories. enjoy your new home! i love that tree in the current bedroom!

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  8. So cute, Toria! Love the tree.

    And I'm super jealous that you're moving into a four bedroom! Nice!!

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  9. I kind of wanted my kids to share a room too, but Travis nixed that, he's worried about them being too talkative at bedtime, but coming from a home where we all had our own rooms but preferred to share anyway I know kids like to share. And can I just say how much I like your tree! So cute. Did you make it? I love, love it. I might steel it too seeing as you live on the other side of the earth and can't come get made at me.

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  10. An extra room, how nice. We tried Kenna and Brock together, but Brock would stay up for hours talking. Props to you for getting your kids to sleep together. We now have Kenna and Berklee together. On a rare night that Berklee wakes, Kenna doesn't. I guess all kids are different. Good luck!

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  11. Okay, you're too far ahead of me! I'm still trying to wrap my head around what to do with all that space you have now!
    Just kidding, a little Westgate humor :)

    I can see the tug of war- since we have the same ages/genders. I love Lije and Lucy together, its just how you describe Asher and Ivy. On the other hand, something about Ivy having her own girly room and letting Asher sort of break Canyon in, as the older sibling who you're pretty sure won't throw heavy toys on top of him in the crib to "play with", that sounds good too. Good luck choosing, and I'll just copy you if we are ever faced with the problem (hopefully in a year!)

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  12. mom keep telling me about this tree and i could never picture it now that you have a picture of it up it looks way cute..

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  13. I love the tree. How did you do it? It is fabric isn't it? You are incredible. Sharing rooms... it will be a sad day when Will and Lily are old enough that they "shouldn't" share a room. I hope they stay little forever!

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  15. hey, i do a design blog for www.pngmag.com, and I would love to feature this wall! let me know if I can, and I will grqb the text i need as well as the pictures.

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