Project Nesting

 My plan for moving Liv to a toddler bed and out of the nursery to make room for the twins was to never do it.  I figured I would just let my perfect little sleeper sleep away in there until I absolutely had to move them in (which I figured would be months after they were born).  However, just over the last week or so Liv has discovered how to climb out of (or fall out of) her crib which has necessitated the switch to a toddler bed.

Ummm, is there a support group for this kind of thing?  Seriously?  My kiddo who I used to lay down at night without a peep and didn't hear from until the morning or put in bed for a nap and didn't hear another sound for two hours suddenly doesn't sleep.  And this pregnant lady is not excited about the lack of sleep.  Liv's crib actually converts to a toddler bed.  The front side comes off and gets replaced by a half rail.  I figured this would make the transition easy.  WRONG!

The first night in her toddler bed, she got out, opened her door, and was at the side of our bed every two hours!  Since then, that has improved a little.  She only wakes up once in the night and sometimes not at all, but putting her down is a nightmare.  Gone are the days when I could leave her with any young woman or family member or friend and they could throw her in bed and she would sleep.  Putting this girl to bed in basically the same bed but somehow so terrifyingly different to her is horrible.  You either have to wait until she is utterly exhausted and basically already asleep outside the bed and then just relocate to bed, or sing her songs and rub her back until she falls asleep, or spend an hour putting her back in bed every 2 minutes after she crawls out and comes out screaming (at which point I usually give in and rub her back until she goes to sleep because that only takes 5-10 mins vs and hour of putting her back in bed after she keeps getting out- and this pregnant lady is exhausted).

Also talk about frightening...I will be dead asleep then all the sudden a diaper crinkle at the side of my bed shocks me awake to see Liv quietly standing next to my bed staring at me.  Anyways, all of this spurred in me the motivation to get the replacement room for Liv ready for when the twins need her room.  (When was I gonna have time to do that after the twins were here anyways?)  She is still in her room for now, but whenever she or I am ready for her to move in this room is now ready and waiting.

Now this was some undertaking for a pregnant lady, and I recruited lots of helpers.  Derek's parents had saved the day bedroom set that he slept on as a kid and gave it to us when we moved in this house.  I decided to paint it white.  Sounds easy enough.  Wrong!  It was wood with this thick layer or clear coating over top.  I sanded the whole bedroom set, then it needed two coats of primer and 3 coats of paint to finally look white instead its original color.  Then, I repainted the closet in the room (for some reason all the closets in this house are this weird peachy color and don't even seem painted more primed).  The closet needed a coat of primer before any paint would go over, and then we painted it white.  We repainted all the trim and some parts of the ceiling that had dark blue paint on it from the previous paint color (which was already there when we moved in).  Then finally, we repainted her room this bright lighter teal color.

I had already purchased some darker teal with white polka dot sheets and a multicolor polka dotted bed spread.  Took off the horrible accordian doors off the closet and replaced it with a shower rod and curtain.  I still need to find new handles for the drawers because the huge gold swing out handles really do not go, and I want to put up some blinds but otherwise the room is mostly done.  Phew!