Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Switcheroo.

It was about the time. 
Lynn has had her own room for about 3 and a half years of her 7 year life.  She and Ash have always gotten along, and when Ashley hit a certain age, it made more sense for them to be roomies.  They slept better (when they weren’t giggling), it helped me urge Merrill along to have Peyton with a nursery all set up but sitting empty, and toys didn’t have to travel up and down the hallway.  Messes were contained to one room instead of spread out over two.  It was a really cute room too..  so girly!
But now, there is a difference in age and maturity.
Ashley doesn’t quite respect her sister’s things.  She also has a different personality when it comes to cleanliness and organization.
Lynn is a little bit more like me.
(I am very happy about that.)
So after one of Lynn’s favorite necklaces went missing,  while she was at school, of course, during her sobs, we talked about her getting her own room.
The discussion continued when Merrill got home.  There were some kinks (worries for me) that needed to be figured out.  How I wished we had one of the rooms in the basement finished!!  Not that Ashley and Peyton wouldn’t do well together, but I worried about all of the fun Ashley could/would/will have with Peyton’s diaper wipes and such.  Not to mention the conflict of toys there.  There wouldn’t be room for all of them, and I don’t want a playroom again.  So I thought on it while we ate.
Once I was done, I got to it.  Merrill was more than surprised at my quick decision.  He even suggested that we think on it a little longer. 
My thoughts:  Lynn shouldn’t have to put up with this any longer than she has, and I would just have to get over my weirdness of toys and other details.
As we moved things back and forth through the hallway, Merrill just stood there, hands in pockets in shock.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“She used to be this big…  when did she get so big?”  he said holding his hands out like he was holding her newborn body.  “Wait, no, she was this big..”  his hands came together a little more.
All I could do was cry.
“Tell me about it..”  I said in my teary voice.
“Are you crying?”
I nodded.
“Why?”
“I already want another baby so much, then for all of this to be happening..  it makes me want another one that much more.”
Just then, Peyton ran by talking to us, being her silly self, and that just made me cry more. 
“What’s wrong now?”  he asked.
“THAT!  She is not my baby anymore!!”
He didn’t know I felt this strongly about having another baby, which means I must be doing somewhat of a good job, enjoying what I have and not living in the future of “what-ifs”.
I think the change has been good so far. 
We have had to bribe Ashley to sleep in her own room.  She has made it two nights in there by the way..
But it is good in that Ashley and Peyton are closer.  Lynn and Ashley’s relationship is better, and Lynn even invites Ashley to hang out in her new room, they even had a sleep over.  Lynn is the same way to Peyton.  It’s like special big sister one-on-one time.  They tried to have a sleep over in her room last night, but Peyton was just too excited and Lynn was too tired.
She is super organized now, has everything the way she wants it, and I have yet to see her room messy.
I have some projects in the works to make it her own (I told her that the color scheme stays, and I have plans for more decorations..)  so it is slowly becoming her room as opposed to Peyton’s room.
Here’s some pics from our first night:
JanFeb 002 JanFeb 003

3 comments:

BookwormMom said...

I remember when we gave Kyle his own room...he had never had his own since Alec's birth. It was for the same reasons...basically. Alec was into all Kyle's stuff. It was really hard for me to move him to the basement(all by himself at the time!)...but it ended up being the best thing for all of us. Kyle got his privacy, the boys got along better, and everthing was good.

I'm glad Merrill knows how strongly you really feel about another baby. It may not change his mind, but it's important for him to know how you feel about it.

:)

courtneycash said...

sniff sniff - I think I'll just always feel like this in regards to my kids getting older and no more babies. But you can tell Merrill four is fantastic. ;-)

Julie said...

How fun for the girls to switch things up a little. I wish my basement was done so we could also do some rearranging.