A Room Of Our Own

I came to a conclusion while Eddie was gone, and that conclusion was that Julian was ready to have a room of his own. Ok, so what I really mean is - I was ready for a room of MY own. Our sleeping situation was never planned...if someone would have told me while pregnant that this little dude was going to sleep within an arm's reach of me for 2 straight years, I would have told you what bridge to jump off of, but alas....things never really do seem to work out the way you planned. I think it was new parenthood coupled with Julian's personal needs that made the whole 'family bed' and then eventually 'family bedroom' so necessary for us. First was his reflux as a baby that required that he sleep upright for 30 minutes after every feeding, coupled with breastfeeding and this created a co-sleeping situation that lasted well into his 10th month. At that time we did a little sleep training and moved him to his crib in our room as he was still waking up multiple times a night (heck, just a few months ago he went through a spell where he was up 3+ times a night) and although 'his' bedroom shared a wall with ours, to actually get from one room to the other you have to walk all the way down the hall, navigate the tricky living room/kitchen area, down another hall and into his bedroom. I was having a hard time navigating the 2.5 feet between his crib and our bed most nights....so I wasn't up for the challenge. Over time, however, the night wakings gradually got better, and he now consistently wakes once a night (most of the week) or sleeps through the night (once or twice a week during good weeks.)

Eddie and I talked about making the switch quite a while back, but I always came back to the same hurdles - 1.) the fact that his bedtime routine and, well, LIFE revolves around our room and 2.) due to our renovations, the other bedroom would put him right next to the only bathroom and laundry room we have....and my kid is the lightest sleeper you've ever met (trust me.)  Once Eddie left on deployment, I found myself sleeping on the couch a lot. It seemed like the simple act of me coming into bed at night was disturbing and waking Julian, and if I so much as rolled over in bed, I could hear him shifting and sometimes he would even wake and need to be put back to sleep. I felt like a prisoner in my own bed. It was time for a change.

So...I came up with a simple solution. Julian would not have to move - we would. We would take his 'nursery' (that he's never spent one night in) and leave him the larger room that he has always known. What more do we really need other than a bed and dresser anyhow? If it means I can roll over and/or sneeze without repercussions, it's worth having a little less space.

As soon as Eddie came home we got to planning, and Wednesday we started swapping furniture - holy geez....I cannot begin to describe how much more complicated it is in reality than it was in my head! Not only did we have to switch furniture, but also the closets, and find places for furniture that now doesn't fit, and pack away clothes that now don't fit, and organize closets and the list goes on! We're not quite 100% finished, but we have officially made the split...and Julian is doing really great, actually. He still wakes up his once a night (or his new thing - waking way earlier than he should in the morning, which wasn't so much an issue when I was close by and could cuddle him in bed and get him back to sleep, but now in the 4 minutes it takes me to get to his room he somehow manifests like 2 cups of strong coffee and refuses to be put back to sleep.)  But really, he's doing great. I think if anything, the adjustment has been a little harder on me than him. I wake up at least 5 times a night wondering exactly where I am and trying to figure out the noises of the house again now that I don't have 2 sound machines next to my head. Has it been worth it though? Yep! I love my baby and love having him near me, but it has been so long since I had any space to call my own. I got so excited about it, I even went out and bought new bedding for both rooms to celebrate. It's been a good thing. Our bedroom set was way outdated anyhow ;)

So there you go....my big boy is on his own. More evidence he is indeed growing up. If I manage to actually get the clutter situation under control in the near future, I might just have to post some pictures. We'll see!