So far, this has been the most difficult pregnancy I’ve had. I think this is why…
I know, I really can’t believe it either. After nearly six years of rough and tumbling boys I’m having a baby girl.
I’m absolutely beside myself and the boys are just as thrilled, especially my little Nehemiah.
He can’t wait to meet his baby sister to hold and to care for.
Sweet baby girl will have two big brothers to protect her. Now that’s a mama’s dream.
My sisters and I are ready to start crafting up a storm for this little one.
Thanks to pinterest, I’m storing away ideas.
Source: smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com via Diana on Pinterest
And yes, I’m excited to be Rainbow Brite one year and she’ll be my little Twink Sprite.
Source: weheartit.com via Diana on Pinterest
One thing we are currently trying to figure out is our bedroom situation.
On a quest to truly live a “simple” life (a post coming soon) we are happy and content with our home.
The only current downside is that it only has 2 bedrooms on the main floor. We have a renovated third downstairs, however, the boys are still too little to move into that room.
So all three children will share one room for at least another couple of years.
Can you help share any ideas?
It’s a large room and we do have bunk beds but I’m trying to think of a clever way to make the most out of it’s space.
Here’s a clever idea I found on pinterest but not sure how that would work in our home.
Source: thebumpercrop.wordpress.com via Diana on Pinterest
I don’t really want to build anything into the walls as I know this will only be for a short time.
If you can share any bed ideas, color swatches, links of any kind, I would be so grateful.
Of course, any links to pinterest…. bring it!!
Feel free to follow me on pinterest of course. You can find me by clicking here.
I’m really excited to make this room special for all three kids.
Of course, when it’s done and completed I’ll share with you what we’ve done.
We’ve been truly blessed this week and for that I praise my Lord!
Have a great and blessed Wednesday.
Diana
SO HAPPY for you and your family Diana!! I know just how you feel. After 4 boys and 14 years we finally had a daughter who is now 14 months old. She has brought us unimaginable joy! Take care and hope to see you again soon!
We had three youngsters sharing a room for a long time! If you teach them respect, they will give it. 🙂 Our boys had a bunk bed and our daughter a single bed. When they were little, it really didn’t matter… the beds were against the wall as well as the bureaus. As they grew up we tried different things, and one idea worked well for us. As we entered the room, the boys’ bunks were against the wall… two of the bureaus were beside each other (short side beside short side) to create a wall and we hung a bamboo window shade over them. Her bed was behind one of the bureaus and her bureau behind the other one! Each side had a window and we taught them to always knock and get a response before opening the door. The kids were fine about it!! Shelving used as bureaus with fabric down the backs would also work great giving a little more foot space! It can be done… our kids were 12, 12 and 14 when we finally moved from that house! Congratulations on your new baby!
Blessings, Melanie
Thanks Melanie! What a great idea to for separating the room a bit. It also makes me happy that it can work for awhile as well 🙂
Thanks Sara! I hope to see you soon to! Another blogger meetup 😉
Congratulations!!!!!!! How wonderful to have a little girl. =) She’s going to be adored…those finds are AWESOME – that Rainbow Brite costume…do it!
Congrats!! How wonderful!
Happy we all are yes.
The color is god-awful in this picture, but what about bunk beds with a trundle? The middle bunk becomes a fort, you don’t have far to fall from a trundle. http://furniture123.co.uk/Minnie-Solid-Pine-Natural-Bunk-Bed-with-Orange-Tent-and-Trundle-Guest-Bed_20745 The other thing you can look for is a built-in bunk bed like what they do in the Gnomes book. Here are some modern versions: http://coreasotropa.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/built-in-bunk-beds/ I shared with my little brother for 10 years or so, and it was lots of fun. If my boys got along better, I would totally do this at our house.
Hi Diana – Yay! I like the built-in bunk-bed approach, because it creates a lovely safe enclosure and seems like magic! Here’s the link for some ideas: http://coreasotropa.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/built-in-bunk-beds/
Again, I am so happy you are having a girl! With one of each, it is so much fun seeing the difference between the two at our house. If we have a third (which I hope, just need to talk the hubby into it), we will have a bedroom situation as well. Although we will have two, they boys or girls will have to share, at least until we move into a bigger house. Keep checking pinterest as I’m sure there are a TON of simple, afforadable ideas out there. Loved the one you showed here!
Thanks Ally. We are super excited for this new little one to join our family. I’ll definitely keep my eyes peeled on pinterest!
Congratulations! I’m so happy for you! And yes, our “modern sensibilities” can make space management more complicated that it need to be. When I consider that my husband’s grandpa was one of 13 children, growing up in about a 1300 square foot farmhouse…and that was pretty normal for the time!
Of course, your baby will be a baby for 2 years, and will spend very little time in a bedroom except to sleep. (I always preferred my toddlers play where I could see them…not out of sight in a bedroom!) So basically, she just needs a corner to sleep in. While you’re nursing during the nighttime, that place should probably be near where you are sleeping. I would suggest a nice port-a-crib on wheels that would serve her for her first 2 years. Something like this:http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Portable-Mini-Crib-Natural/dp/B002MZO3PE/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1327512095&sr=1-2 that you could move into your room or into your boys room so baby can nap and sleep in peace, and so can everyone else.
I would also consider keeping her clothing in your room, or even in the main living area…since babies need to be changed often…their clothing as well as diapers. And for at least 2 years, you will be doing all her changing I had a dresser and changing table with baby’s clothing in my living room for easy access. Also, the living area was warmer than the bedrooms.
Perhaps after 2 or three years, when baby girl is ready for a sleeping space of her own, your boys will be ready to take over the attic!
Thanks for the comment Shawna! Yes, I have the babies with me in my bedroom until they pretty much grow out of their bassinet. It took my oldest about 8 months and my younger son 6. Now closet space is our other situation, ugh! As much as I love my house, we have such little closet space, but again… we’ll have to think it through. Thanks for the link to that mini-crib, I’ll have to check it out!
Diana! I am SO excited for you. It has been SUPER fun to have a little man running around terrorizing my girls ;o) LOL! Now you are gonna have a little princess running around screaming that her brothers are going to get her dirty! LOL!!!
Anyway, in regarding the room situation. I’ll think about it and if I think of anything or see anything… I will send it your way.
You know, if you wanted to… you could do the wall beds like what you showed up there, but make it so that the bottom ones can fold up for more floor space for the kids to play in. Just make the boards into boxes instead and decorate the bottom part so that it looks fun when fold up. I like the beds like that and you can even leave an extra one for sleepovers when your little girl gets older. You can keep it fold up and hang things on the wood for decorations.
Thanks so much Mare! I knew you’d be excited!! Yay, I can’t wait to see my princess 😀 I LOVE the idea of a fold up bed. I didn’t think in that direction. I’ll have to scour the internet for some good examples. Thanks girl, hope you and your family are doing well!! xoxo!
Congratulations, Diana. SO happy for you.
I remembered seeing this a while back… an idea that you might like: http://blogs.babble.com/family-style/2011/06/29/inspiring-shared-kids-rooms/?pid=815#slideshow
Have one side be girlie color and the other a boyish color… it will split the room, but use colors that will bring it together. make sense? that way you can have the best of both worlds
I am so thrilled for you and your family.
I am wondering if having the baby in there will disrupt the boys’ sleep, or are you thinking more long term after the first few months?
I don’t have any ideas for you except to say check out how college dorm rooms organize their rooms. I remember getting very creative with the rooms and it working really well. Good luck!
Thanks for stopping by Sabrina! Yes, I was thinking after the first 6 months or so. I’m actually excited to find a solution. Hope your doing well with your bambino!
Congratulations! I love having a girl!
How would you feel about having a shared bed for two of the kids? I know several families that have two kids share a double or queen bed. Obviously the babe has to be old enough for this (6 months or more) but perhaps you are already considering cosleeping or having a crib/bassinet in your room for the first few months.
Hi Rachel. Yeah, I have the baby with me for the first 6-8 months. Once they’re comfortably sleeping through the night, we put them in their own room so mama can get some sleep 😉 xoxo!!
Congratulations on your little girl and I hear ya on a more difficult pregnancy. The pregnancy with my daughter was def. the harder of my two with nausea and not feeling good in general. Our third has been the same way, and perhaps even worse, so who knows maybe we are having another girl too.
My kids share a room and we plan to have our third in the same room as the older two at some point. We have always kept our child in our room until they were around one years old. This made nursing far easier and I felt more comfortable having them close by. We never did co-sleep, at least not much, mostly because I could never sleep with the baby in our bed. I was too anxious that the covers would cover their head or something else might go wrong. Plus I’m a super light sleeper and any movement from the baby kept me awake, actually the same goes for when they are in the womb too! 🙂
We have a bed from Ikea for our son. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/tools/childrens_ikea_rooms_ideas/#/20111_chrs08a_01
Picture #17 is the kind of set up we’ve done, but our daughter is back in a crib right now (also from ikea, it’s very basic and takes up only as much room as the mattress – see picture 18 on link). What’s nice about this bed is first, it’s very affordable, second it can be flipped over so that it’s only a bed with a canopy on top if you don’t want your child climbing up stairs, third, when it is turned so it’s more similar to a bunk bed, it makes a great play space underneath if you don’t need it for sleeping.
Good luck with the room and I’m sure you’ll figure out an awesome and creative solution. We are moving in about 7 weeks and will have to be setting up a new room for the kids. It will be the first time that they’ll be on a different floor than us. I think I might get a monitor to be able to hear them better. (Side note, but we found a pretty awesome 20 acre piece of property with a great old farm house. Pretty stoked for what this will allow us to do!)
Therese, after many of these comments, I think a trip to IKEA is needed. I love that bed! The baby will stay with me for the first 6-8 months. I’m like you, I just can’t co-sleep with my baby. I end up getting no sleep constantly checking to make sure the baby is okay. It just doesn’t work for me. So I have a bassinet that’s been passed back and forth between myself and my sister. It’s kind of cute. All of our kids have slept in it! We’ll think it through and for sure make it work! But my goodness… I am so excited for you! 20 acres! Oh man, once you’re on your property I’ll have to visit you for sure! Sending you so many hugs to you and your family!!
Congratulations. All children are a blessing, but it is fun having both boys and girls. The knitted hat is so cute. I bought an owl and strawberry hat from this gal on etsy and they are so cute and beautifully made. Here is the link if you want to take a peek.http://www.etsy.com/listing/39097450/chocolate-dipped-strawberry-hat-baby?ref=pr_shop
Thanks Patti! The link is adorable! Yes, you are so right. I absolutely adore my little boys and am so excited to start a new journey with a girl in the family. Have a wonderful day!
SOOOOOOO excited for you all. She’s going to be one beautiful and blessed little girl xoxo
^^^THAT is an awesome bed 🙂 I would’ve loved it as a kid. It’s a great way to fit 3 beds into one room without taking up a lot of valuable floorspace.
Our three (two boys, one girl) shared a room off and mostly on until our girl was 11. It made more sense for them to sleep in one room and have another room for a play room….the space was divided a bit boys’ side and girl’s side. They really enjoyed it, had too much fun and would talk and dream (and BOND) for hours when they were supposed to be sleeping…. They were best friends, three peas in a pod. I had them all in just under three years, so they were close in age…the only drawback was my daughter still can’t stand to sleep alone, well, neither can the youngest son. None of them are married yet….
Diana, I am so thrilled for you! No matter what the set up your little princess is so lucky to be born into such a loving and tight knit family. I wish you all the best.
Congratulations on the baby girl! We have a 7 month baby girl and she is such a joy. I know you will figure out the bedroom situation. Lots of great advice from the other readers. We lived in a 350 sq ft apartment in Manhattan for a couple of years, and it’s amazing how you can make small spaces work. You might just have to think about all of your spaces differently. I liked the show Small Spaces Big Style for inspiration.
Congratulations, Diana! We also had 2 boys before our daughter, and PINK was such a new experience! 🙂
We live in approx. 400 sq feet, with 3, soon to be 4, kiddos. My husband built a triple bunk for the kids that fits crib size mattresses. Because they’re “custom”, they aren’t as high off the ground, nor do they take up much room. The bottom bed is about 5 inches off the floor (built to fit the storage boxes I had), and the next one is about 3.5 feet up. It works SO well! Our daughter has the bottom bunk, complete with little pink curtains and pink sheets. 🙂
Diane,
First off congratulations! Your boys will be the best protectors of their little sister. My grandson is 7 yrs. older than is 19 month old sister. He adores her, watches out for her every need. They are best friends!!
As one who has had the experience of not enough space for all the kiddos I can tell you the 3 will do fine in one room for a long long time.
I’m the oldest of 5. When I was in kindergarten, my sister was 4 and we had a new born baby brother my parents lived in an apartment with only 1 bedroom. We sisters would fall asleep on our parents bed. When they went to bed, dad would carry us out to the hide a bed couch, then baby brother slept in a pulled out dresser drawer in mom & dad’s bedroom. Eventually moved in with my grandpa after grandma died. And 2 more brothers came along. It was 5 kids in one very small bedroom for a long time. A bunkbed for me and my sister, the same hide a bed couch for 2 brothers, a crib for new baby brother and a toy box. Where my mom kept all of our clothes I don’t recall.
You may never have to endure something like this….but many kids in one room can and has been workable.
So I suggest Bunkbeds for the boys!! Fun neutral colors that work for either boys or girls, but one side of the room girly the other boyish. Bugs, flowers, etc.. all go together for a fun flow to each.