Farmhouse // Moving the Boys into a Shared Bedroom (and how it's going)
THE FARMHOUSE A couple of weekends ago, we rearranged Wilder's bedroom and moved Brooks in with him. The transition hasn't been without a few hiccups, but it's going soooo much better than I ever expected. The room has become so much cozier with the two of them in here, and somehow I love the space even more than I did when it was just Wilder's room (you can see what that looked like here). So today I wanted to show you what the boys setup looks like now.
sources: overhead light // drapes // roman shade // rug (similar) // rug pad // comforter // duvet cover // striped throw // plant hanger // stuffed animals //dinosaur backpack (no longer available, cute option here) // plaid blankets // table lamp // ukulele //dinosaur figurines // crib // animal heads (no longer available, cute options here)
As I mentioned on Friday, moving the boys into one room was one of those things that I had worked up in my head as a huge deal. We had tried this transition once before when we first moved to the Farmhouse but failed after a couple of nights. Looking back, I think we failed because Garrett and I were busy and tired with moving so didn't have the bandwidth to deal with it. We knew that we would try again at some point but we kept putting it off and putting it off. Then last Saturday, Garrett and I were Spring cleaning and one of us said, 'hey, let's put Brooks' crib in Wilder's room', and that was that. A couple of hours later, the boys had one shared bedroom.
Both of the beds are now pushed against walls, which should limit any falling out of bed. Wilder is a very active sleeper and every once in a while he'll just kind of tumble out of bed. Just last week it happened, and I found him laying on the floor still totally asleep. Ahh to sleep that hard!
I've gotten a lot of questions about our matching twin bed frames since finding them on Craigslist last year. I don't know the story behind them, but they're definitely antique, a wee-bit on the narrow side for a modern twin mattress (we have to sort-of squeeze the mattress into the frame when we put sheets on), and have a lovely dark stain on them that looks nearly black. I always planned to put them in one room not only because I love the look of side-by-side antique beds but also because we hoped that Wilder and Brooks would share a room by the time that Brooks was ready for a big-boy bed. And from the looks of it, we're just about there!
As I mentioned earlier, we've had a couple of hiccups since moving the boys into one room. The first being that Brooks has almost completely refused his crib since making the transition to a shared room. I'm not entirely sure why that is, but after 20 minutes of crying on Saturday night (in my arms and in his crib), I finally laid him down in his big boy bed and he was instantly quiet. So I tucked a blanket over him and watched from the door as he dozed off. We hadn't planned on having him in a big boy bed at night so young (Wilder made the switch at 2, and I thought we'd repeat that), but if he keeps sleeping through the night then he can sleep wherever he likes!
The second hiccup is that bedtime now takes a good hour plus. Both boys are so excited to look across the room and see each other, and there are giggles and squirms for way too long. Of course, I find it soooo sweet, so even if it means an extra hour at bedtime right now, so be it.
For the Spring we have light comforters and duvet covers from Ikea on the beds. Garrett and I are really careful to keep fire retardants out of the boys bedding and PJs, so natural linen duvet covers were an easy choice, even if they're a little more expensive. Of course Wilder already got green marker on his duvet cover, but thankfully they are are two sided so we'll just have a 'bad side' for everyday and a 'good side' for photographs and guests ;) I also bought these summer throws for the boys' beds during West Elm's one day sale a few weeks ago (and they're still on sale!). I'm not sure they'll be heavy enough to have on here with a sheet alone, but Wilder runs hot (soooo hot...and soooo the opposite of his mama) that it'll probably be enough for him. If not, I'll layer them with a simple white cotton blanket.
Probably my favorite part of finally having a shared bedroom is shared story time. When the boys were in separate rooms, we read stories to each of them separately before tucking them in. But now we shut the blackout blinds (an essential with these longer Spring days), snuggle up in one bed and read a couple of stories before tucking the boys in their own beds. And I love it! There is something so special about spending this time together, and it makes this mama's heart very happy. I know there will be nights when one of the boys is not happy, and I'm tired and this whole situation is totally exhausting, but right now it's everything.
For the record, I hung that plant up for the shoot. I'm going to have Garrett relocate the hook over the nightstand so the plant is not over a bed (because it's heavy and plus I don't want to risk water draining onto a bed). I'm on the hunt for an alphabet poster or paper tiles for the space as well. Wilder is finally getting into letters, so it'd be fun to have a spot for him to see them! I haven't found one that I love yet, but I'm looking...any suggestions?!
The closet is probably both of the boys' favorite space in this room, so I wanted to give you a peek. I've mentioned before, but this space has been basically a storage ground for Wilder's collection of 'stuff'. We finally hung up costumes and boxed up a lot of Wilder's stuff so this space is at least a step above an eye sore now. Someday I'd like to turn the far end of this closet into a kid hangout spot with cushions and pillows and everything comfy but for now there are a few boxes and stacks of books back there and that's just fine.
So that's our experience thus far with our two boys sharing a room. I'd love to hear any tips or stories you guys have about shared bedrooms....seriously! Growing up I shared a bedroom with my twin sister until high school, and I still have fond memories of laughing the night away. Sure there were plenty of arguments but I think it taught me a lot about compromise and living with others. At least, I'd like to think so ;)
The one thing I haven't mentioned yet (and have been dying to!) is that the nursery is now empty!!! I'm chomping at the bit to get started transforming that space for baby girl. But since she's not due until July (and will sleep with us for a few months afterwards), I'm trying to keep my focus on thePorch House since we still need to finish that renovaiton and sell it, hopefully before baby girl arrives. Honestly I'm trying not to even think about the nursery, but somehow that hasn't stopped me from buying plenty of things for that space ;)
xoxo
-Cathy
p.s. how we deal with Wilder not sleeping through the night. Wilder's room at the Ravenna House and his room at the Dexter House. The latter was also featured on coco+kelley last year.