Room assignments.

We spent some time this weekend starting the preparation for room changes in our house. With the new boy coming in a few months, we need to shift some things around to get ready for his arrival and to ensure he has a (physical) place in our home. We have a four bedroom house, and up until this point no one has had to share a room. However, in a month or two that is going to change.

The fun pattern (girl, boy, girl, boy) we have created with our children make for hard choices in deciding who is going to share a room. To many, the most logical decision is to have our two girls share a room. The baby will need his own room for at least a year or two, and it would make the most sense to move Charlotte into Katherine's room (which is the biggest room, and plenty large enough to share).

However, what is logical might not always be best. When Mike and I first starting discussing this, we too, decided to put the girls together. However, as time went on and we really started to talk about what personalities would work best together, and disregard gender at this point (since they are still young and we can do that), we have come to the conclusion that Charlotte and Will may be better fitted to share a room.

When we broke this news to Katherine, she was devastated.  I felt bad at first, and was tempted to change our plan. I reminded myself of the reasons why we made this decision. Katherine is a typical oldest child. She is very independent, head strong, and maternal. She likes to take care of her siblings and direct their play. She carries Charlotte around and has a great time dressing her up. Katherine is also very particular; she likes things a certain way. Her room is full of little boxes full of trinkets and things she finds important. Her stuffed animals are always set up in a certain way on her bed, and she gets mad if I try to help her clean her room because I don't know where things go. She has a short fuse, and thrives on structure; she is a kid who requires 11 hours of sleep at night--at least--or watch out. She can get frustrated easily, and often the best way for her to simmer down is to spend some time by herself; which she does often (she loves spending time in her room playing with her toys or reading her books). Oh, and she is the world's lightest sleeper, any noise wakes her up and interrupts that precious sleep her body requires.

Will is pretty laid back. When he gets upset, he is easy to calm down. He likes being with other people and spends very little time in his room. He is really sensitive and caring with his sisters, and plays well with them. Will is also the world's heaviest sleeper; in fact during our recent Dells trip, a midnight fire alarm woke everyone up, except for Will, Charlotte, & cousin Tucker. He is super excited about sharing a room with his brother someday, but knows that it will be a while before that can happen. When we told him he could share a room with Charlotte until then, he was pretty excited because he thought that is meant he could get the bunk beds Aunt Kate had told him would be neat to have someday when he shared a room. He is currently trying to convince Kate that he needs those bunk beds soon.

So, the decision is made, now we just have to make it happen. Stay tuned for some room makeover pictures when we finish the transition.  In the near future Charlotte will have to be evicted from her crib and moved to a toddler bed. Lets keep our fingers crossed that she likes her new bed so much she wants to stay in it at night and not roam the house!