How to create a 4th bedroom when you've run out of rooms and general housing space.

Solution: Get very creative!!! So the only solution that made sense was to convert the tiny WIC to a nursery for our surprise blessing. That equates to adding more closets into the back attic space (under the roof line on the back side of the house), hopefully later this next year  (2010).  Budgets ran out this year as I'm sure it did for many others. So our original closet plans are on hold. In the meantime we've figured out some temp and not so temporary solutions.

We're adding a couple new (albeit small) walls to box in a closet space. This was space we were previously using as a closet with a closet system added to the walls. Said closet system has found a new home in DD-C's bedroom. Since she's now officially a young teen, she needs space for her expanding wardrobe. Hopefully this will contain it until we are able to add those much needed closets (1 for her and 1 for the master bedroom).

So in our house, bedrooms become laundry and mudrooms. Closets grow and later become new nursery/bedrooms. Oh and hallways become storage/gaming nooks and 1/2 baths... but we'll get to more details on those developments at a later time.

While I may have guessed correctly (or maybe not so correctly) as to whom our gifts for baby "Angels" have been. My DH-C remains silent and won't confirm or deny the identity of these Angels. So to however many of you there may truly be. I send out a deeply heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you!!! Our soon to be baby girl will be all snuggly warm and clean as a result of the many recent arrivals at our doorstep.

RAD= Reactive Attachment Disorder
Oey Veh! What can a mother say?! Life is full of it's own unique challenges for each and everyone of us. Ever feel like a newly found cross to bear is simply too much? Me too!!! This is our most recent finding relating to one of our children. So much fits and finally makes sense. I'm not crazy (at least not yet). My words really have been falling on "deaf ears" for a very long time, so to speak of course.

Links for those with further interest:
RAD Checklist
(27 of 33 points hit the nail on the head for us)
Child/Teen Attachment Therapy and Corrective Parenting
Great overall site for learning more about RAD

It's a double edged sword. Makes you feel good to finally have some answers. Finally the reasoning (why's) to our crazy altered version of family reality are clearer. However, it can make you absolutely sick to think it's been there all along and you just didn't get it and realize it was more than just some variant on normalcy.

Yes, I've shed lots of tears on that note. I'm sure there will be more to follow. Being pregnant and hormonal certainly doesn't negate that natural response. Life is definitely a changing here. We'll keep you all informed as soon as we've completely digested it and figured out what it means for our family. Lots to assimilate, learn, correct and move forward on with a renewed spirit of what it means to be a parent and a family today.

I have to add the disclaimer that this has yet to be officially confirmed by someone in the medical/mental profession. Belief in a mother's instinct is held in high regards in this household. However that opinion will be sought out very soon as we feel we need all the help we can get.

Our cape cod was built in 1920. It was a fixer upper from the beginning, when we purchased it in early Feb 2003. Tiny (not even a full 2x2') closets where all that was available in the 2 average sized bedrooms (out of 4 bedrooms total). Yes, just 2 closets total. Not a huge issue when kids are little like ours were when we moved in. Yes, that also meant no closets in the remaining 2 bedrooms. One bedroom was on the main level at the back of the house. It really was in kind of a weird location and wasn't sized in a manner that made sense to use as a bedroom. It was the second smallest bedroom, so even tho we tried to make a master bedroom out of it for a while. It really was too small to adequately function for our needs. We later converted it to what is now the laundry/mudroom just off the main/full bath and the kitchen and relocated the back house entrance from the kitchen to this room. Much more functional and family friendly.

That left 3 upstairs bedrooms with 2 very substandard closets. The 2 closets sat side by side between 2 of the bedrooms. So we opened up the back of one and knocked the wall out of the middle of the two and sealed up the former front, extending it a bit at one end. While doing that we realized there was untapped potential under the roof line on the front side of the house. We gained a true standard 6' closet in one bedroom with this remodel. Then we proceeded to punch a hole thru the other bedroom wall and convert the under the roof line space into a small WIC. Really the term "small" should probably be noted as an understatement here. The longer wall is seriously only long enough to fit a standard twin mattress against. The short wall, if I remember correctly, is about 2/3's of the long one. Oh yes, one should also note that the ceiling slopes down to a height less than 4' along the outer short wall. However all that being said, note it was plenty of hanging space and held a dresser for this mother's clothes quite well. We also added a closet system to one wall that had a chimney bump-out in it for dad's clothes. Worked out quite nicely! Thru the years, for one reason or another we've played musical bedrooms.

Most recently that meant the boys had the master bedroom and we had the boys' room. We decided after finding out we were expecting our last little one that arrangement was no longer going to work out well for our once again growing family. We needed a space for baby and we were out of bedrooms. We were also out of budget for an addition as we originally hoped we'd be able to get to.

Come back soon for what happened next regarding the Great Nursery Challenge....

We had access to a couple free cribs and were all ready to welcome one of them into our home until... Mom measured the tiny nursery and realized a standard crib just wouldn't fit well into the space at all. Ugh! So the search for a new baby bed solution began.

We had already determined that we would pick up a gently used Arm's Reach mini co-sleeper, if we could find one for a good price. We've co-slept with all the kids so far for the early days/weeks/months. Yes, it has varied  greatly all dependent on the child. But we did know that with a queen size and not a king size bed (like we had with the boys) it would be a tight fit. That would mean less quality sleep for everyone (mom, dad and baby) and frankly after the 8 year gap between our youngest and this soon to be LO, we really have come to value our sleep! Luckily, I happened upon one about a month ago at a local 2ndhand children's store. It's already set up next to the bed and all ready to go. I also discovered that king size pillowcases make excellent "sheets" for the mini co-sleeper mattress. When we downsized our bed, I kept the sheet sets we had. Nice no expense for baby's 1st sheets. We still have and use our king size pillows. Here's one instance when size does matter, under the sheets. Beds, mattresses and pillows are all better when bigger!!!

We also have a bassinet, a family heirloom actually, that has been passed down thru the generations on DH-C's side of the family. It has all the names and DOB's of the babies who've slept in it written on the bottom of it. Love this tradition. But as is the case with most bassinets, it's a short lived life. In our current house it makes far more sense to use it on the main level as an additional napping space in the early days. Though afternoon (after school time) naps will still most likely occur up in the co-sleeper and later baby's true bed.

Thankfully after much hunting, there is such a thing called a mini-crib these days. It's the same size as a porta crib. However the construction design is more like a standard crib and they have convertible models these days just like the standard sized versions. The mini-crib we've selected converts to a standard twin size bed later, which is just perfect in our opinion. A very worthwhile purchase! We even think we've figured out a way to convert it to a toddler/daybed set up for the in between phase. So the mini crib is officially #2 on our must have Christmas wish list this holiday season. Baby bed dilemma resolved, so thankful for that!

Do you have one of these in your house?

as a family.
I guess it's been a very, very, very long time. So long I can't remember when we last took the time to just sit around and enjoy each other's company.
I think it's really quite sad in many ways and I hope this trend continues through the new year on a more frequent basis. I'm hoping that each of the others in our family feel the difference it creates within themselves as well as the shift it creates in our family unit.
What I've noticed, is a closeness reigniting that's been missing for sometime. Many of us are also more patient, kind, nurturing, thankful, appreciative, respectful and quieter. That's always especially good to realize as a mommy or a daddy! But I think the significance is even felt by the little souls in the household, even if they don't verbalize it or acknowledge it as such consciously.

I hope it continues. I pray it continues and further enriches all of us. There's a nice calming influence settling in. It says so much in this holiday season filled with all the hustle and bustle that's associated with preparations, family and friend celebrations. What a fantastic change of pace to welcome our new little one-to-be into our family fold!

and somehow I missed posting anything last month. I know shame on me ;) !  Boys had a great time trick or treating. N went as Chuckie with the neighbors 3 doors down, his lil' partner in crime another N. I took J who was a warlock, around our neighborhood with some other neighbors of ours a few more doors down. One of which L is a classmate of his. C was at her dad's during our Halloween here. DH-C stayed at our place out front with the outdoor fireplace roaring (to keep him warm and let others warm up a bit) and passed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. It was one really chilly night! We decided next year if the forecast looks to be as cold, we'll have some hot chocolate and maybe hot spiced cider too. Planned a smashing birthday party for C. Then to start off November well we got the official confirmation and our LO2B (little one to be) is a girl afterall. So I guess I just know without a doubt when it comes to my/our babies. I've now been right 4 outta 4 times (even though I doubted myself the first time).

Then we left out on our babymoon cruise vacation while the boys vacationed with Grandma P & Grandpa M in Florida (early-mid Nov). C wasn't left out, she opted to go to space camp this next year (her options were the cruise or space camp). We ported out of Ft. Lauderdale and enjoyed the rocky 7 day cruise to Bahamas, Virgin Islands and St. Martin/St. Marteen. Some of the other cruisers weren't so fortunate and didn't escape seasickness as well as DH-C and I did. We felt badly for them since we'd never experienced such rough seas and we've been on several cruises and many of those who fell ill it was a first time event. The weather was actually really wonderful! Sunny, breezy and warm but not too hot at all. I think we had a day of rain in there but it was just as relaxing. We both also noted quite a difference in the cruising crowd this time around, many more middle aged couples and families and not so many of the young single partying crowd. A very nice change of pace indeed. It really seemed to be a fitting and relaxing change for DH-C and I during this time in our lives.

Since we've been back it's been a real string of events... birthday party plans fell apart and new plans were made; dental appts for the kids and I (cleanings/exams/dental work); family in from out of state; Thanksgiving holiday festivities with extended families; C's 13th birthday party on her birthday here (out to lunch and a movie with friends) and her dad even threw her a surprise party at his place; colds (N, J & DH-C); school winter choral concerts (each of them had one inside of a 10 day span); Christmas shopping; purging/organizing long neglected areas of the house (attic, bedrooms and basement); planning the soon to be "new" again bedroom spaces (boys'/master); bedroom swapping (boys'/master); adding storage/organizing to bedroom (C's); new bed purchases/installations (boys metal loft beds from WM to maximize floor space in their "new" room); prenatal appts (standard, just another thing on the list to do);  vehicle repairs (why do they always seem to hit around the holiday season for us?); flu (me); planning/designing the tiny nursery (master bedroom's former WIC); putting up the Christmas tree and getting it decked for the season; major meal planning and freezer stash purging; cookie baking (DH-C's work cookie exchange). Still so much to do of course. Isn't there always so much more to accomplish in life?! Sure seems like it here anyway.

Well I think that's a pretty accurate summary of the last month or so. Like I said it's been a whirlwind!!!
Chat at you all later!