Getting ready for Baby

yes- its true. this was her room. If it makes you feel better, I can lie and say I made it extra messy for the picture!
Please note how the closet is full (plus laundry baskets of outgrown clothing)

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But now the kids' closet is much better! (Note the purple and green storage I bought when A. was born! We have plenty of room for his clothes now!)
Where she stands is where the crib will eventually go. The bookshelf is organized and not overflowing. A. is very happy with her new room. I think she will enjoy having space to play in there. It is my hope that with less clothes, less toys, and less books it will be easier to keep it looking like this.

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I seriously contemplated posting these very embarrassing pictures of our 3 year old's room. With two parents working full time jobs, it is hard enough to keep the house clean- that it is very challenging to keep up with her bedroom. I admit, this is an example of how it got to a point and I just stopped trying for awhile.
One thing that has been worrying me is where Baby Boy is going to sleep at night. Our three bedroom house has a bedroom in the basement- Im just not ready to put our daughter down there. People have suggested that he can sleep in our room for a few months, but honestly I am not sure that is the best idea either. Every day I looked at A.'s room and wondered HOW we would have room for Baby #2. A. had taken over the whole room- the closet, the room, the floorspace! Today I made it my goal to make some changes.
Before her nap I laid out ten baking sheets in the hallway. I asked her to select 10 of her favorite toys. Most were obvious choices but some were a bit of a surprise. Then, during her nap I deligently went through every item in her closet- removed clothes that no longer fit or that we never actually put on her, removed the toys she played with as a 2 year old and hasnt really asked for lately, found lots of socks that didn't have a partner, and went through some toys to take downstairs and rotate through. I also rearranged her furniture. Her bed is now against the wall by the window, allowing a better place for us to put the crib eventually. I moved a table and chair set to the basement and she didnt even notice! I also used some fabric to tastefully cover the fact that her bed is up against a closet door that we do not use.

I am just exhausted. I am also relieved that the bedroom is now a little more ready for 2. The closet is only half-full (so thankful I purchased purple AND green organizers when she was born). I am hoping that by doing much of this work now, it will be a smoother transition in April and hopefully she will not realize that I needed to clean out the closet and rearrange her furniture because we needed room for her brother!

I know the nights are not going to be easy at first with them sharing a room. We will simply have to cross that bridge when we get to it. If any readers have experience with an infant and toddler sharing a room or any advice, I would gladly appreciate it.

The blog's baby counter says about 96 more days until he arrives! Emotionally and mentally I feel as prepared as one can, but our to-do list still seems looming.


*Last night was a lot of fun. A. and her daddy had a special night where they went to PRINCESS and the FROG at the theatre! Mommy had a girls night with five other friends and Daddy decided it would be fun to do something special with his girl. They seemed to have a great time and I was relieved that she behaved at the theatre.