Changes...

Life has been busy. Which is good, but sometimes I want to slow down. I have a feeling that with four kids there won't be any slowing down for a very long time.

Yesterday I spent some time rearranging the kids rooms. We are going to have Spike and Lala share a room for a while instead of having all three boys in one room as before. Then eventually {if we are still in this house, which it looks like we will be now... not the original plan} then we will give the boys our bigger bedroom and move into the smaller one. Lala will be old enough then that she will need her own room. I still haven't found a bunk bed for Spike and Lala in our price range but it had to be done regardless. So he's sleeping on the floor {on a mattress} in his new bedroom with the promise of a bunk bed soon... I moved big heavy dressers by myself yesterday and I'm feeling it today. I get so impatient to get things done that I don't use common sense some times. I know that my back goes out easily now a days, but I just wanted it done. Hopefully it won't get too bad, last time around I was on the floor crying, with my back out, begging my sister on the phone to come help me.
Anyways, one of the main reasons for the switch is because I want Lala to have a regular bedtime with her brothers and go to sleep on her own with out someone laying down with her. The boys have each other and I am pretty sure Lala would not want to sleep alone in her room. We once tried having Spike sleep alone in his own room to see if it would be a better sleeping arrangement and he feel apart, it was horrible... We tried for a week or so and he screamed and cried every night until I switched him back. It wasn't worth it. I don't want to start out that way with Lala. All of my children have been slowly transitioned into sleeping on their own. I've nursed and laid with my children until they feel asleep until around two years old and then slowly taught them how to go to sleep on their own. Slowly... as in the first night I sat by their bed until they feel asleep, then a few nights later the middle of the floor and then once they were okay with that the door and slowly leaving the doorway earlier and earlier before they were asleep. Sometimes going back to sitting in the hallway if they weren't going to sleep {Atty has a really hard time going to sleep sometimes and after his seizures would come out of his room over and over again. It took some serious camping out in the hallway and repeatedly putting him back in bed with out talking before he finally figured out he would be required to stay in his bed... there were moments I didn't think it would ever happen. He is the only one that still gives me night time trouble.} The first night all the boys went to sleep on their own after hugs and kisses and walking out of the room I wanted to throw a party. But that of course had the potential to wake them up again... so we just watched a movie together and marveled and the novelty. :) Now the boys are all really great sleepers, they don't fight bedtime, aren't afraid to go to sleep, and for the most part go right to bed {except again, Atty}. We read, tuck them in, hugs/kisses and prayers and I walk out. Now it's time to make that the norm for Lala. Last night you could have scooped my jaw up off the floor. After nursing her for just a moment I told her she was going to go lay down in the bedroom and that Spike was in there now too. I carried her in there, laid her down, gave her hugs and kisses and she marveled at how Spike was in there, I told her he was sleeping and she started whispering, it was so cute. Because I've already been tucking her in and then laying at the end of her bed for a while now until she feel asleep I decided to say night-night and walked out... I'll admit I was cringing. Expecting tears or footsteps in the hallway. I stood in the kitchen waiting... and waiting... and waiting. Not a noise. For the first time in a long time every kiddos in the house went to bed, just like that. It was unbelievable. I'm not going to even hope that it's going to be that easy with her, but wouldn't that be cool! I think it helped that Spike was already asleep, which I won't be able to count on every time as I'm going to start laying her down at the same time as him soon... but still it was beautiful and there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Even though I am excited about this new transition, it's bitter sweet at the same time because it just means yet again that they are all growing up so fast. For me it truly signals the end of the baby/toddler years. No longer will any of them need me to snuggle them to sleep {well maybe occasionally, a girl can hope right}. Their pudgy little arms wrapped around my neck as they drift off to dream land. I have this tendency to get busy, busy, busy and with nursing or snuggling the kiddos to sleep it's always forced me to slow down and be in that moment with them, be physically close to them and just breath in that bond. It's also always gave me a good excuse to kick up my feet and read a book, haha! Oh well, guess I just need to figure out a good snuggle time and schedule that into our day so that it's never pushed to the side or forgotten. Not that I don't hug and snuggle and express love to my children every day... but I think any mom, especially one with many children can understand how the day can fly by and before you can come to terms with it your kids are in bed and you realize you didn't get enough quality snuggle time in. Projects, house cleaning, school, work, etc... got in the way and you forgot to pause and really snuggle up those kids. Always before I had bed time to make up for that, guaranteed snuggles as they drifted off. Now I'll just have to figure out something else that works for us. Maybe each night I'll lay down and snuggle a different kiddos for a moment, a little special time with mommy. Life with children is a constant readjustment.
Interested to see how it goes tonight, and really anxious to find a bunk bed! I also want to paint the kids bedrooms, maybe this spring, and get some more shelves in there so they can start keeping some of their special toys in their bedrooms instead of the playroom. Especially Bubu because he's starting to like the "bigger boy" toys like Lego's and we can't have those in the daycare playroom with the little kids. I also want to sew some curtains for their rooms for the closets and windows. Haven't don't that in a long time! The kids actually have really boring rooms, we've focused most of the fun in the playroom, so I'd really like to do some room make overs in there in the next year. :)
Well I've ran out of rambling time, so off I go running, busy, busy day ahead!