the bedroom conundrum

I've mentioned before that our sweet little house is . . . little.  It was a little over 900 square feet when we bought it, and we added on another 200 or so.  We have a kitchen, living room, dining room, two bedrooms, and one bathroom.

Honestly, my first thought on finding out we were expecting again was, "But we don't have enough room!"  It's going to be tight, for sure.  We have eventual plans to add on a master suite, but they are very eventual.  Like five to ten years eventual.

But then I remembered fondly the years that my sister and I shared not only a bedroom, but also a bed.  I also recall snuggling up a lot with my mom when I was a youngster.  I certainly don't feel like I was "deprived" because I was without my own room.  On the contrary - it was fun and formed a close bond between all of us.

My dreams of putting together the perfect Montessori nursery are on hold yet again.  And you know, I think it's just fine.  There can be a tendency to get very hung on the details and miss the bigger picture of what you are creating.  What kind of environment do I want for my children?  One that encourages touching, exploring, learning, and curiosity.  One where things are not "off limits," but are rather open to them.  That can be done in any number of ways.

It does, though, seem to rule out the possibility of a floor bed for G2 until s/he is a bit older.  I just wouldn't feel safe having both children sleep together in the same room without some kind of protective device surrounding the youngest one.  Vicki's room is completely baby-proofed . . . except for Vicki herself!  I don't think she would try to hurt the baby, but she is very hands-on, if you know what I mean. 

Not to mention the logistics involved in even getting two children, 25 months apart, to sleep in the same room.  I don't even know if it's possible until G2 is on a regular bed- and naptime, which took a long time for Vicki.

So, I have come up with a very loose plan.  Loose because I've found that these plans tend to sit on the shelf when an actual, real baby who has an opinion about the situation suddenly appears!

G2 will sleep in bed with us, as Vicki did, for awhile.  When no one is around to sleep in bed with him or her, s/he will stay in the same cradle we used for Vicki, which was also used for Jeff when he was a baby. 

When it's time for the new baby to move to his or her own space, we will get both kids in their room.  The young one will probably stay in the pack and play (less bulky than a crib), and Vicki will sleep on her floor bed. 

I will need to reorganize the kids' bedroom and really streamline, so there is not a lot of clutter.  When they are older, I'd love to get a bunk bed to save space.  So here is what I envision in their shared room, when it becomes shared:

-Two floor beds, or maybe just one?  Depending on their relationship.
-A low table with two chairs.
-A reading corner with pillows and wall-mounted shelves to keep the books at eye level for them.
-A small potty on a carpet (no room in the bathroom for this!)
-Another low shelf in addition to Vicki's.
-Plenty of hooks hung at child level for sweaters, towels, etc.
-Artwork for the children hung at their eye level (no glass frames).

We keep the dresser full of Vicki's clothes and blankets in her closet.  I will prune them so that the two children share the one dresser for clothes, diapers, etc.

So what do you think?  Am I crazy?  I mentioned this whole plan to an acquaintance, and she said that her grandma shared not just a bedroom, but a bed with four siblings.  They slept head to toe like sardines in a can!  Makes me realize just how fortunate we are, and how much we take for granted . . .