New year, new room…
[AD: this post contains gifted items]
We’ve been through a lot of great parenting landmarks in the 5 years Max has been on this planet, but I have to admit, I didn’t really think giving him his first “big boy bed” would be one of them.
I mean, it’s just a bed, right? How emotional was the experience?
In fairness to me and my emotions, we moved Max out of his bed quite late, purely because we had opted for the extra-large bed, which transitioned to one large enough to last us a few years. It wasn’t the first place she slept, as she was in our room for the first 6 months, but we had that bed ready for her since before she was born (I still vividly remember that day coming, and how terrified I was that we would tempt fate even with have it at home…), and thoughts about suddenly don’t have it again all kinds of emotional for me.
But last year it started to become clear to us that the time for a change had come, and when Max finally came out to us that he already wanted a new bed, we thought the time had come.
Since I’m me, I totally forgot to take some photos of the room before we converted it, so here’s one from the archives:
And here’s how it looks now:
This bed is from Aspace Children’s Furniture, and the ‘Oundle’ bed is silky white. (You can see more of their children’s single beds here) With that we got the Super Deluxe Kids Bed, which Max says is very comfortable, and also very luxurious. (Incidentally, I can testify to this, as I have actually slept in it twice now: first when Terry had a Bug That Wasn’t Covid, But Which Feels Very Much Like Covid, and again when Me have it. So, yes, I’ve been trying hard to review this bed for you all…)
(I should add here that Max stayed with his grandparents on both of these occasions. I didn’t just kick him out of his bed so I could have him…)
I really wanted to get rid of the couch – or at least trade it in for the comfy chairs we have in the office – so he would have more room to play, but Max didn’t want to hear about it, and it was his room, so we thought he should have the final say. He actually uses that couch quite a lot, though… We originally just put him in the bedroom when he was a baby so we had a place to sit for dinner etc, but he’s gotten really attached to it, so I’m thinking it’s there to stay.
On the other side of the room, meanwhile, is his new desk:
It’s from IKEA, as are the chairs (And rugs. And shelving units. And lamps…), and its arrival is causing much joy for Max, who spends A LOT of time drawing these days.
Oh, and there’s one more twist:
Alarm clock! Because every busy 5 year old needs an alarm to keep them on schedule, right?
(Okay, he doesn’t really use the alarm function, of course – and neither do we, actually, because Max IS our alarm. He has learned to tell time, and really needs one of these, so here it is… heart wants what the heart desires…)
We originally said that Max would get a “new” room for his birthday, which was December 29th. However, it didn’t take long to figure out that there would be absolutely no way for us to pull off that special surprise – especially with him having school off for the holidays – so we got everything ready in advance (and, yes, then had to give him something else to unwrap on that day). his birthday…), on the day the bed arrived.
It’s flat packed, but easy enough to assemble (He said, plays absolutely no part in any assembly, unless you count bringing the pack back down, and regularly yelling, “Don’t stand there, Max!” And I count things -that thing…), so even though it arrived just a few hours before Max’s bedtime, Terry was able to arrange it in plenty of time, allowing Max to fall asleep right away. It’s fantastic quality, as well as very comfortable, and I’m sure it will last for years to come – which is good to know, because I’m not sure I’ll be able to ride this emotional rollercoaster again, to be honest. .
However, on that note, there is some good news…the matching cot and changing table have been gifted to our nephew and his girlfriend, who are hoping to start a family soon, so, all good, they will be staying in the family. , and other little people will love them as much as Max.
Now if we can figure out a way to slow down time, so that we can keep his room like this forever, it will happen fantastic…
