What I've Been Up To . . .

Cleaning out and organizing Lizzie's room! In the over two years that we've lived here, now, Lizzie's room has mostly been just a storage room for my sister Jen's stuff with a crib in it. Some of our things are stored in there in boxes, too, and as Lizzie has accumulated more and more books and toys, these were stashed there in cardboard boxes as well. Even when all of her things were cleaned up and put away, the room felt cramped and messy. Now Jen's things are packed away in the garage, and I've cleaned and organized everything. I also moved the big four post bed over against the wall so there is room to pull the trundle out and to play.

My father made this bed for my oldest sister, Stephanie, but since she has no daughters to pass it down to they're giving it to me for Lizzie. I'll start pulling out the trundle for her at bed time now, since she's now climbing in and out of her crib as easily as she would the trundle. Sadie's still in the port-a-crib in the other room because we have to be able to move it easily whenever a guest comes to visit. However, she's sleeping a lot better now, so I'm hopeful it won't be too much longer before we can transfer her to the crib and the two girls can share a room.

Lizzie's toys are now in the armoire, with the theory being that things are stored on the top two shelves and I will occasionally switch them around, so it's easier to keep organized. And when I change things out I expect Lizzie will have a renewed interest in them.

There was this odd empty corner left after moving the bed against the wall. (You're never supposed to place beds under windows in California, in case of earthquakes.) So I pulled a shelf of ours out of storage in the garage and made it into a reading corner for Lizzie, which I think will be a lot of fun.