DIY Closet Bed

The world of blogging is full picture perfect DIY's and best laid plans. I had this dream of a closet bed for Avie - I even blogged about it. Then I did it and it exceeded my expectations. I picked fabrics and made pillows. I was so proud - sewing them at 9 months (and 3 days) pregnant. I loved them. I loved it. LOVED IT. Look, it's so pretty! And picture worthy. 

Pigtails and face pillows

Turns out Avie liked it too - so much that she pulled the faces off of both the pillows. Now it's a creepy white circle and a strange gray swirly pillow with lips. Plus she wouldn't sleep in it. It was too short. She's tall like Paul. So basically, the toddler ripped the faces off the cute pillows and wouldn't sleep in it. So yeah #pinterestfail. BUT the bed itself is great, and we added a safety gate to the front so it's a nice small crib with a sweet netting and garland on top.

Then the more we were thinking about it we realized that Avie is already sleeping funny and it didn't make sense to transition her from her crib bed  - she's not escaping from it and it's good to have her contained. Bailey needed to move into Avie's room, so we decided to move Bailey into the closet bed. It's been amazing. They are in the same room (and NO ONE BUT US IS IN OUR ROOM) and it's going well - they are in the same room but not on top of each other. It's slightly darker for B and Avie, the picky sleeper, gets to keep her regular bed. It was a stroke of genius. So so happy. 

Also they've been sharing a room now for 5 nights. It's been touch and go at times but mostly they've slept through the night #praisethelord. The only night they didn't was the night it was 31 degrees, the electricity turned off so the fans didn't work, and then the electricity turned back on and scared the girls. Rough night. We're good now though. Plus it's less hot. So that helps. 

And...on the plus side of all of this. I used the many many pillows that I'd made for the bed (and obviously weren't safe for a baby bed) and created a cozy sitting space in the bedroom for reading stories with Avie. 

B's Birth Story

Last time it took me a month to write out my birth story - this time little B baby is just a day old and I'm already keen to get it written out, which goes to show you how different the two labours were (and how different it is to have a second baby)! My first labour was 4 days of labour, my second was 2 days. 20 minutes of pushing the first time, 8 minutes this time. The first time the pain felt it would last forever, as the days continued. This time, it all felt manageable and ordered somehow. From start to finish, this labour was proof that the second birth is often easier. Let me tell you about it.

Edited to add: Ironically, I am only now finishing this a month after little B made her way into our lives. Started out so strong, haha. 

Edited to add again: even worse, I finished the post but then took 4.5 months to get the photos uploaded to post #lifewithtwokids #momlife

My due date was Sunday, December 11th. Not much happened in the days following my due date. My Auntie Sandy came on Thursday the 8th. She was amazing. She cooked our dinners and took care of Avie in the day so I could work and rest. It was amazing. I felt so loved and cared for. During this time I had steady Braxton Hicks but no real contractions. Then on Friday the 16th I woke up with contractions about 10 minutes apart. Throughout the day they continued this way. Sandy left by 2pm, and I was scheduled to pick up Paul's mom at 3pm at the airport. Only an hour without additional help. Thankfully around 2:30pm Paul's sister Katie appeared to help, which I was most thankful for with the contractions continuing. We drove to the airport to pick Nancy up. Then we picked up Paul. We headed out for hearty German food for Paul's bday. We enjoyed schnitzel and spaetzle, beer and wine (non-alcoholic beer for me), through contractions, still 10 minutes apart. Eventually, we headed home and I was able to sleep all night. Contractions were 10 minutes apart through the night but not so painful that I couldn't sleep through them. It was only when I would wake up to pee that I would notice the contractions.

Out at dinner - last pregnancy selfie!

Cuddles after dinner with my first born