DONE!

We did it. We finally did it! (Almost.) :)

We've been working on Rudy's room since the ground defrosted enough to start digging his window-well out last spring. Now that Fall's chill has come to visit, he's finally sleeping in his cozy new room, which is practically done. (We have a couple ceiling tiles to repair and the interior of the window to finish mudding and painting.) So it took about 2 seasons to complete. Not bad for a family consisting of a full-time student/full time employee, pregnant wife, and 2 year old child.

Here's some BEFORE pictures:

And some AFTER pictures:

 We're all very proud of our work. It's made a big difference in the room-a GIANT difference, really. And we  worked together in (mostly) harmony, which makes the project special. Rudy participated in every stage of work, from demo, to hanging his pictures up.

I can tell he has a sense of ownership for that room that couldn't have been formed any other way. When we have company over, I ask him if he wants to show them his new room, and he's almost always totally stoked too. "It's right down here," he'll say, and give the grand tour of all 10 by 12 feet. 

Moving him downstairs was a big deal for me. The first night, I shed a few tears after blowing Rudy his last night-night kiss from the door. And I listened to the monitor for even a breath of distress from my baby all night long. Maybe I'll get over the monitor thing some time, but for now, it lets me feel like he's still sharing a wall with us, which is important for my mommy nerves. 

Rudy himself has been doing pretty well with the transition. (Having the coolest room in the house probably helps.) The last night he slept in his upstairs room, he woke up early in the morning like it was Christmas day and came hurrying to me to ask if his room was ready. (We had put him to bed the night before, telling him I'd finish sewing the curtains and things so that he could move in the next day.) We went bounding (OK-he went bounding as I went blundering) down the stairs to check out the new room. 

Those next 15 minutes of totally wowed 2 year old were worth every late night, early morning, and nap time I put into that room. I only wish Jason could have seen it. Rudy insisted that we go retrieve his sleeping buddies, Beep-n-Bop and Turtle, as well has his sippy, so that he could pretend to sleep in there right away. Come that night, it took a little firmness to convince him that his days of sleeping upstairs were over, but I really think he was just exploring a new bed time stalling technique, because as soon as the routine was finished and he'd given the monitor a test to be sure I could hear him from upstairs, he went right to sleep and slept soundly through the night.

So now I'm free to begin nesting for the little one on the way. Whew! My nesting instincts have been seriously building up, as I've made myself focus on getting Rudy all set. This week, our laundry lint has has a pink tinge to it, as I've washed loads of blankets, towels, and clothes to outfit our little girl through her first 6 months. I went out and bought all the little infant things we needed to restock on, I've brought all the baby gear out of storage and washed and set up most of the things. We're waiting for the crib my Oma was nice enough to buy for us to arrive, and then we'll set up the nursery in earnest. Hallelujah! I'm right around the corner from being able to sit in my totally stocked and ready nursery and tell Julia, "Alright-we're ready. You can come at your convenience," which is good, since she's due in like 26 days. (Not that I'm counting, or anything.) :)