4.5.19 - The Bunk Bed

Calvin will arrive in August and we aren't likely to move to a bigger place before then. Even if we were going to, I think we'd still want to get a bunk bed to save space.

A few days ago I mentioned to Jack that we should look into one now and give Clara and Jane time to get used to it before they have to adjust to the next big change (a new baby), and to my delight Jack took over the project without me even thinking about it again. He spent the last few days researching and trying to find a balance between cost and storage needs (bunk bed with built in storage are far too expensive but we were hoping at least for something with enough clearance from the ground that we can store clothes under it). After several unsuccessful attempts to coordinate with sellers on Craigslist and Facebook Market (or whatever it's called), today Jack found a fairly good deal. He left to investigate it immediately (he wanted to see the frame in person to verify it really was 11" off the ground) while I was able to keep working because Clara was with her ABA therapist.

As soon as Jack returned he got to work taking apart Clara's current bed and assembling the bunk bed. Most of this phase he was kept company by Clara who talked to him about what he was doing (and what she was doing) incessantly. I just hear her in their, high-pitched voice jabbering away, with him occasionally giving a preoccupied "Yeah." or "Oh yeah?" She was pretty excited about all the furniture rearranging happening and stayed in there with him the whole time, so I was able to get even more done.

He wasn't quite finished by the time it was time to pick up Jane so he closed the nursery door and blocked it so Clara wouldn't mess with the tools and everything inside. I put on some videos for her to keep her preoccupied and it mostly worked.

When Jack and Jane returned, both girls were very excited and interested in all the happenings in the nursery. Once Jack actually put one bunk on top of the other and put Clara's mattress on the top bunk, they were just amazed. Clara was thrilled to climb the ladder to the top bunk, and even though Jane can't handle the ladder yet, she was perfectly happy/excited to climb back and forth over the empty lower bunk frame and move toys in and out of its space. She was very busy.

It took a bit to get them (mostly Clara) out of the nursery and into their chairs for dinner, and when they were done they went back to experiencing the bunk bed. Clara kept putting her stuffed animals on the ladder rungs and telling me they were going up the "excavator." (No matter how many times I try to get her to say "escalator" she insists it is actually "excavator.") Jane continued to move objects and herself back and forth, under and mostly over, the empty bottom frame.

Left: Jack putting together the crib in late 2014; Center: Jack putting together Clara's "big girl bed" in early 2017; Right: Jack putting together the bunk bed, April 2019.

It was actually pretty surreal to me because we had bunk beds for my entire youth and they really symbolize childhood to me. I have a ton of bunk bed-associated memories, and it was just bizarre to realize now I'm the adult too big to sit on the top bunk and I'm corralling my kids around in their cozy (crowded) nursery.

When it was finally time for bed, I brushed Clara's teeth while she sat on the top bunk. She had no problem being put to bed there (she transitions really wonderfully in general), but she did want Jane to come up there with her. Jane was also standing at the bottom of the ladder yelling "UP!" so I went ahead and put her on the top bunk for a while and they basically both sat there and giggled and smooshed their faces into the pillows etc. It was pretty amazing, I am sure, being so high up in the room.

When I did put Jane in her crib, that was nostalgic too, in the sense that Jane probably has only a few more days, week tops (however long it takes us to get another twin mattress and bedding), to sleep in her crib before it becomes Calvin's crib. Makes me glad we're about to have another baby since this baby is growing up fast. <3

I put them to bed the same way I always do and they handled it fine. Fun transition day.