Monday, February 15, 2010

A Lovely Waltz.

I have a desk that I sanded and stained in college. My husband helped me, in fact, and I remember sitting in my parents' garage in the summer heat sanding and sanding and sanding. It's one of my favorite pieces of furniture, one that helped me finish college and start a new life as a married woman. It's sat in our living room, our office, and, most recently, our guest room.

But, today my desk got moved back to our living room. It was the final piece left in the guest room that needed to be removed before we can begin the transformation of turning that room into Cub's new big boy room. I stood in the living room and scratched my head, trying to figure out where in the world it should go. I scooted it into the last space available, placed some candles and picture frames upon its smooth top, and called it good. My husband came in from organizing the garage and nodded in approval. We both looked around at our newly empty guest room (with the exception of Cub's toys) and our living room that adopted a few of that room's pieces of furniture. I sighed. He sighed. And then he threw his arms in the air and said, "We're out of room!"

And then it hit us. Both of us.

We are now that family. Those people I've heard about and seen on HGTV who have to shuffle their belongings around as children get added to the mix. The ones who have a toy poking out here or there, who have to roll up their sleeves and shift around their lives in order to make room for sound of little feet running on the wood floors. The ones whose cupboards house sippy cups alongside toasting flutes. If you peek in our garage you will see strollers and Cub's caboose attachment to my husband's bike. Our car has a lost toy or two wedged underneath one of the seats.

We've officially stepped out of the Newlywed Phase and into the Family Phase.

Those months I spent languishing on how to decorate my new home when I was a new wife are a distant memory now. When purchasing home decor, my mind now wonders, "Is this breakable?" if I find something that could be placed in Cubbie's reach. Even if he knows not to touch it, chances are he will at some point, and, if it breaks, is it something I can live without? How odd it can be to buy something because you are okay with losing it.

My husband and I went to IKEA this weekend to purchase Cub's big boy furniture. The toddler zone that would normally be intimidating was, instead, fascinating, and both my husband and I were like kids ourselves, testing out the furniture. Rather than trying to figure out what furniture would match our home's general decor, we instead chose things that we knew Cubbie would love. And we had a blast doing it.

And so, today, in the living room, it hit us.

We're growing up.

Ever since Cub's birth and again with this pregnancy, we've been carving out a space in our selfish lives to be filled with the giggles and tears of our precious children. And the things, the inanimate objects, that once held such high importance to us, have begun to fade away for the sake of them ... only the most precious objects remain.

And so, my desk will stay in its new corner for now. And, like that desk, my husband and I will continue to move our lives around to match the rhythm of this new dance we're living in. And we'll keep loving every step.


5 comments:

  1. Hi Katie, I love your blog (and am officially de-lurking!) and wanted to tell you how much this post touched me. My husband and I are expecting our first child in April, and have been going through the same process of re-organising our lives to adapt to Little Boy's already commanding presence. Our bedroom has turned into Nursery R Us, we're trying to find safe places for our fragile wedding gifts (we got pregnant soon after the wedding - not much of a newlywed phase for us!), and carving out space on our precious postgrad bookshelves for our little guy's books. I love how he's already insinuating himself into the everyday fabric of our lives - even though he's not an 'outside baby' yet, there's no doubt that he's an integral part of our family. Congratulations on your expansions!

    Holly

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  2. it's so true how easily we let go of things we (sometimes thought) we once loved to make room for kiddos. I love this phase and don't mind that most of my breakable decorations are now in a hall closet and have been replaced by children's books and brightly colored toys...what fun!! thanks for your thoughts!!

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  3. I can so relate. We have smallish bedrooms in our house and when we got to the toddler age, I realized that I did not want my son's room stuffed with toys. So we took our office/exercise room and turned it into a playroom. ALL of the toys went in there and his bedroom is used solely for sleeping, reading and relaxing. It's just funny how kids take over your house and your life, and things that used to make me crazy just don't bother me anymore. It definitely reminds you that you're growing up.

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  4. Oh...It's amazing the changes little ones make on our lives --- I am thinking of how to rearrange and make my home still feel like a home even though it's small and there will be four of us. FOUR.
    Totally can relate to your post.

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  5. This was sooo beautifully written!
    ::smile::
    -Jen

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