Making Plans

I posted a short note on FaceBook but thought I might also record this on our blog...for posterity.

Our life and our home are all turned upside-down right now during this great bedroom switcheroo. It’s kind of like packing to move. However, it’s also like the difference between ripping off a band-aid quickly or slowly. This is moving in slow motion. Chaos!

The two little boys have combined in Elijah’s room. Lots of their favorite stuff is in boxes waiting for their new larger space. Josiah is suffering from lack of personal space. He gave up his room to move into Elijah’s. No neutral territory. Plus they are sharing a bunk bed and are on Spring Break this week. That translates to total wildness at night and little sleep for both them and us because their bedroom is right above ours. We hear it all! Boxes and stuff litter Miranda’s bedroom, the attic, and the loft that Keziah uses as her bedroom space. Keziah’s combination bedroom/playroom/library space is shrinking.

One collection of stuff that has landed in this space is the extra bedding from Josiah and Elijah’s combining. Both boys each had a bunk bed in their rooms so now that they are down to just one bunk there are two sets of sheets and comforters piled up, waiting for the mama to wash them and package them up as a future garage sale treasure. None of this seems to trouble Keziah too much. She can still find enough room to play and entertain herself.

A couple of days ago as I prepared to tuck her in bed for the night, I noticed that some of her pillows, blankets, and dolls were also on the floor. What was all of this? I got my answer. She had straightened out the comforters and blankets on the floor, added her own decorative touches, and declared that this would be Hadassah’s bed!

Have I mentioned that she is excited about having a little sister?

I tucked Keziah in bed and assured her that we would make sure Hadassah had a proper bed. She would not need to sleep on the floor in a pile of cast offs. Mom would eventually finish painting their new bedroom (currently shared by E & J).

The paperchase and waiting seem to be taking forever when I have a very impatient seven year old who just wants her sister home.

Yesterday at breakfast, she insisted that I write down Hadassah’s name for her. I jotted it on a Post-It note at hand. Then she requested that I add her Chinese name too. Writing it in pinyin was not what Keziah had in mind. She wanted it written in Chinese characters…full name! I hopped on my computer, cut and pasted together a page with “Hadassah” and her Chinese name in both characters and pinyin in parentheses typed up for Keziah. Beaming and glowing with pride, she added it to her backpack.

Where did it go? I don’t really know. It didn’t come back home after school. She seemed to insist that her teacher needed to see her sister’s name.

I’m planning for there to be bumps in the road ahead, but right now, we have a little girl who loves her sister very much.