Step 1: Changing Abby's room into the Big Sister room.
We said goodbye to the baby pink we painted the room when Abby was 18 months old and said hello to a pretty gray that would serve as the perfect backdrop for all the bold, big girl colors in the shared space. Joe worked hard for a few nights after work to get it all done for his girls.
Step 2: Operation big girl room in full effect.
We filled the room with lots of purple, teal and touches of pink. The girls have been loving all things Paris, so I used that as my inspiration! Target didn't disappoint. I found really cute Parisian pillows, an Eiffel tower lamp and the perfect wall hanging. We plan on turning the beds into bunk beds in a few months, but this works as our set up for now!
The look on the girls faces when they saw their room for the first time made every minute of the planning and hard work worth it.
Step 3: Moving the girls in for their first night together.
While the girls were excited to sleep together in their new room, the first night wasn't easy for Ella. As she was trying to fall asleep, she started crying that she didn't want to give her room to the baby. She didn't want her toddler bed to be turned into a crib. It was her room and her bed. She didn't want a big girl room. I rubbed her back as she started letting go. It was bittersweet to watch my sweet girl grieve the reality of not being the baby anymore. We were preparing for the baby in more ways than one that night. It was the only night she cried about it. Now, a few weeks later, the girls are settling into a new bedtime routine and I feel good about the way they have transitioned.
I had the girls' vanity set up nicely. The frame slightly turned in on the left and the clock was slightly turned in on the right. When Abby came in the room she walked right over to her clock and arranged it as it is below. When I walked over and fixed it, she was quick to correct its crookedness again and arrange it evenly with the corner of the vanity edge. She couldn't understand why I wouldn't put it straight and left the room to tell her daddy how I wouldn't stop arranging the alarm clock the wrong way. This was so funny to us because Joe's family will tell story after story from his childhood about how Joe's brothers loved to drive him nuts by sneaking into his room when he wasn't home and rearranging things on his nightstand (like his alarm clock). Joe was known for the same need for things to be just so.
Step 4: Decorating the walls.
Little by little, I gathered and collected pieces for the girls' walls. I found the flower canvas in the clearance section at Hobby Lobby and thought it would be perfect. I painted the large letters for above their beds. I ordered the canvas of the girls over a year ago and had it stored away waiting for the right space. I needed one more print to fill a frame for the gallery wall I was going to hang over Ella's bed. One of the girls' favorite French phrases (learned in their American Girl movie) is "Je ne sais quoi". It means "a quality that can not be described or named easily". Abby and Ella tend to use the phrase when referring to something they are cooking or eating to describe the special something they are tasting. So, you can imagine how perfect it was when I found this print on Pinterest.
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| #gallerywallcomplete |
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| The balloon photo says, "He hears our prayers". |
Step 5: Time to get baby girl's room ready!
With the big girls all set up and transitioned in their new room, it was time to paint again. Joe painted the bright blue in the baby's room a very muted and neutral light green. Our plan is to keep it simple and sweet with soft greens and pinks. We have just a few more things to do before our littlest lady's arrival!
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| Coming soon: elephants on the wall over the crib |
Baby "J" got her own painted letter too!
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