Week 81.21 Playroom reveal.

Dear Nathan,

This week has been a pretty exciting week. Since oak pollen has kept us indoors most days, we've had a lot of playdates at our place. Here's you and your bff Abigail, pushing each other around in the wooden cart. 

 We finally finished setting up the playroom this week and you helped with finishing the window bench seat. You really were fascinated by the hex wrench and tried to unscrew a few things when I wasn't looking.

 We also tried a few new activities. You were kind of excited about this one at first, but then you were more interested in putting the pipe cleaners back into the package.

 And clearly, your microwave is too small for your cooking needs.

Sleep: You are sleeping from 8 to 8. With an afternoon nap from 1:15 to about 3:00 or 3:30.

Food: Your appetite does not seem as voracious as it did a week ago, but I attribute that big appetite to a huge growth spurt (lengthwise). I could tell because during a playdate this week, both I and your friend's mom noticed that you are now taller than her son.

Potty training: Is kind of at a standstill. While you are going potty at pretty predictable times, you are not telling me when you need to go. We are making some progress in that you will nod or shake your head when I ask if you need to go, but you simply lack the initiative to tell us yourself.

Verbal skills: You are saying "ma ma" more often, but it seems like you are starting to interchange your "m" and "n" sounds.  You have tried to say "p" sounds, like "pop," but your mouth just isn't capable of forming that sound. I can tell that it is frustrating you some, but not too much.

And now, the playroom reveal.

This is what the playroom looked like before the remodel. We had a half wall next to the ping pong table, which was a great ball magnet during intense matches.

When the ping pong table was down, there wasn't really any room to play. It looked empty and lacked the inspiration needed for little creative minds.

 So first, we hired someone to come in and take down the half wall and fill in the space with floor.

Got a few shelves from Ikea, added toys and there you have it. A bright and cheery playroom. I finally figured out that in order to make these box shelves not look too cluttered is to not over-stuff them with stuff. So, we got a lot of shelves and baskets. As you can see, there are still quite a few empty spots, but that is ok, because we have another kid on the way.

I've always wanted a window seat so we were able to put one under the window. After many hours of research, I found the perfect Ikea hack to do the job. This is a Hemnes TV stand with about 3 inches of the TV stand legs sawed off. One day I will make comfy cushions for the seat, but for now it is the perfect height for pushing trains and cars around.

We were not quite sure about what to do with the raw plywood floor that we were left with. Carpet? Rug? We finally decided on foam mats that look like hardwood. I'm really loving this because it provides the perfect surface to play, is easily cleanable, and when it's time to replace the carpet, we won't feel bad about throwing it out since it ended up being cheaper than putting in carpet in that small area.

We were also able to incorporate your dad's bachelor furniture into the space. In fact, in a few weeks, I'm going to make a train table with an old Ikea coffee table. I'll post that when it's finished.

The walls are still bare, but I'm sure in no time, they will be covered with masterpieces created by our resident little artists. I'm really happy with our playroom with room to grow.

A few of your friends from the neighborhood came over to play and they approve of the new play area.

Oh, I bet you are wondering if we you are going to have a little sister or brother. Well, we now know, but we have to take a few pictures before the final reveal. This involves you and ice cream. Don't worry, you won't be disappointed.