The Great Room Swap

We spent today engaged in a great room swap.

Megan and Riley had been sharing a room for about 18 months now.  I don't think I ever wrote about it, but it was a step we took because Riley was miserable sleeping by himself.  Every night putting him to bed was a trail - crying and stalling and fights.  Bryan and I dreaded it. But if he had a "sleep-over" with Megan, it was so easy. Riley just went to bed.  A cuddler since the day he was born, he just feels better with another person close by.  And Megan, the consummate Big Sister, agreed to share the room.

They started off with a twin bed and a toddler bed in the room, and later we switched to the Kura bunk bed.  But in the last few months, Megan has been expressing frustration with sharing a room with her "little bother."

I knew it wouldn't be a permanent arrangement, although Bryan and I were hoping that it would last long enough for Riley and Gavin to be roommates.  But Megan couldn't take it anymore.  "Mom, he gurgles his water at night." Riley has also recently figured out how to burp at will and often amuses himself at night (and throughout the day) by burping, saying "excuse me," and then laughing a bit manically at the fact that he pulled off the perfect crime.

I had always made it clear to Megan that she couldn't kick Riley out of the shared room, if she wanted to leave she would have to share with Gavin or move into the spare room downstairs.  Previously, neither option was palatable.  So when Megan brought up the room issue last week, and declared herself quite happy to move into the spare room (and asked us to please hurry up and clear out the closet for her), I knew she was serious.

We had her sleep down there in her sleeping bag for several nights during the week. (And Riley and cried each night, variations on "I'm lonely.  I'm so lonely by myself." Although it is getting better each night.  I'd say it only runs 5 - 10 minutes now.) And after the trial Megan was still resolved to move in.

So this morning we embarked on the great room swap.  It spread to include Gavin and the playroom as well.  I'll post the details later in the week, but I think it turned out pretty well.