Lent with Claire 2016: Resurrection Eggs

I mentioned in my Ash Wednesday post that we're attempting to do some Lent activities with Claire this year. It's such an experiment for us, given that she's a toddler (which = completely unpredictable), but we're going for it. I thought I'd document our progress along the way for you. Who knows what that will end up looking like... 

We're loosely following this Lent reading plan with Bear from the Jesus Storybook Bible. Note: if you have any kiddos in your life who don't have this children's Bible, I highly recommend it! We really like it (and so does Claire). We've given it to a few friends because we like it so much. One of the taglines is that it "whispers His name on every page," which it absolutely does. We love how it is so intentional about connecting every single story to Jesus and God's plan for us. We're actually on track with our readings (you know, 7 days in...yay us!), and Claire is sitting still and interacting with the stories so far, which is better than we got around Advent, so I'll take it.

One of the activities I knew I wanted to try this year was one that's been around for a long time: Resurrection Eggs. I decided to follow this template and started collected items from around the house to fill our eggs. The template includes little printable Bible verses from a children's translation of the Bible to go in each egg, which is nice. Classic Resurrection Eggs are comprised of 12 plastic Easter eggs, each filled with small symbols representing the parts of the Easter story. Technically, you're supposed to start these 12 days before Easter, opening the last one (the empty one- for the empty tomb!) on Easter morning. But, since our goal is to drive home the Easter story during Lent and because our child is so young, we decided to start this week, spending a few days on each egg. The theory is that the repetition of doing the same egg a few nights in a row will help her remember them as we move forward. 

The collecting process. You can kind of spy some of my supplies in the cups of my egg plate: an oyster cracker to represent the bread of the Last Supper, a stone from the tomb, a toothpick as the spear used to pierce Jesus' side, nails from the cross, purple cloth and a strip of thorns. I was able to find everything in our home or yard, which was really nice. 

And this is front and center on our dining room table until Easter (although I may have to transfer the eggs to another holding receptacle when we dye eggs closer to Easter...).

The first egg we opened has a small leaf in it (I snagged it from a rose bush in front of our house), representing the palm branches used during the Triumphal Entry. We did the most simplified explanation you could possibly imagine and sang a "Hosanna" song. It didn't mean anything to Claire, but we'll continue doing it anyway. She was extremely interested in our platter of eggs, picking up each one and gently shaking to see if she could guess what was inside (we told her we can only open one at a time. Lent is a season of waiting, so it seems appropriate for her to practice that discipline, too.). She is very much looking forward to finding out what is in each one, so I'm hopeful that this will end up being a good learning experience.

I also decided to try to do a Easter-related craft with Claire each week, since our first cra(p)ft went so well. I thought she might be able to connect with the symbols inside the eggs better if we did something fun and hands-on that related. Because the first egg has a leaf symbolizing the Triumphal Entry, I decided that we'd make a "palm branch" for Claire to wave around when we talk about it. I glanced at a construction paper "template" on Pinterest and free-handed one to cut out of card stock. Then, I braved the world of watercolors, and we painted it. Claire likes painting, so I figured she'd enjoy that part (which she did). We've been singing a "Hosanna" song when we talk about Egg #1, so now we have a bigger leaf to wave while we sing.

She thoroughly enjoyed painting her leaf.

And, for anyone still interested in some Lenten reflections, might I suggest the daily updates from our Boston church, Church of the Cross? Different members of the church are asked to reflect on particular passages of scripture everyday throughout Lent. Brad wrote a few while we lived there, and I always enjoyed reading different church members' perspectives. They're short and sweet, so it's not a big commitment or anything.

I'm going to try to post a Lent with Claire update (or something in that vein) every week. Assuming that the system doesn't completely break down and turn into nothing. I think it will be nice to have a record of it to look back on by the end of the year. Hope you enjoy!

Valentine's Cra(p)ft

As Claire is almost 3 now (HOW??) and is starting to enjoy being artsy and creating things, I decided to be a daredevil and try her out on a craft. An actual craft. I'd had plans to attempt this concept around Christmas, but A) I didn't feel good basically ever around Christmas and B) Christmas is busy (obviously). Valentine's Day seemed a better choice.

Because I try to rid myself of excess stress and pressure (particularly in the Mom-ing department), I have specific guidelines for the kinds of crafts I will even consider attempting off of Pinterest. There are some incredibly talented folks out there who are willing to attempt daring and expensive activities with their small children. Props to them, but no thank you on my end. I won't consider a craft if it isn't super simple and if I don't have all (or at least most of) the supplies at home already. Given the unpredictability of toddlers, I'm just not willing to spend money on supplies for a craft that she may refuse to do.

So, I shopped around on Pinterest and decided this paper plate wreath fit my criteria. Claire really enjoyed making Valentine's Day cards this year, and I knew she'd get on board with a craft specifically for her room. I told her we were going to to make a craft...to which she responded, "I want to make a crap!"

Oops. We need to work on our pronunciation, apparently.

We gathered our supplies from around the house: tissue paper (from my hoarded stash salvaged from gifts of yore), a paper plate (that's square, not round and is also printed. We just turned it upside-down to hide the print and called it a day), my 3-hole punch (to use to make one hole...because I'm not sure I own a regular hole punch), ribbon (from the same salvaged hoard as the tissue paper because I'm the family member that collects all the ribbon, bags, and tissue paper after gifts are unwrapped), and a bottle of Elmer's glue. I cut the tissue paper into squares and showed Claire how to pinch it up and dip it in the glue. She caught on really quickly and was all over that craft. We probably worked on it for 10 minutes with utter concentration. I was rather proud. 

After we finished and let it dry, we hung it in her room...and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to dislodge it. 

Action shot! She was really quite adept. I was impressed. I should stop short-changing her abilities.

Finished product. I would have kept going and filled it out more, but she ran out of steam. I definitely am not going to force crafts on her, so this is how we left it.

We took it up to her room and decided to hang it on an empty nail on Baby Sister's side of the room. We recently moved Claire's pictures/decorations that we had on that side of the room and consolidated them all on her "new" side, leaving a bunch of nails in the wall. We decided just to leave them, in case they'll work for New Baby's decor as it goes up. That North Carolina print is her very first one. Also, the evening that we made the wreath, Claire and I had a friend come over for dinner (her husband is in the same night class as Brad, so we invited her to join us), and Claire dragged her upstairs POST HASTE to show her the wreath. It's a big deal, y'all.

And that's the story of our very first cra(p)ft. I hope everyone enjoyed your Valentine's Day.

Snippets and Stories: Claire's advice for her crying Mom

One of the harder aspects of this pregnancy has been an unbelievable number of migraines and headaches. I get both on a semi-regular basis when I'm not pregnant ("real life," as I often refer to it), so I'm well-versed in the treatment and maintenance that my body responds to. This pregnancy, however, has given me a run for my money. I remember a couple of really bad migraines when I was pregnant with Claire, and near the end- when I developed preeclampsia- I had some pretty constant headaches (and no, I don't conflate those two different kinds of cranial assaults. They are very different beasts, headaches and migraines.), but this time around has been much worse, neurologically-speaking. I've had migraines that have lasted for days and kept me in bed, dreading having to sit up to take my medicine or worse- drag myself to the bathroom (as one does ALL THE TIME when pregnant). I've had sinus-y headaches that will not be tamed by Tylenol and make me extremely cranky. For the past few weeks, I've had a headache across the front of my head that will. not. budge. Sometimes, it's just an annoyance, but often it is a throbbing, aching, nausea-inducing menace that keeps me from doing anything productive. (not to be dramatic but this is real life)

Two Saturdays ago was one such day. I had been treating it with my pregnancy-friendly prescription medication and had seen zero improvement. I'd spent time lying down with my cherry pit bag, I'd eaten protein, I'd had caffeine, I was guzzling water, and I was getting no where. We had plans to visit with some new friends Saturday night, and I was bound and determined to make that happen. We're finally getting some traction with a social circle in Durham, and I was not going to let an opportunity (a child-friendly one, no less) pass us by. So, I took my meds, we drove through McDonald's for a monster-sized Coke, and off we went.

We had a really good time! The food was yummy, the conversation was fun, Claire was extremely well-behaved, and it was a great visit. I ignored my head as well as I could (it's a little easier for me when I'm having to focus on conversations), but it never abated and started gaining momentum with gusto. After about an hour and a half, I realized I needed to let Brad know that we needed to wrap things up ASAP; it was only getting worse, and I definitely didn't want to end up sick at a party. It was a bad sign when I took Claire to the potty and found myself dry heaving while we were in there. 

Being the awesome parents that we are, we claimed Claire's bedtime as an excuse (which wasn't actually a lie- it was bedtime) and headed out. Once we got in the car, I realized just how bad it had gotten. It hurt so bad I needed to cry, but crying only makes it worse, so I tried to hold the tears in. Holding in the tension of needing to cry also makes it worse, so really, I was just up a creek. 

Claire is very sensitive to the needs and hurts of others, so she was aware that something was amiss. She asked a few questions to figure out what was going on and what was wrong with Mommy. Her advice?

"Be calm, Mommy. You can go upstairs and rest in your bed and you will feel better."

Can't argue with that. Solid words to live by. That's exactly what I did, too (leaving Brad to take care of bedtime routine and clean-up...sorry about that.). I wasn't calm immediately, didn't rest immediately, and didn't feel better immediately, but all of those things eventually happened. It was a headache for the books, y'all, but at least I know that my daughter has a good head on her shoulders (and hopefully hers will stay mostly pain-free). :)

____________________________

A week after this conversation, I STILL had the headache. It was awful, and I found myself in almost the same situation of needing to drop everything and go to bed. I was sitting on the couch, trying to finish up something with Claire before heading upstairs. Claire asked what was wrong, and when I told her that I wasn't feeling well, she answered with, "Jesus will love your heart, and Claire and Daddy will take care of you. Don't worry." More solid words. Bless her. She's a good girl.

Ash Wednesday

Brad and I have been part of church communities that observe Ash Wednesday (and Lent) for the past 5 years, and this 6th year is no different. I've mentioned in passing that we've (finally) landed on a church in Durham, and unlike our previous churches in our married life, this one is not actually Anglican or Anglican-esque (smiling at you, Christ Community). We're currently worshiping at a Presbyterian church (a first for both of us), which also observes Lent.

Tonight, we participated in our 6th Ash Wednesday service, and yet again, it was such a meaningful way to start this journey towards Easter. I've written several times over the past few years about how the observance of Lent has deeply impacted me, so I won't wax eloquent about it today. I'll just say that every year that I participate in Lent along with the church community we're a part of, I reap such unexpected benefits in my life as a believer. It's not accurate to say that I "look forward" to Lent, because who really likes giving up something in order to focus on something more important? Or spending a great deal of time meditating on hard things and things that are uncomfortable parts of life? Those are inconvenient and uncomfortable things to do. But through those things, I continually find that my relationship to God and His Church is incredibly strengthened and fortified.

Claire is old enough this year to more actively participate in lenten activities, so we've been putting some thought into how we want to approach that with her. It's a tricky thing- trying to figure out how to convey the meaning of lent and what it is building up to to a 2-almost-3-year-old. She's starting to understand who Jesus is/the role He plays in our life and really enjoyed going through the elements of the Christmas story during Advent. Easter, on the other hand, is a little more complicated to explain, don't you think? I've been praying about it and charting out some ideas and activities for a few weeks now, and Brad and I have picked out some scripture we want to work on with her. She seems to really enjoy learning scripture, and while we realize that she doesn't understand all or even most of what she's reciting, we can't help but trust that it will stick with her on some level. So, we're heading into this unknown (for us) territory and praying for positive results. I'll try to post about this journey with Claire as it plays out. I'm sure it will be quite an experience.

If anyone who isn't observing Lent with their church communities is interested in "participating" in a kind of way, I highly recommend following along with the daily readings prepared by She Reads Truth (girls) or He Reads Truth (guys). I've followed She Reads Truth for several years now, and I particularly appreciate their Lent studies. There are daily scriptures followed by a very brief devotion, along with scripture that participants are encouraged to commit to memory. Also, give them a follow on Instagram, if you're an Instagrammer (@shereadstruth). It's just so full of encouragement and helpful reminders.

I just washed the ash from this evening off of my forehead, remembering its significance as a reminder of my mortality and my need for a Savior. What a sobering thought to take with me into this time of preparation for Easter.

Genesis 3:18

By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread,

till you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.”

Croup visits the Boswells

Oh goodness. Childhood illnesses. 

So far in Bear's life, we haven't experienced too many (*knocks on wood*). She tends to be a fairly healthy thing, other than the occasional cold, so croup was a surprise. My sister, bless her, has always had respiratory issues, and my dad, BLESS HIM, is Pediatrician Extraordinaire, so I've been really accustomed to lung/respiratory issues and how to approach them all my life (also, I have this random memory from when I was about 5 wherein my dad held my head in the freezer in the middle of the night and then took me to the ER for a breathing treatment. I'm assuming I had my very own case of croup. Or my dad had a weird idea of what constitutes a good time for a 5-year-old.). However, it's a little different when it's your own kid. I suspected she might be croup-y Wednesday night, so I called my dad (pediatrician on speed dial who won't charge you and will always answer = BEST LIFE EVER) just to clarify what I should do. I know the basics, but I figured this isn't the kind of thing you want to mess up. He heard her barking over the phone and confirmed my suspicions. And so we began a very long night.

Claire has always been a good sleeper (not trying to rub it in to any of you who may not have good sleepers...just setting the background. And, I'm so sorry for your regularly scheduled rough nights. Gold stars for everyone.), so Brad and I have been VERY accustomed to full, uninterrupted nights of sleep since she was about 2 months old. We don't handle sleep deprivation well (yay for a newborn on the way, right?). Brad had been fighting his own cold for a few days and had taken Nyquil, so I was on my own. We were up a lot, Claire and I. Doses of cold medicine, fluids, propping her up, diffusing oils and rubbing them on her feet (my "witch doctoring," as Brad calls it. It helps, folks.), and, eventually, alternating sitting in a bathroom full of shower steam with holding her head in front of the freezer. GOOD TIMES.

Around midnight, I just moved to the guest room so that I wasn't jostling Brad so much every time I got up (because let's please all remember that I'm also pregnant and go to the bathroom every 20 minutes) and slept with one eye (ear?) open. I got between 3-4 hours of sleep, I think, which wouldn't be ideal under normal circumstances but was particularly rough given that I've been nursing a headache-migraine combo for the past week. The sleep deprivation really exacerbated what I already had going on. All around not a great night. 

Come morning, I was DRAGGING. Claire was doing a bit better, although her middle of the night breathing issues had been a little traumatic. She spent quite a bit of time repeating, "I'm a little bit sick, Mommy. (fake-ish cough)" I debated taking her to the doctor, but I'm honestly kind of terrified of seating my third trimester self in a waiting room full of virus-y children. All I can think about is what kind of birth defect it will give my unborn, nameless child (I realize this is a little hyperbolic, but it is definitely what goes on in my head). Thankfully, Doctor Dad came to the rescue with a treatment plan that kept me and my unborn child out of Virus World. I dosed Claire with medicines ("That doesn't taste like nice, Mommy") and set her up with a steady stream of Curious George (thinking she would be tired and listless and would enjoy resting and watching) and stretched my weary self out on the couch, planning to nap a bit. 

That was silly.

In the sweetest ways possible, she woke me up every 5-7 minutes for the next hour. She would come over to pet my hair, kiss my forehead, or adjust my blankets so that I would "feel better." Cranky, pregnant, sleep-deprived me wanted to tell her to please, for the love of everything, sit down and watch the curious primate, but my better sense kicked in and tried to fully appreciate her sweet self because seriously? That's adorable, and there's a good chance she won't be doing that when she's 13.

I gave up on trying to rest, deciding I would crash during nap time, and got up to work in the kitchen. At this point, some kind of something kicked into Claire's system, and she started running literal circles through the house, imploring me to join in. This went on for the better part of an hour. I considered locking myself in the bathroom.

Nap time did not turn out quite as I'd hoped, seeing as how her normally 2-hour nap sessions suddenly reduced to an hour. Why?? (it's the daytime cough syrup. I figured it out. Blast you, cough syrup.) She woke up fully awake, and it took me more than an hour to shake the slept-not-quite-enough fog I had sunk into. Plus, there was that ever-present headache.

The rest of the day followed suit. Her running in circles and talking non-stop, while I tried to stay upright and not snap at her. It was so. much. fun. (except the opposite)

That night played out almost identically to the night before, except I was better prepared. I dosed her faithfully with the required medications, witch doctored her room and feet, and slept with my one eye/ear open in the guest room (Brad offered to help, but I knew he had a busy, early day the next day.). She did tell me- during a stint in the steamy bathroom- that her neck hurt. My brain went immediately to "DOES SHE HAVE MENINGITIS?" (because I'm very logical at 3 in the morning, obviously), but after some questioning, I discovered that by "neck," she meant "throat." Whew. I can deal with that. Here, child, drink a lot of water. We also propped her pillows up to make a "pillow chair" that she found intriguing and exciting. I just wanted to make sure she could breathe. I went in an hour later to make sure she was still breathing and found the pillow chair dismantled and scattered on the floor. Thankfully, she didn't wake up as I reassembled it. Win for the Mom! (until I went in the next morning and found it dismantled again)

She spent that day begging me to take her somewhere (mostly Target for popcorn or to the museum). I had to keep reminding her that she was sick. Bless. Only a 2-year-old would need to be reminded of that, methinks. I surely don't.

At some point, the steroids (which I'm blaming for the excessive energy) also started making my usually incredibly sweet child SO UNBELIEVABLY CRANKY. That is just kicking a mom when she's down from head troubles and sleep deprivation, don't you agree? I had to keep reminding myself that it's to help her. So she can breathe. Breathing is important. We need to keep her breathing.

Thankfully, Brad was on the mend for night 3 and took over nighttime care. It was such a blessing, as my head situation had reached an almost unbearable level of awful. She still coughed quite a bit, but she seemed to be past the barking phase and is breathing quite a bit more easily, which enables me to breathe more easily myself. So, although she's still coughing, it seems we're over the worst and can shelve this round of illness. 

Hopefully. 

But what in the world will her immune system look like when she starts school? *bites nails and thanks the good Lord for Doctor Dad*

Guys. Have y'all noticed how regularly I've been posting recently?? Twice a week so far all year! Yay, me! In fact, I have over 20 drafts that I'm currently working on with ideas and such. How proud are you? Even with those drafts in play, I thought I'd just ask if there's anything in particular anyone would like me to write about. Claire-related? Durham-related? Any-other-aspect-of-life-related? I'd be happy to, if anyone has any ideas. I've got drafts, but that doesn't mean you'll enjoy all of them, so chime in!

Another February 5

Those of you who have been around for a while know that February 5th is a significant day in my life. I've written about it year after year, reflecting on God's protection and how profoundly that day affected my life.

My senior year of college, an F-4 tornado hit my university, Union University (Jackson, TN- Go, Bulldogs!), destroying and/or significantly structurally damaging most of the dorms on campus while we were all inside, seeking cover. The first responders showed up to campus with 200 body bags because there was "no way that there wouldn't be dozens of casualties." It was one of the most surreal and terrifying experiences I could ever have imagined (and I have an extremely active imagination). It was 8 years ago (2/5/08), and I can still recall the fear and the feel in the air and random little things that happened as though it just happened recently. It's one of those events branded in my memory that I'll probably still be able to remember when I'm 80.

So, every February 5th, I am particularly grateful for God's protection. I'm so thankful for Union's leadership at the time (Dr. David Dockery, Dr. Carla Sanderson, Dr. Gene Fant, among others), who worked tirelessly to make sure that Union recovered to the best of her ability and especially that those of us slated to graduate a few short months later were able to. I'm humbled by remembering all of the friends, family, and even strangers who gave generously so that I (and everyone else) could get back on our feet and back to life. I know that not all tornado stories end so well, so I'm extremely grateful that I can write about it year after year.

A practical remnant of the tornado experience is that I don't mess around when it comes to severe weather (and neither do hundreds of other former Union students!). If there are severe weather threats, you better believe I know where my purse/wallet/i.d./medications/small valuables are and that they are close by and ready to be grabbed in a moment. Also, I will be wearing tennis shoes or similarly sturdy shoes. I will be wearing practical clothes...because you never know when you'll find yourself wearing the same ridiculous outfit for an unreasonably long period of time. And my phone? It will be fully charged. All of these things BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW. Words to the wise, friends.

For those of you reading who were a part of my "recovery" process post-tornado, I'm so grateful for you. I've been so blessed with family and friends that are just beyond compare. Thankful for yet another February 5th.

Oh, and also? I love that Durham basically never gets tornadoes. #winning

Our DIY venture (or On Surviving an Ikea Project)

We are very much Craigslist people. We have lots of furniture that we've gotten off Craigslist (we also have side-of-the-road furniture that we picked up in Boston), including a really nice, solid wood armoire/entertainment center (it's so solid that I've joked that if there's ever a tornado in Durham, we're all crawling inside that armoire; even if everything else is damaged, that cabinet is going nowhere). Until last year, we'd always kept our tv on a small tv stand that we inherited from my great aunt and uncle shortly before our wedding. It did the trick; it had a cabinet to hold movies and whatnot, a sliding shelf to hold the dvd player, and a perch for the tv. Ever since we've been married, though, Brad has been searching for ways to make the tv less of a primary visual fixture in our home. In Jackson, we never did come up with a solution, and it was annoying to Brad. In Boston, we had an odd little alcove thing in the living room that we put the tv in and then hung sliding curtains over it, moving them out of the way if we wanted to watch something. That pacified him quite a bit. Here in Durham, we were back to the tv having more of a prominent place in the living room, and it started annoying Brad again.

So, he set up a Craigslist alert for armoire/entertainment centers, hoping to find something. After quite a while, something popped up down in Cary (about half an hour from here), and we snagged it. It's so pretty and really served a great purpose. The best part is that it has cabinet doors that open and close to hide the tv. It is really large and partially blocks one of our windows, which isn't ideal, but we've really enjoyed it while we've had it.

Isn't it pretty? Kind of looks Narnian. It took three strapping fellows to move this bad boy inside.

Ta-da! The doors open and slide back. And, the cube unit you see to the left of the armoire is a side-of-the-road find we snagged in Boston. Folks put all kinds of awesome stuff on the curb for others to pick up- just because storage and transportation is such a difficult thing to work out. If you can't move it or store it and don't have time to sell it, on the street it goes. This one was actually put on the curb directly in front of our apartment front door. 

Although the armoire did much to assuage Brad's annoyance, he started dreaming bigger. The idea of a built-in looking entertainment center that spanned the length of the wall and increased our storage options by at least double began to percolate. We're pretty big on everything having a place to live (particularly toys and kid stuff), so the idea of more storage was really appealing.

Just for funsies, Brad starting Googling images of different kinds of entertainment center options. We found several that we loved the look of...but did not love the price. We knew that if we decided to make a move for something bigger and more expansive we'd have to be prepared to spend some cash. However, we are bargain hunters and get sticker shock pretty easily. On a whim, I suggested we just look at Ikea and see if there were any options for us. Or at least any options that we could cobble together to achieve our goal. Lo and behold. There is an entire series of modular units (Besta) that can be put together in about a bazillion different combinations. And, if you have an Ikea Family Card (which we do), it was on sale! We spent a loooong time playing with options and coming up with what would be ideal for us. Brad cobbled an image together in Paint or something like that (we later found out that there's actually a program that will do it for you ON THE IKEA WEBSITE. Oi. Hindsight and whatnot). Then we talked about it and priced it. Then we decided to go for it.

"Going for it" meant blocking out an afternoon for Brad to drive over to Charlotte (about 1.5-2 hours) to the nearest Ikea, as well as measuring the back of my CR-V to make sure that the boxes would indeed fit. A couple of days later (or maybe the next day?), Brad headed off to Charlotte and returned with our loot. This all happened before Christmas, but we just got around to putting it up about a week ago. We crossed our fingers and set to work, hoping it would be what we were wanting and that a miserable Do It Yourself project wouldn't crush our dreams.

The logistics of the project were a little complex, and we had to come up with some tricky engineering, but we (mostly Brad) made it happen. It was a 3- or 4-day project (in the evenings after Claire went to bed), but we are thrilled with the outcome. We tried to remember to document things along the way, but they hardly do justice to the Chaos That Was. Not only did we have the construction going on, we haven't yet gotten our armoire sold so it was hanging out, we had just returned from Christmas and had lots of new Claire paraphernalia with no place to live, and we were still in the process of putting away our Christmas decorations. Our timing is impeccable. Oh, and on one of the early nights of the project, we kept some of our friends' kids for a couple of hours. With about 4 square feet of "play space." Bless.

Here's a highly edited shot of the living room. It makes it look so spacious and not too chaotic. Do not be fooled. Also, we were watching BBC Emma.

The basic framework.

Brad assembled the cabinet frames (the tall structures) on the floor, planning to raise them once completed. We then had the complicated aspect of adding the feet to the bottom of the cabinets and then standing them upright. We realized that the cabinets were heavy enough that the weight would snap the feet if we used them as fulcrums, and they were also so heavy that we couldn't just hoist them completely off the floor stand them up. We ended up cutting up all of the boxes that the cabinets came in and rolling up the cardboard to make "platforms" to rest the cabinets on while raising them. MacGyvering at it's finest, methinks.

We didn't get in-progress pictures, so here's a lame reenactment. We actually had pretty large stacks of cardboard under each one to make sure that they were sturdy enough. It would have been super annoying to do all the work to make cardboard platforms only for them to collapse and snap the feet anyway. Sheesh.

The complete structure minus the cabinet doors. The tv isn't covered or hidden, but the overall effect ends up with the tv kind of blending into the landscape. Mission accomplished.

Note Claire playing in the bottom left corner. She thoroughly enjoyed the process. And, I saved the center from crayon love several times.

The finished product! The top row of cabinets have glass doors, the middle shelves are open, and the bottom cabinets have solid doors. I hadn't arranged or "styled" anything at this point (and still haven't, truth be told), but we were able to get all of Claire's toys put away (the bottom three cabinets on the right), all of our games, and all of our movies/media. We still have several completely empty shelves and cabinets, which is SO EXCITING because we are nerdy and adult-y or maybe have low standards for excitement. We've already made plans for where in the unit we'll be storing diapering and nursing paraphernalia when the baby arrives, which makes me feel all fuzzy inside, as I love having a plan in place- particularly for a period of time that I know will have big learning curves. I need to acquire a few more storage bins, but we're well on our way. Yay!

I'm super proud of Brad. He even made sense of the nonsensical-looking Ikea instructions, which I would have bet would driven him bonkers (have you ever seen them? They're ridiculous). He did a fantastic job, and now we have so much storage, we have most of the previously-blocked window back, and Brad's tv nemesis is still at bay. Now. If we could only get the armoire sold...