We still have two big projects left. Carl has to finish painting the woodwork (or at least allow me to do it) and we are going to refinish the antique dresser I had as a child. I hope to do as much of that as possible this weekend...I really would like to have this off of my radar when school begins again. We have gotten quite a bit completed already, we've painted, added the mural, hung the window treatments, hung the chair rail and crown molding, bought all of the furniture (minus the bed - I still can't decide on one!), and this past week I tackled a major organizational nightmare. I cleaned out the closet in that room and moved all of Savannah's clothes in.
It was hard to get that closet fully emptied out...we'd taken out a lot before our yard sale this spring, but there were still a few random things and our winter coats hanging in there. Carl wanted to just move our coats to the nursery closet (his logic was that even another baby won't need that much space in a closet for a while) but I refused to do that. I just hate moving things around when I know I'll have to move it again (even if moving it again will be in a few years when the second child wants more space). I insisted that we sort through the coats and donate some to charity. Honestly, why do we each need 10 coats?! At first Carl didn't seem to be able to part with several coats (you'd think it'd be easy for a guy!) but once I told him that he had to hang them in our master closet (thank goodness it's a walk-in) and that they would be going on his side and not mine, he seemed more willing to part with a few. We each kept about 4 coats: a heavy coat, fall jacket, rain jacket, and then one for casual wear. This all means that a few people won't be cold this winter when they receive our donated coats. I love that the clutter is out of my house, plus I know it will make someone very happy in a few months!
After the closet was completely empty I had to decide how to organize Savannah's clothes. I had been thinking about this for a while. I love to organize - almost to a ridiculous degree. I love office supplies and the things that organize them...I just love organization! So after knowing this about me, one would think that organizing clothing for a child would be a breeze. That couldn't be farther from the truth...since the moment we began collecting clothes for Savannah I have felt overwhelmed with disorganization. Our closets have a shelf and a bar for hanging clothes, but then there is a lot of empty space underneath...and in both the nursery and the big girl room there is space for a dresser inside the closet. We had an extra dresser at my parents' house so that was moved into the nursery as soon as the clothes started to pour in.
Then the chaos began. Family and friends began to shop for bargains for Savannah (which was well appreciated!), but this meant that we had outfits as small as newborn and as big at 3T. We had summer outfits, matching sets, winter shirts, leggings, shorts, skirts, pajamas, dresses, etc. All of which we had in just about every size. So I was faced with a major task - how do I organize it all?! I remember one particular evening I sat in the middle of the nursery with piles of clothing around me, with no inkling of how to organize it all. Of all the preparation I went through for a new baby, I think organizing her clothes was one of the most difficult. My first solution (which I used throughout Savannah's first year) was to organize the clothing by size. The top drawer held the clothing size that fit Savannah at the moment (when we started the top drawer was all newborn sized items). All shorts, pants, onesies, skirts in her current size went there. I hung all dresses up, with the current size in the front and the biggest size all the way back. Pajamas were hung up also. The next drawer down held the size she would be in next, and so on. There was also a drawer designated for hats, socks, and shoes. This worked...but it got to be very difficult to really see what she had. If someone was looking for a particular shirt, etc. all of her clothes would end up on the floor or completed unfolded and crammed in the drawer. It drove me batty! I also hated that every time she'd outgrow a size (which seemed to happen every 2 months!) I would have to reorganize the drawers again (unfortunately the drawers didn't allow for interchangeable locations).
Thus, the task of moving all of her clothes across the hall has been a challenge. Her big girl room closet is much bigger than the nursery closet. However, we don't have another spare dresser. Carl suggested moving the one from the nursery, but then we'd still have to find another one when the next baby comes along. I toyed with the idea of buying a cheap one at Ikea, but still wasn't fully happy with the idea. I considered purchasing a closet system - but that can be expensive and would stay with the house if we were to move. One day I was walking through Target and an idea came to me. Why couldn't I use dorm storage bins for her closet? I found two large three-drawer carts and two small three-drawer carts. They aren't the most beautiful, but I don't care, the closet doors are usually closed anyway. I also liked the price. (In the end I paid $50 for her "closet system".) They are a pink, clear color. This means Savannah can see right into them - perfect for when she learns to dress herself! Another perk - safety. These are low to the ground, so chances of anything tipping is small. If she does somehow tip one, she shouldn't be seriously injured. They aren't tremendously large, but for now her clothes fit really well with room to grow. Once she is older and the clothes don't fit she'll be hanging them up more often and using the top shelf for sweaters and jeans. At that point, the bins will just be re-purposed (I'm thinking toys, shoes, scarves, books, puzzles, doll supplies, etc.).
Figuring out the storage solution was the first part of the hurdle...but then came the hard part...would I still organize the drawers the same way? I decided on a new system. First I went through all of her current clothes and put things that were too small in a plastic bin for the attic (I really shudder to think how many bins of outgrown clothes we have in the attic). The new system revolves around the type of clothing, rather than the size. I've discovered this works much better because something that says 18mo in one brand fits, while another brand only 24mo sizes fit. So, now she has a drawer just for short sleeved shirts (which - thanks to a Children's Place sale she has plenty of for the winter - I bought two shrugs that will fit her this winter...which will completely extend the life of short-sleeved shirts without making her cold!), long-sleeved shirts, pants, shorts/skirts, and pants. Dresses are still hung up, as well as coats. In the smaller drawers she has shoes, socks, and hats/purses. I even printed out little labels, laminated them, and then used Velcro to stick them to the drawers. This allows Savannah to learn the words and where her clothes belong. It also means Carl and my mom can easily get things out, or put away laundered clothing. I used to try to keep matching outfit sets together (a lot of children's clothing comes with a shirt and pant set, which are cutest when worn together but can also be worn separately with other options). This just doesn't work. Even if in the drawer together, somehow Carl still doesn't match Savannah's clothing. It also means that when I have just a shirt and I am looking for shorts, I am missing the opportunity to use one of those sets. So for now I just have to hope that whoever dresses her on any particular day can do a decent job of coordinating her clothes. All of the clothing in her drawers currently fits her, or is just a tiny bit big, but still wearable. All of the clothes that we still have for her to grow into is either hanging up (dresses and coats) or are in a shelf on a gray hanging organizer. All clothes that will fit next summer are on the top shelf and all clothes that will fit next winter on the shelf below. There are still 3 more shelves, so if by chance I find some great sales I can add items to it. I love the new system.
The left side of the closet...
The right side of the closet.
I also had a chance to really see what she needs for the winter...mainly 24mo and 2T....which led to another question...what in the heck is the difference between 24mo and 2T?! A quick Google search revealed that generally there doesn't seem to be much of a difference. The main thing I found is that 2T is a little bit bigger through the chest/waist and longer in the pants. Carter's website seems to agree with this idea. http://www.carters.com/Sizing/cs-sizing,default,pg.html From what I can tell, 24mo and 2T have about the same weight range, but 2T is for taller children. When I do my fall/winter shopping I plan to buy 2T, even if I'll be rolling the sleeves or pants for a bit. Clothing is too expensive to buy 24mo and then 2 months later have to buy 2T.
So Savannah's big girl room is almost ready for her to move in...which will leave an empty nursery. The plan was for it to be needed again during the end of February...but sadly those plans have changed. In my attempt to see the positive side of things, I have decided that once the fall semester is over, life will slow down. (It has to - I won't be teaching at FSU or WVU, no vacations planned after Disney, and no more rooms to renovate!) It will be winter, and boring, and cold. So I will be stuck in the house....so I will then tackle the nursery closet. I will decide what things are really worth keeping for the next baby, and I'll sort through all of Savannah's outgrown clothes for any of the neutral items. I'll keep the neutral things out (and even put the smallest neutral items in the dresser for a future baby) and I'll label all of the girly things as "Girl/Size" just in case the next one likes pink too! While again, I'd still rather be pregnant, at least I won't be 8 months pregnant trying to sort through a nursery of clothes like last time...pregnancy hormones and sorting clothes just wasn't a good combination for me - I ended up crying and frustrated. So this time around the clothes will be ready and waiting for the pregnancy instead of the other way around. (Which I must say means during the next pregnancy there won't be a need for any room renovation, clothes washing/organizing, or anything! I will just have to make sure the bottles are washed/stored and that we have plenty of diapers!)
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