Wordful Wednesday: A Couch Returns!

Before the boys were born two and a half years ago, we took the couch out of our family room to make way for two cribs and a changing table.

Their bedroom wasn't large enough for their cribs and people to do nighttime feedings, so rather than drag them back and forth, we just set up the family room as Baby Central. The family room was where all the action happened for the first four months. The boys played, ate and slept there, day and night.

Once the boys moved to the nursery for naps and nighttime, we removed one of the cribs. We left one crib for feeding, containing a troublemaker from time to time, and for serving as Exile Island for a baby who was not sleeping well at night and disturbing his brothers.

By the time the boys were six months old and crawling, we removed the floor lamps and added the world's largest baby gate. (OK, maybe not the largest, but still 14 feet across!) At eight months they started crawling onto and falling off of the chairs, so out they went.

In the end, we were left with basically a large playpen. A gated room, devoid of furniture, save the changing table, but full of toys and baby gear.

Alex, Isaac and Sam ~ June 2009, nine months old

A week ago we removed the changing table and brought the couch back in after almost two years! We took out a section of the baby gate and the room felt so nice and open. Since we rarely close the gate anymore and the boys can open the doors anyway, I decided to try no gate for a week and see how it went.

The lack of a gate isn't a problem. The couch is proving a little more challenging. The boys are gradually learning the rules of the couch, though, and I love having it back. The room seems so much bigger now, and it almost feels normal since we brought the couch back.

But the best part of having a couch back is...snuggles!

Alex, Mom, Isaac and Sam snuggle on the couch after bathtime.

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