Just before Spring Break, we celebrated Joey's third birthday! THREE! I'm not sure how that many years went by so fast, but here we are. And I will be the first to say that I know we are a little late to the "break down the crib" party, but honestly we never felt pressured before now to do away with it. We've been fortunate that Joey has never tried to climb out of his crib, or gave us any indication that he didn't like it. Just recently, we came back from a trip to Disney World, and it was only after that he began whining at nap and bed times saying, "No crib, Mommy/Daddy" -- probably had something to do with getting to sleep in a hotel bed for a week. But Blaine and I agreed it was time to make the switch to a bed for Joey. And lucky for me, that meant getting to change up some other things along with it. (Read: redecorate!)
One of my favorite things about working in education is the extra time I get to spend at home and with my family on breaks and holidays :) I almost always have a house project lined up for the next Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter break, and this year was no exception. It was a little lower key than most of the projects I do, but one I have enjoyed the most! Besides putting a fresh coat of paint in a room, redecorating is my favorite way to transform a space. Although, I have to admit, I don't think I have ever redecorated a room as emotionally as I did this one. But it was time.
Welcome to our Joey's big boy room tour! You'll notice I kept some things from his nursery in here, and that's because... well, I just wasn't quite ready to do away with it all - not yet. But we did do away with the crib (obviously) and added some other touches that are more a reflection of the little boy we now know so well!
The thing I wanted most was for Joey to have the biggest say in his room -- it is his space, after all :) So I gave him some options: cars, trains, dinosaurs, bulldozers, Toy Story, etc. - all of the things I could think of that I knew he loved. And after showing him some pictures of things I found online, he repeatedly chose dinosaurs. So, that's what I ran with on my search for decor and bedding. I didn't want to overwhelm his room with all dinosaurs, though. So I think we struck a good balance of creating a space that he loves and reflects who he is now, and one that he can also grow into over the years (without having to revamp everything).
Months back, I started a Pinterest board for Joey's room and I went back to it when we knew it was time to break down the crib and move in the bed. The thing I kept noticing that I liked was the idea of a solid, blue quilt or bedspread and "fun" sheets paired with stuffed animals to tie the theming together. Lucky for us, Joey already had SEVERAL dinosaur stuffed animals, so it was really just a matter of choosing which ones to put on his bed.
*I have to edit this in here to say that since moving into his big boy bed, Joey now sleeps with about 5-8 stuffed animals every night - I guess to make himself feel more secure now that he has all that room to fill! But for the sake of pictures and keeping things uncluttered, I'm only showing a couple from his collection :)
When I started looking for bedding, I thought that finding the right sheets would be hard and finding a quilt or comforter would be easy -- when it was all said and done, it was the other way around. I ended up finding two sheet sets - the green and blue printed dino sheets came from Target, and were on clearance for $8 - how could I pass them up! My Mom actually found the gray dinosaur sheets for me on TJ Maxx's website. At first I wasn't sure I would like that they were gray and not colorful. But once I saw them in his room, they were perfect! Now, the quilt was another story. I searched on Amazon, Wal Mart, and spent the better part of a Sunday going to Homegoods and TJ Maxx. Part of the problem was that I wasn't positive what I wanted -- I knew I wanted a solid color that would match the other blues and grays in his room, and I wanted it to be something that could hold up over years of washing. I ended up choosing this soft, smoky sky blue quilt and sham set from TJ Maxx for $40 and I love it (and Joey does, too). It feels sooo nice and isn't too heavy (Joey is his just like his Dad - very hot natured). So I like that it can stay on his bed year round and not be too hot in the Summer, but thick enough to still keep him warm in the Winter. The thing I love most about it is that I can change out a lot of things over the years to grow with Joey as he gets older, but I'm hoping this quilt is something that will hold up and be able to stay on his bed for many, many years to come. At first, I loved the idea of having a cute printed bedspread of construction trucks or dinosaurs or something. But I would have spent the same amount of money (or more) on one of those, and then had to change it up again in a few years when he grows out of that phase. This way, I'm hoping to only have to change out a few (less expensive) pieces to keep up with whatever he loves!
We kept this one corner of the room very similar to his nursery -- this chair holds a special place in my heart, and it is still where we like to sit and read together before bedtime. But I have to admit, we moved the room around about 3 times before it ended up right back in the same place it always was, so I think it has just made a home here in this spot. And that's okay by me :)
The thing I was most excited to find were these dinosaur canvases from Homegoods! They came as a set for $25 and they became the focal point of his room. Joey lit up when he saw them, and I couldn't be happier with how they tie everything together.
I kept things mostly the same above his dresser -- a combination of laziness and sentimentality. I wasn't sure where to hang some of the pictures we took down from his nursery, and leaving the wall on this side of the room blank just didn't feel right. And each of these pictures add something that I didn't want his room to be without. They represent our family and the people who care about him most! My Mom made that Pooh and Piglet balloon collage for his baby shower, and it is full of all the signatures of his Aunts, Cousins, Grandmothers, Great Grandma, and countless friends who have prayed over him and loved on him since before he was born. (There's the sentimentality I mentioned). But it's true :) And I want there to be some reminder to him of those people in here. When he gets older, I plan on adding pictures of him with some of those people in his room. But for now, Pooh and Piglet get to stay! *Along with the Peter Pan watercolor, because his love for Disney is something I want to keep alive for many years to come!*
And another character that absolutely gets to stay is little Roo. If you don't know the story, this was a purchase Blaine and I made with some money my Mom gave us on a family trip in Disney World with the joke that since we didn't have any kids for her to spoil, we could buy ourselves something in the park. We bought him with the intent to give to her if and when we ever got pregnant. And thankfully, that's just what we were able to do about a year later. Way before we knew we were having a boy OR what we would name him, Roo was who I built the theme of Joey's nursery around. And I loved how it all came together. Fast forward to March 11th 2018 (Joey's birthday) when we finally decided on his name, it turns out that Roo knew all along that our little boy was meant to be a "Joey" :)
The transformation isn't big. We didn't paint the walls or add board and batten (yes, I thought about doing both!) But the change marks a big milestone, nonetheless. When I walk in this room now, I can no longer deny that our baby boy is growing up - every day. And as much as it makes me want to cry, it gives me such joy and reason to celebrate! Eventually, I will have to say goodbye (for good) to the small pieces from his nursery that I'm still clinging to in this "redecorate". But I still like the way it all turned out.
Getting to add subtle changes to his room that made him happy made this project that much more fun! I don't know when the day will come when Joey will no longer love having dinosaurs on his wall, or adore getting to sleep in dinosaur sheets. (I hope not for a long time!) But when that day does come, it will be because he has a love for something else. And for as long as he'll let me, I hope I can continue changing his room to be a place he loves to be where he can play, read, sleep, have friends over, and to just build memories and grow up in. Because after all, isn't that the best part of the places and spaces we call home? :)
