This one's gonna be long...

So, as the days tick down to the end of any sembleance of rest and calm in the Johnson household (AKA the birth of child #2), I've been scrambling to make sure I've got everything for the baby together and ready. Kinda last minute, I know, but I finally found a bassinet on Friday-- in pristine condition, at a garage sale for $40! Not bad, huh? (Yes, that is a very messy kitchen in the background...)

So, this is it, as it came. Cute, huh? I really like the old-fashioned look of the floor-sweeping skirt (makes it sound like I'm talking about a wedding dress!), and it even has the same exact vibrating, musical, light-up mobile that I loved on Benjamin's bassinet! Here's a close-up of the detail-- brown and blue, my favorite baby colors this time around!So, that was the bassinet before... and this is it after I "customized" it, with a roll of brown ribbon that Juli used for my diaper cake and gave me the leftovers (by the way, Juli, how much was that roll of ribbon?...and it was at Target, right? I think I could use another roll or two, I've got other projects in mind!), some blue ribbons I had for scrapbooking, and lots and lots of hot glue.

Isn't it cute? I feel so accomplished!

Oh, I also got the crib taken apart a couple days ago-- and that sucker was very uncooperative! Two of the Allen bolts were completely rounded out inside, so after trying over and over again, I finally ended up using a screwdriver point to literally carve a hexagon shape inside the bolt. I think when we put it up again, we'll just buy new bolts to save that trouble later...

So, for the less technical stuff...

Benjamin's been sleeping in his "big-boy bed" (otherwise known as his crib mattress on the floor, with a blanket and pillow) for a little over a week now, and I've actually been surprised at how successful the transition has been! He gets up maybe once or twice, but we just go back in there, and tell him to go back to bed, and that's usually all it takes. Daniel's better at putting him down, though... when I do it, sometimes he gets up over and over again, but it's like he takes Daniel seriously or something, because when Daniel puts him back to bed, he doesn't get up again!

Last night, though, I laid him down, and he fell asleep in bed without getting up once! Yay! Of course, that could be because David and Joey were spending the night, and he was worn out from playing... oh well, whatever reason, I'll take it!

Our morning routine lately has been Benjamin waking up and coming and getting into bed with us to snuggle for a little bit before we get up. I have been so tired lately that I am very happy with this arrangement, and often am able to sneak in 10-30 minutes of extra, much-needed sleep that way. So, the other morning, Benjamin climbed out of our bed, and I had kept my eyes closed for a few more minutes before getting up-- and when I did, I found him sitting in the bassinet, playing with the mobile!! I wish I would have gotten a picture, because it looked so silly, he's so big in it-- but I didn't want to encourage it at all. All I could think of was the possibility of him doing that a week or two from now, when there'll be a tiny, fragile newborn inside the bassinet!

I've got more pictures/stories of Ben, but I think I'll just start a new post, this one's getting loooooong!