JJ’s Room v2.0

For one reason or another, this post kept getting pushed back further and further down my “to do” list. JJ transitioned from Room v1.0 (crib) to 2.0 (big boy bed) well over a year ago, but as with most things these days, once a milestone is reached, it fades quickly into the distance as he races onto the next.

But lately it feels like he’s trying to outrun his cuddliness phase even faster than usual. I look around his room (and the rest of the house) and see signs of his little body and little mind bursting at the seams — puzzles scattered over every spare inch of floor, several pairs of shoes and stacks of shirts ready for the basement as they no longer fit, a dusty booster seat we only use for “motivation” when he can’t sit still for a meal.

So before he starts redecorating his room on his own (either with robot stickers or a framed high school diploma) I thought I’d document JJ’s Room v2.0.

Pre-transition: I snapped this photo of his last night in the crib. Clearly he’d outgrown it — and this doesn’t even show the oft-seen image of one of JJ’s feet shoved calf-deep through the bars.

Still, I was going to miss this little cage of cuteness as it represented not just a great way to contain protect him, but also a big step away from babydom.

He, however, did NOT miss the crib. Not. One. Bit.

Even today, lo these many months later, he loves showing off his “big boy bed” to everyone who visits the house, even if they’ve seen in multiple times already.

A QUICK TOUR OF JJ’S ROOM v2.0

I kept going with the ocean theme, letting some nautical elements seep in here and there.

A. Bed from Great Beginnings
Great Beginnings is the best place in our area to get kids’ furniture. It’s in a huge warehouse with plenty of room for multiple lanes of strollers — or for your toddler to race around like a maniac without knocking over too many expectant mothers.

B. Doomagic Zeke the Fish Pillowcase. Virtually extinct… Ebay’s your best bet.

C. Life Preserver Throw Pillow from The Land of Nod
Gimme an O! Daddy’s go-to pillow during story time.

D. Catch the Waves Sheet Set from The Land of Nod

E. Letter Pillow from MableDear on Etsy
Gimme a J! Super cute pillow, complete with a little jellyfish on the back. Multiple colors available. Keep in mind that they’re felt, so… I have no idea how to wash it.

F. Parallel Bars Duvet Cover from The Land of Nod
LOD had more oceany-themed covers available, but with the mural and all the pillows I knew they’d end up looking too busy, so I opted for this solid stripe design that will work well with other sheets and styles down the road.

G. ABC Throw Pillow from The Land of Nod
Gimme an N! So glad we didn’t name him Methuselah…for the cost of the pillows alone.

(Not shown) Step stool from Kid Kraft
Rarely used for actually getting into bed (as JJ prefers the most challenging path and climb over the rail), but it’s great for storing his (never worn) Superman slippers, broken crayons, and stray Goldfish crackers.

A. Ahoy There Mirrors from The Land of Nod
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these mirrors. They look like bubbles. They look like ship’s windows. They’ll look great in my office when JJ gets tired of them.

B. Handmade Lamp Shade from Fondue on Etsy
You might not be able to find the exact one I got, but there’s plenty of other vintage comics patterns to choose from.  And yeah, there are other superheroes wrapped around the shade, but Aquaman’s the only one that matters. 😉 This nifty shop also does light plates and tissue box covers.

C. Lamp Base from Target

D. Fish Dresser Pull Knobs
The dresser came with some boring silver knobs, but these fishy ones are pretty nifty, dontchathink? Originally purchased from Amazon but no longer available, I found some similar ones from NiftyNob.com.

E. Dresser from Great Begginings

F. Cobalt blue glass mason jar
I can’t remember where I got this — but for almost 20 years I’ve used it to collect matchbooks from all the bars and restaurants we used to frequent. Now it holds shells from JJ’s first time at the beach, a souvenir egg from the White House Easter Egg Roll, and beads from his first Pride parade.

Now if I could just find a jar to hold all his cuddles and kisses before he outgrows them…

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