the making of a big girl room

my oldest has been begging asking us for a new room for a couple of years now.
she's desperate for her own space and privacy.
she's an introvert by nature.
there's no doubt that she absolutely loves people and likes to be with them...
but she also craves her solitude and quietness.
basically, she's my mini me.
we are so much the same, it's not even funny.
i've been wanting to give her her very own room for a while however i wasn't quite ready to bunk up the other two.
our "baby" is sorta crazy.
she really is.
and up until a couple of weeks ago, she was still sleeping in her crib.
i think it was due to a few reasons...
she, being the baby and our last, i was desperately trying to hold on to her babyness.
also, she never complained being in a crib.
not once.
and she never got out either.
it was sorta nice.
ha!

she can sometimes be a little crazy in her bed while falling asleep.
singing, talking, just generally being loud.
sharing a room just seemed like a bad idea during the school year when her older sister needed her sleep.
we weren't in any rush.
so we decided to wait until summer to make the switch.
and i also wanted it to be a BIG deal to big k.
i wanted to do a complete room make over.
turning a nursery into a big girl room.
i looked at the calendar and decided to make the time to do a 'while you were out' of sorts.
remember that show?
big k was leaving for camp and going to be gone for three nights.  i had three full days to complete the make over.
i cleared out the room first and took all of baby h's stuff out.
then i painted.
goodbye baby yellow... hello light blue!

my mother in law graciously helped me.
she's the edging queen... i knew i couldn't paint without her help!
after the painting, big m and i put together the bed.
actually... scrap that... just big m put together the bed.
i had a meeting i had to attend that evening.  ;)
he was a little upset assembling that white beast... probably better that i wasn't around.
most definitely there would have been a fight or two.... or ten.
after the bed was set up in the room, the fun could begin!

putting all her clothes in the right spots... making buntings... making poufs... decorating and pulling the room together.
it was all a lot of fun!
we didn't tell her anything when we picked her up from camp.
and thank goodness her little sisters didn't let the secret out either.
once we got home, we surprised her with her brand new room!!!
it was amazing!
she was completely shocked and so thrilled.
i hadn't seen a genuine smile that big for a long time!
she's been so happy in her new space.
she loves her new room.
i can tell she feels comfortable and respected.
now i just have to remind her that she can't lock her doors any time she wants to.
tweenage years... here we come!
here's some photos of the progress... transformation from baby room to new tweenage lair.

i couldn't resist taking some shots of baby h in her crib for her last night.
these pictures are so precious to me.
she looks equally tiny... and equally big.

unbeknownst her her... this was her last night in the bunk bed, sharing a room with her little sister.
i tried to not shed a tear!

walking into her new room...

sheer shock!!

excitement sets in...

and she's absolutely thrilled!!

beyond happy!

details of the room.

on the phone with nana, sharing the good news!

that little candy dish was left for her by her nana, dropped off earlier in the morning while we were picking her up from camp.
so sweet and thoughtful!

one of the best surprises i've pulled off!!
so happy for this girl of mine.
i'm looking forward to many heart to heart chats in her new room.