Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Place and displacement

This week, Wes and I are working on rearranging the apartment to make a place for our forthcoming addition to the family. When we rented the apartment more than 18 months ago, we knew (or hoped or expected) that the second bedroom -- the office -- would eventually be converted into a nursery. And we knew, vaguely, where things would go. then. But nothing quite prepares you for the sense of overwhelm that comes with actually rearranging half the furniture in your apartment and trying to find a place for all the stuff. We have the nursery more than 50% liquidated, with mostly baby stuff still remaining (the boxes pictured below contain a crib, mattress, and changing station). The filing cabinet and other surplus electronic items are now stored in the closet in that room -- sort of an office annex. The computer desk and matching bookshelves fill the nook in the front room. And the pretty blue-hued table that is more lovely than functional -- well, we've no idea where it's going to go. The storage locker is, alas, full (of what -- non-maternity clothes, luggage, an enormous dog crate -- I don't know). All this moving has led, fortunately, to purging. We're liquidating large portions of books. Wes, now fully ensconced in the "digital age" as he endlessly refers to it, emptied out almost all of the second and third drawers of the filing cabinet that previously held important medical articles now accessible online.

All I have to figure out now is:
a) Where to put baby clothes, blankets, and diapers with no closet or dresser. I was thinking maybe bookshelves with canvas baskets on it. Where the stroller will go (much less a car seat for a kid whose parents own no car but occasionally take cabs), I've truly no idea.
b) Where to put Lucy's bed. She's been very nervous through this whole rearranging process, as though we're going to either lose her in the mess or accidentally toss her out with articles from 1999 about feeding homeless people in the emergency room. Her sense of displacement has led her to hover closely by. Can you find her in the last picture of Wes at the computer?
c) Whether or not to keep the small bookcases along the wall of windows that currently house keepsakes -- and not much else.
d) How to retouch the wall when we take down hanging pictures and art without having to repaint the entire apartment. Wes has removed a chunk of the wall from inside a closet so we can try and get it paint-matched at Home Depot. We'll see how good they are.
e) Where all the clothes will go in the master closet once I'm out of maternity clothes. Wes has spread out now that mine aren't taking up so much space.
f) Where I will find the energy for all of this! I'm doing okay helping how I can, but I must admit to backing off some of the heavier lifting. While I think my body can handle it, I'm nervous about doing something stupid.

And so, now that I have a list, it's just the doing that's left!

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You were always good helping place things when we moved. Just consider this transition a 'move' and you'll find a place for everything. Remington has handled his move well, calming down I think. Maybe when all the dust settles, Lucy, too, will realize that she IS a part of the family and still has her place.