House will seem smaller with more kids

Catie O'Toole, a colleague of mine, is guest blogging again. She had one daughter, who is nearly 3 years old, and she and her husband are expecting their second next month.

Here's her guest blog:

When my husband, Dave, and I bought our first house four years ago, it seemed so big and spacious. It was just the two of us. Our house has three bedrooms, including one that we used as a guest room and another that we still use as an office. When we were expecting our daughter, Maria, almost three years ago we had no problem turning the guest bedroom into the baby's room. But now that we're expecting our second child, it's a different story. Neither Dave nor I really want to give up our office right now.

We have less than six weeks before baby Tommy arrives and the office still has the golden brown paint on its walls, the computer, two bookcases filled with journals and books, and a file cabinet storing all our paperwork. The closet is full too, but not with baby clothes.

No, we're taking our chances and putting the baby in the same room as our 2 ½-year-old daughter - the room that was once the guest bedroom. I'm really hoping the baby won't wake Maria up in the middle of the night and the two can share a bedroom without any problems.

Our house that once seemed so big and spacious now seems so full. I figure when our son is a little older and wants his own privacy, then he can have his own room. Maybe it's unwise that we have chosen to keep the office. Soon we will find out.