could be screwed to the back wall of the crib/desk for cubby storage. Your own
ideas will enhance it further.
One final thought I want to share. Expose yourself to other women's babies at
the "terrible twos" age. Watch them whiz their cribs across the floor. See them
throw themselves over the rail. Listen to them shake, rattle, and roll, while they
scream, "Mommy . . . OUT!" Yeah. It's coming! So, maybe you will nail the crib
'to the floor. Or build the sides higher. Or even add a lid? I remember that one of
my sons used to throw himself over and out. I would try to awake before him,
listen for him to wake, and run to him before he did the deed. The level of the
mattress was its lowest. What could I do? God, I'm glad those days are behind me.
Through all my baby-making days I used to envy my mother, who was deaf in one
ear. She slept on her good ear . . . and slept . . . and slept, after one or two of the
five of us were old enough to save the baby's life.
I also remember, thinking back on home, that we had a very long crib. I think
one of my brothers slept in it until he was six. That's another alternative you
might want to consider ... a longer crib that could later become a youth bed just
by substituting a half-doweled side. Or you could do a built-in, like the one sug-
gested in back of the book. (Then, for sure, nothing would shake, rattle, and roll!)
So many choices. I wonder what my choice would be now? No, I don't. I
would opt for convertibility . . . and higher sides . . . and probably now that I have
some building experience ... a built-in.
Construction comments: the crib was fun to do. It was the first time I tried to
do a multidoweled structure. I had mixed emotions at first, worrying mostly if I
could get the dowel holes straight up and down, or should I buy a drill press. (A
drill press is a gadget that holds the drill straight and tight. You use a lever to
raise or lower the drill. This way the drill is perpendicular to the surface you are
drilling into. You can also get drill presses that give angular action.)
Yes, a drill press is super straightaway, and yes, many fine carpenters use
them, but I am only a putterer. How often would I use this not-so-cheap gadget?
So I decided to try it by hand.
I had had lots of drilling experience at this point and felt I could hold the
drill fairly straight. If you feel edgy about it or have little experience drilling,
practice a little. Drill some holes in scrap wood. Put a dowel in the holes and see
how it sits. A little off is OK. You will notice that you can bend it a bit and when
the whole structure is attached it will have come together nicely. However, if all