[Note: This post is ridiculously long. If you want the bottom line, just scroll down to where it says "So, in summary." I won't be offended in the least.]

I owe all of you an update.

A couple weeks ago, I solicited your advice, right here on this blog, regarding bed sizes. Chad and I were in need of an upgrade, but couldn’t decide if we should jump from full to king or if a queen-size bed would be sufficient.  And boy, lots of you came out of hiding to comment on that post! Chad and I thank you — your input was appreciated and duly considered as we made our decision.

Comments were pretty much split between those assuring us that a queen is plenty and those encouraging us to go for a king. In the end, we decided to trust those who said a queen size would be sufficient. I was a little nervous, but I placed the order anyway, and we waited for the arrival of our bed.

“Placed an order?” you say? Yes, I placed an order. See, we had also decided to switch from a standard mattress and box-spring to one of those new-fangled sleep number beds. We know a number of people who have them and every single one of them raves about the wonder that is a SelectComfort bed.

So once again, we trusted the advice of others and went for a bed that comes in about six medium-to-large boxes, rather than a bed that comes in two gigantic parts that would have to be maneuvered through our slightly-cramped staircase.

Less than a week later, the UPS man rang the doorbell and asked me to open the garage door. “Um…I’ve got a bunch of big boxes for you.”

I obliged, and soon half of our garage was filled with boxes that said “Sleep Number.”

Now that the bed was here, in my house, I could rest easy. The hard part — the decision-making — was over, and I was content to wait a few days until the weekend arrived and we could assemble the Sleep Number bed at a leisurely pace.

But Chad? Not quite as content to wait. When he heard the boxes had arrived, he arranged to come home from work early that day so we could disassemble the old bed, assemble the new bed, and enjoy our spacious and customizable new sleeping surface that very night.

Here’s a handy fact for you: If you want to test your marriage and see what it’s really made of, put a bed together with your spouse. Preferably, one that involves six boxes, and at least three separate sets of instructions. Also, this test works best if one of you believes it’s a good idea to actually read and follow directions while the other one (*cough* Chad *cough*) prefers to work by intuition.

Also, adding 2 kids and a cat to the mix creates extra excitement and challenge.

I’m happy to say that we all survived the Great Assembling of the Bed. And our marriage did, too. In fact, I would guess that we grew even closer by accomplishing an important project together.

We then enjoyed spending 30 minutes or so watching the dual chambers of our bed inflate.  Let me tell you, you don’t need TV when you’ve got entertainment like that.

One set of cozy flannel sheets and one striped quilt later, the new bed was ready to test.

We each claimed our rightful side of the bed and took turns using the remote, experimenting to see what our Sleep Numbers might be (the range is 5-100). I started around 70, because I like a firm, yet forgiving, sleeping surface. Chad started with 100, because I think he might sleep on a rock if possible.

We’ve been experimenting ever since, trying to find our perfect numbers. It’s not that the bed is uncomfortable — on the contrary, we both seem to be sleeping rather well — it’s just that we might be a tad bit obsessive, and we want to make sure that, even though we’re happy with our current numbers, a different number isn’t slightly better. I predict that it will take a while before we stop messing with it and proudly declare our official Sleep Numbers.

For the time being, I’m sleeping on a 45 and Chad’s down around 80, I think. Perhaps he wouldn’t actually sleep on a rock.

So, in summary: We really like the bed. We’re still trying to figure out our ideal sleep numbers. And most importantly, a queen has proven to be big enough for us. I’ve only poked Chad in the eye once since we got the new bed, and I was having a rather stressful dream at the time. For the most part, I can sprawl comfortably without running into him.

But can you guess who’s enjoying our new bed the most?

The cat.

She has completely abandoned her cozy little kitty-bed, which rests on a chest at the foot of our bed, and has claimed her corner of the bed for herself. I don’t know if she just appreciates the colorful stripes on the new quilt or if she believes that cats, too, deserve sleep numbers.

But I do know that we tend to accidentally kick her out of bed most nights, while we’re sleeping. After all, a queen may be big enough for us, but adding a cat to the mix is pushing it.

Thank you, once again, for all your input on our Major Decision. I still might not have made the plunge, if it wasn’t for your help.