I spent a good portion of one morning this past long-weekend sorting through the boys’ clothes, having finally capitulated to the fact that summer is over once and for all.
Even though there are two years between them, I can now mostly sort things directly out of Tristan’s drawers and into Simon’s – largely because I’m lazy and Tristan’s drawers are cluttered with stuff he grew out of a year ago.
Sorting stuff out of Simon’s drawers makes me a little bit sad, though. As I place each adorable 18 month sized pair of shorts into the carton, I wonder if I’ll ever be unpacking them to repopulate a third child’s summer wardrobe. I wonder if I shouldn’t just pass it all on to Noah, my gorgeous nephew, or Amelia, my daughter-by-proxy and possibly the cutest baby girl to ever wrinkle her nose at me.
Some stuff I do pass on, because so much was given to me and I like to be part of the endless churn of baby hand-me-downs. (Sometimes I wonder how the retail stores stay in business, what with garbage bags full of gently-used kids clothing being traded every day. Then I step into a store full of adorable jeans and bright striped jerseys, already reaching for my credit card, and I realize it’s suckers like me who keep them in business.)
But some stuff I just can’t part with, because I’m a sentimental sop. Like the green and black striped Kushie’s sleeper I bought for Simon over a year ago. When I first bought it, it hung on him like a potato sack, but he wore it until he resembled a big baby sausage whose casing was about to burst. And there is the reindeer sleeper that I bought for Tristan for his first Christmas. (For weeks, I imagined him crawling around amidst the wrappers and boxes and gifts wearing that adorable sleeper. That was the year we spent all of Christmas Day in the ER battling Tristan’s 105F fever.) I loved that sleeper so much that Simon wore it last spring, out of season for reindeers but no less adorable.
There are now at least five containers of baby goods stacked precariously in Simon’s closet. There are two Rubbermaid bins full of baby clothes and supplies like towels, blankets and burp rags. There are three, maybe four recycled Pampers boxes of outgrown clothes for winter in 12 months size through summer in 2T size. That doesn’t count the bouncy chair (those things don’t store well), the mobile, a plethora of gates, and more than one basket of rattles, links and chew rings… all of it being held in abeyance of the Big Decision. It would probably be easier if we would just make a decision and stick with it. But not yet.
Yesterday, Beloved dressed Simon in a striped GAP turtleneck that was one of Tristan’s signature shirts for two years, and somehow that shirt transformed my waddling baby Simon into a little boy. How did that happen? I never said it was okay for him to stop being a baby.
But he sure makes an adorable toddler.
I am back…
I kept all m=of my favorite baby clothes and blankies and plan to make a quilt out of them…one day, just for me.
M-A
I so know how you feel there are somethings of Miranda’s that I can’t part with..>And who said she could grow up and become a young lady with a boyfriend…. (gently wipes a tear from her eye) evenif he is cute and tells her he loves her every time he sees her.
And nathan don’t get me going on that. Some of his baby stuff will NEVER leave this hosue. It was soo cute! Now he walks through malls with me a tells me like he did today Mommy your really pretty. Awww shucks kid what Train do you want know?
Damn This letting kids grow up stuff is HARD!
After having three kids, I packed up all the baby clothes, the baby stuff, and the maternity clothes and gave them all away.
And then got pregnant the next month with child number four.
But my friends were more than happy to send stuff my way.
See, I wish I was more of a ‘keeper’ rather than a ‘tosser’, when it comes to things like this. I’m the opposite of a pack-rat and tend to give too many things away. I have held on to a few sentimental items and I need to keep that in mind as John M. grows out of things.
I see him evolving from baby to ‘little boy’ and it hurts my soul. Maybe ’cause I know he’s definitely, without question, the caboose.
It must be that time of year–I was just doing the same with the girls’ clothes. Some things are keepers (like stuff that someone made for them). The rest, I give away–but I have lots of pictures of favorite outfits. It is bittersweet.
Dani, I can completely relate to what you are saying. Thinking that Tristan was going to be my lonely only made cry everytime I had to pack a box (even yucky stained socks!). Given our wonderful little surprise, I am so excited to dive in and go through all those boxes again. I may even have the strength now to pitch the socks!
Can I also say that my heart skipped a beat when you spoke of Tristan’s old Gap shirt….I remember that one on him!! I’m sure it look just as adorable on young Simon.
BTW….awesome quilit idea!
Indeed, that quilt idea is excellent. Now I can actually use logic for justifying the great big pile of sentimental kids stuff I refuse to part with. I love it!
You are letting Simon wear the famous Tristan-shirt!! You mean you haven’t yet had it bronzed, or better, lacquered to save forever?
I’ll kick your ass in being a packrat anyday…I have hoards of stuff, including rubbermaid bins and papmers boxes full to the brim of baby/boy clothes from day 1 till present, have yet to part with any of it.
LMAO @ Simon wearing reindeers in the spring.
I’m a tosser by nature but love the quilt idea!
Jen
I am a keeper too Dani. It was hard enough for me to take the crib down out of his room, let alone get rid of any clothes!! They are all packed neatly in bins, hoping that one day they will be used again. If not, it will be a difficult time to pass them along.
As for the quilts, I have been known to make a few, it is a great idea, and a good way to keep memories alive.
Anna
Oh Dani,
What a timely post. This is SO where I’ve been at these past few weeks.
With baby #1, I basically kept EVERYTHING, lovingly storing things away in bins, totally unsure whether they would ever be used again.
Well, it did turn out that SEVEN years later, I was blessed to start sifting through those bins again, reusing most of what I kept. With every new season, out come the bins and down the memory lane I go. Seeing my younger daughter, occasionally little bro too, wear what her big sister wore years ago pinches our heart each time. Plus some of those things had been handed down to us from other kids, so part of their soul/spirit reemerges with the garment from the said bin. I’ve even been known to take the same pic, at the same place, same outfit, different kid.
Now, though, all those things don’t go back in the bins. They get sorted and resorted, given to friends, friends of friends (I love giving things to people I know), single mom shelters, church sales, the continuum goes on. Twice a year I go through this clean sweep and it ain’t easy!!! I struggle so. But in the end, I keep some of the most precious items, dreamingly thinking that maybe one of my kids’kids may use it or if anything just for me to go down my little memory lane when I look at them again.