I am a big, big baby.
But let me begin at, well, the beginning.
I come from a long line of pack-rats. My mother's favorite thing to tell me and my sisters is that when she dies only we are allowed to look carefully through everything she has saved and divide everything between us fairly. We have already told her that when she dies we are throwing everything into the trash. Seriously, we're not being mean, we're being realistic. My mom keeps a lot of...NOTHING!
Anyway, I should actually thank my mom and grandma because if it wasn't for them I don't know that I would be so determined NOT to save every single scrap of paper, article of clothing, or odd and end that comes my way. And so when we found out that our last child would be a boy, I knew the time had come to part ways with all our storage bins filled with baby girl items.
The task seemed easy enough. Lug it in, open it, sort it, bag it, and heave it off the property. I have plenty of young sister-in-laws to pass things down to, so it was easy to see that all these items would go to a good home.
But when push came to shove, and I had un-earthed all the dainty dresses and teeny-tiny flower print onsies...
But let me begin at, well, the beginning.
I come from a long line of pack-rats. My mother's favorite thing to tell me and my sisters is that when she dies only we are allowed to look carefully through everything she has saved and divide everything between us fairly. We have already told her that when she dies we are throwing everything into the trash. Seriously, we're not being mean, we're being realistic. My mom keeps a lot of...NOTHING!
Anyway, I should actually thank my mom and grandma because if it wasn't for them I don't know that I would be so determined NOT to save every single scrap of paper, article of clothing, or odd and end that comes my way. And so when we found out that our last child would be a boy, I knew the time had come to part ways with all our storage bins filled with baby girl items.
The task seemed easy enough. Lug it in, open it, sort it, bag it, and heave it off the property. I have plenty of young sister-in-laws to pass things down to, so it was easy to see that all these items would go to a good home.
But when push came to shove, and I had un-earthed all the dainty dresses and teeny-tiny flower print onsies...
well,
I fell apart.
One by one my sweet husband, my girls, and my son stepped over piles of baby clothes to give me hugs and kisses.
They let me have my moment...
to remember...
Each of my daughters was kind enough to stand while holding a former piece of clothing they used to wear. Owen, not wanting to be left out, posed as well.
Iris couldn't stop exclaiming over the tiny hats, and wanted to wear the cap she came home in from the hospital! It still fit-sort of!
I am so grateful for memories, photos, journals, and for this blog.
I'm grateful for my children. When I look at them now, I can see the many days of yesterday, when they were so unbelievably small, and yet I can also see what I hope to be the many days of tomorrow, when they will be big, and mothers and fathers of their own families.
Being a mom is a blessing.
It sure does come with a lot of tears!
But I'm not complaining.
I'm grateful for my children. When I look at them now, I can see the many days of yesterday, when they were so unbelievably small, and yet I can also see what I hope to be the many days of tomorrow, when they will be big, and mothers and fathers of their own families.
Being a mom is a blessing.
It sure does come with a lot of tears!
But I'm not complaining.
9 comments:
Ahhh....You gave me chills.
Olivia...
Okay, so I'm feeling the exact same way. This may (not for sure) be our last baby & the thought of never having another little girl to dress in a tiny little sun dress makes me so sad:( I have held on to all of the girl's pretty dresses & I am not ready to get rid of them.
But we are SO excited for another boy! I guess we are blessed if this is what our tears are being used for!!!
I felt the same way going through Tristan's baby clothes. I gave the clothes to good friends before we moved to Roseville. It was tough. I actually was able to see the little boys wearing Tristan's clothes for a few months before we actually moved. It was strange, but I had a great feeling. I helped other families who didn't have the money to buy clothes. Days before I called to tell one friend to come and get clothes, she told me they prayed to have money to buy clothes for him. I knew that it was meant to be! My sadness went away. (i did keep a few outfits)
Yep, I'm in the same boat too! I am dreading going through all of Charlotte's clothes... I just hope I can see those cute dresses worn again by my nieces at some point in the future :)
It's hard for me to give clothes to my sister. It's weird for me to see my kids clothes on somebody else. I feel the same way about my own clothes. My mom is a pack rat & I regret to say that I have picked up some of her bad habits. I try really hard, but sometimes it's so hard to let go. I'm trying to find ways to let go of stuff & my blog has actually helped a lot. I take pics & then throw the stuff away instead of saying I'll scrapbook it or I cut it down to size & put it in my journal, even if it's out of order. Wish me luck. I think part of the reason it's hard for me to let go of clothes is because I want one more but have to get my husband on board for it. It makes me kinda sad. You are so sweet to share.
Very true! It is so hard to part with those sweet little clothes that have so many memories. I started getting teary reading this post just thinking that I used to have a small little boy and they grow so fast.
I don't know how I'm going to handle that day when it comes. I cried just packing away clothes Jacob could not fit anymore, and we'll still get to use them for a future baby.. oh I don't even want to think about getting rid of them yet!!
I had a hard time too...only it was when Rebekah was a bit older. It was hard to pack things off when she was too big know we would never walk down that road again. I feel for you. I think this feeling is a universal feeling.
I totally understand. I have memory boxes for each of my kids and I put the one outfit that I remember them wearing so I always have it. It's hard to give it away!
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