Wednesday 18 May 2016

Saying Goodbye To The Baby Clothes

Clearing out my baby clothes was tough.

All those tiny little cute outfits, worn once, twice, three times.



Some have been on all three of my boys.

These are the clothes I carefully poppered over tiny little toes, carefully zipped up tiny little bodies, cuddled close after feeds and pegged up on the washing line, unaware or not of their last service towards our cause.

The ones which hold the most emotional resonance, pushed back into a duffell bag to be stored now - but for what purpose?

These are my memories.

I most likely won't be using them again now.

They're not waiting 'just in case'. Are they?

I had to tell myself as I went through them; 'there's no point in them sitting redundant'.

No point in them taking up space or gathering dust.

Someone else should be using these gorgeous little things again.

These gifts so thoughtfully given, the things carefully chosen by me, by friends, by all the visitors.

These are the things I squealed over, carefully opened, were so surprised by, they made new-mummy-me cry over the kindness, the generosity.

It's time to say a fond farewell to tiny baby years, tiny baby things, tiny baby bits and pieces and look forwards now.

My baby is a year old in less than a month.

He's thrown himself into life so fully.  He's grown so much.  Even moved up a centile as if to make fun of my constant chiding: "stop growing, baby!"

He giggles when  say this  Stands up all by himself in the middle of the room all by himself, grins, shows me his little teeth, points, waves, says words, all of the things I don't want him to be doing yet.

But he does.

He's not a tiny little baby any more.

It goes too fast.

Now it's my turn to surprise someone.  To show the kindness. To repay the generosity and to make another new mummy wonder at the kindness of strangers.

So I bundle up the bits. I tell myself it's the last time, but not too harshly. I make sure that I also allow myself to realise it could all happen again maybe one day.

Though I know it won't.

 They're just clothes.

Just clothes.

I can always get more clothes.

If I ever need to...

11 comments:

  1. It really does go so fast. My 'babies' are 10 and almost 12 now, which seems crazy! I miss baby clothes and little toes :) Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix

    Stevie x

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  2. A lovely piece but made me feel sad reading this- time just seems to fly. I can totally relate-I get emotional even when it comes to sorting my 13 month old's toy - that puppet that once made him giggle but he no longer notices, the activity table that he once struggled to reach but now towers over... It's so important to enjoy these times even through the exhaustion and tears! #PicknMix

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    1. I know - it's awful, isn't it! I think that having older ones too makes me realise even more how fast it all goes - but also how much there is to come. So bittersweet!

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  3. I am in exactly the same situation. I have boys and girls clothes right up to 6 years. We have no storage left but the what ifs are haunting me so I will keep mine a little while longer #MaternityMondays

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    1. I have the odd bits from the oldest two I can't let go of. Now I'm on the last one though, so I've no real excuse except i'm maybe keeping it for their kids? #hopeful Ha ha!

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  4. Oh gosh this is a lovely and poignant and touching read. I am at this crossroad right now and I need to give lots of baby clothes away. I feel like I'm just not quite able to take that step even though I know we won't have any more children. It's such a huge step isn't it? Sending hugs to you x

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. I think I've held on to so much for so long now, that it feels so odd getting rid. I've always had anothe rbaby in mind, kind of, but now it's a definite 'no' from the husband....it's hard to get rid! I gave them to some lovely folks though, which helps, but in the back of my mind I wonder if they are as loved and as cherished as they were with me. I know what I was like when I was handed stuff - things I didn't like went to the charity shop without a second thought. I suppose I just don't have to think to hard on it!

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  5. Oh, I'm not looking forward to getting rid of our baby clothes.

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  6. I recently cried packing away tiny baby clothes. I spent ages in a room sniffing them, James thought I had lost the plot, haha! Thanks for linking to #PicknMix

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