There’s a children’s clothing consignment store near us, and for the past year, as Little Miss Sunshine grows out of stuff, I’ve been dropping off baby clothes to sell.
I took a big bag of spring and summer stuff over in December.
Today I stopped by to drop off a couple extra summer items, and while I was there I had a bit of a look around to see what deals were to be had.
There was another lady there shopping for her baby girl. She was buying at least six or seven of our things.
My baby’s things.
I didn’t want to cause an awkward moment so I didn’t say anything to her…just watched in a stalker-like fashion. When I got up to the cash, she was in front of me in line, chatting with the cashier. “I love this little skirt, it’s so cute,” she was saying.
I used to love it too.
“And this dress is so adorable.”
I always thought so.
“And this onesie that says, ‘I’m new here,’ how cute is that?”
Really cute. I have pictures to prove it.
I’m happy the clothes are going to someone who is going to love them and use them. But I have to admit I got a little choked up. I’m ready to move on, really I am. I’m ready to have older kids.
But I am getting a little sad about my babies growing up.
A couple of weeks ago, Little Miss Sunshine magically learned how to lower the side of her crib. She never tried to climb out of it or anything, but still we thought it was best to swap her crib for the other one we own — we have two because Captain Jelly Belly and Gal Smiley were in cribs at the same time.
The one the Little Miss had been using is the crib that all our kids slept in, the one we first had when we were new, green parents, the one that Sir Monkeypants’ sister’s kids also slept in. I think of that one as “our” crib.
When Sir Monkeypants was taking apart the original crib to swap it for our second crib, he asked me if I’d like to take a photo of it, so we could maybe sell it online.
He made it up nice, with a baby blanket and a few stuffed animals in there.
I took a picture but I think it was blurry.
(Or else I was a little misty-eyed.)
Then we took it apart and put it away and I thought about how my babies are getting to be not-babies anymore and I miss them already.
TurtleHead 
Oh, it’s hard to get rid of some things, eh?
I remember taking some stuff to a consignment shop and having them “oooh” over one of Hana’s dresses. “That was from her first Christmas,” I told them. Then one of the women working there said to me that I should keep some things for sentimental reasons. But really, my problem is that if I start that I would keep too many things and we don’t have the room. Nope…it’s just gotta go.
The only thing I kept of Hana’s baby wardrobe was a gorgeous little hat and sweater that my mom knitted for her.
Mary Lynn — I hear you! I have a very small box that is my Mommy keepsake box. I can keep whatever I want but it has to fit in the box! So far I’ve only kept each kid’s first pair of shoes (the one they learned to walk in), the small knitted hat each one got in the hospital, and one 3-6M outfit for each that I strongly associate with them as babies. I think when the Little Miss gets a bit bigger I will add a few beloved toys. It’ll be getting pretty full then, though, so the rest has got to go!
I always kept one or two things from every stage when mine was younger — that made the rest easier to get rid of. They’ve been packed away in a big box and not opened for so long, it’s going to be fun to look through them one day
I remember when I sold our crib and when the person who bought it picked it up I started crying (like I just did now-ugh).
Just yesterday I reminded Bert that we are going to have a six year old this year (Mouse turns 6 in March) and she will be gone all day in September when she starts grade one. I’m finding it hard to accept, 6 is not a baby anymore. It’s so so so true that they grow up too fast.
Getting rid of baby things is so bittersweet….as liberating as it is, it can also be so gut wrenching. I expect I’ll have a breakdown when it’s time to get rid of our crib and stroller.
Porter – my eldest starts grade one next year too. I too find it hard to accept. How did he become so big and so independent of me so quickly??
Sniff Sniff. I am not ready yet. So not ready. I always figured when I was ready it would be easy. From what you say it probably won’t. 😦
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