Out With the Old
This past weekend, I boxed up another round of clothes that Bean has outgrown. I usually do this once a month. I have a bin in the bottom of Bean’s closet and whenever I put something on him that doesn’t fit anymore, I toss it into my bin. At the end of the month, I have a whole bin of clean clothes to toss into a box that I label with clothing sizes. It keeps Bean’s closet clean and helps me keep things organized.
But this time when I boxed up Bean’s 6-9 month clothes, I got a little sad. The past few months have been full of so many fun things and seeing some of my favorite outfits boxed up seemed to be so final. It seemed more official now. Bean is a big boy.
Or at least a bigger boy.
Take this shirt, for instance:
I remember hanging out in our living room with Bean while he played with his car. It was the first time he’d gotten up on the car all by himself. He did a little engine repair while he was there…
Or what about this shirt….
I loved this shirt when I bought it for him at Carter’s because I thought it looked like such a big boy shirt! And when Bean wore it, it swallowed him. It was so big! And then one day, it was too small. And I cried.
But I remember when it was just the right size for him. We were hanging out on my bed one day, playing with the remote control. It was the first day Bean discovered the power of THE CLICKER.
And then there was this shirt. For some reason, I felt like this was a weekend shirt and so Bean didn’t wear it often to school. Random, I know. Just something that I remember.
I also remember that he wore it while he chilled on the couch one day by himself. He was teething really bad and was really fussy so I couldn’t get his pants on him. He sat on the couch, pants-less, for about 20 minutes by himself. Just sitting very still. I thought it was so darn sweet.
Another shirt that Bean wore all the time was his yellow dinosaur t-shirt. I loved this shirt. I thought it was so cute that it had the silhouette of the dinosaur on the back.
Bean wore this one day when he was having a bipolar moment. One minute he was happy as a pig in mud, just crawling through his tunnel.
And the next he was having a total meltdown. While Chris watched. And I took pictures. Such good parents.
I also loved this dressier shirt that Bean had. It was a shower gift from our friends Dan and Catherine. I have no idea why I remember that.
Bean wore this one a lot. But I distinctly remember him wearing it on the last night that Chris, Bean, and I were in our Connecticut house together. The next day our family arrived to help us move, so this was our little family goodbye celebration.
But the piece of clothing that I packed up that was the saddest to see go were these jammies…
They don’t really have any special sentimental value to them for me. He wore them over Christmas break when we were in Florida, but other than that, there wasn’t any particular memory attached to them for me. But when I packed them in that box, I could just smell Bean, all clean from his bath, all happy and cuddly and ready for bedtime. I hope I always remember that smell.
Yep, its always sad when its time to pack away another box of Bean’s outgrown clothes. But at the same time, its kind of exciting. He’s getting bigger! He’s growing up! He’s still alive! And so are Chris and me! We’re actually doing this parenting thing! YAY US!
And, of course, with every box of clothes that is packed away, there is another box full of clothes to be bought. So there’s always that silver lining, too.
18 Comments
Megan (Best of Fates)
From the number of dinosaur clothing items, it is obvious you’re raising that boy right. Well done.
ps~ If I could find those pjs in my size, I would wear them all day long. Until someone at my work had the guts to confront me about it, then I’d just wear them all night.
Steph
I am boxing up some of my son’s clothing as well. Almost every shirt has a story or a memory that goes along with it. Some are simple stories, the time we visited daddy, while others are big, his first airplane ride. While it makes me sad to pack up these clothes, I know we’ll make more memories in his new stuff.
Sandy
wow, and not a stain in sight! another thing you will notice with “bigger” clothes…more laundry!
Marla
You two are doing a fabulous job… And Bean just keeps getting cuter.
I am so impressed by the number of pictures you take of him… Awesome. 🙂
Marla @ http://www.asthefarmturns.wordpress.com
Crystal
Awww, so cute. I am going through the same thing with my little guy who is 8 months old. Bitter sweet 🙂
Lori @I Can Grow people
Porter’s birthday is next week and I am tempted to go into his closet to take out some of the preemie clothes he wore for the first few weeks after his birth. I am quite sure I will cry if I do this.
Abby @ They Lend Me Their Hearts
I have a hard time letting go of some of my kids’ clothes too!It was hard finding a small bag-full of Babydoll’s toddler clothes (1 season too late to wear) that she had never worn and outgrown… and they were SO cute too. :o(
Oh and that picture of Bean sitting on the couch just chillin, so adorable and snuggly looking!
Sarah H.
” He’s still alive! And so are Chris and me! We’re actually doing this parenting thing! YAY US!” I LOVE IT!
Oh and now you have your blog to help remember all of his fun clothes!! So at least that’s good.
Ella
Im always a bit sentimental with my sons clothes – especially his pjs – not sure why. At the moment im clearing out all his blankets & sheets and other bedding as he has moved into a bed now. I felt a bit sad packing up his cot knowing he would never sleep in it again. I put a lot of shirts on my son with dinosaurs as well – so cute!
Megan
It gets me too. I especially had trouble when Q-Tip outgrew her 3-6 month stuff. It has gotten a little easier as time has gone on. But…it still gets me a little misty eyed. My baby isn’t a baby anymore. She’s a toddler now. Lord help me.
Megan
http://reddirtandcrazy.blogspot.com/
Miss M!
Outgrowing those cute little baby footie pajamas was always the hardest for me, especially the teeny ones from when he was brand new.
Christina
I didn’t read the other comments, so maybe someone already suggested this, but you might want to save a couple of your very favorite things, either just for you, for a baby boy who might come along later, or to give to Bean when he’s a dad. (Sorry for bringing that last one up!!) I saved one thing of my oldest daughter’s and once I had another girl I was sad that I hadn’t saved a few of the first’s nicer dresses. Even to give to my oldest when she’s a mom. So…now I’ve saved just a handful of what are the most precious to me. The rest I give away (or save until Eliana is bigger) and feel good knowing someone else can benefit from what we can no longer use. 🙂
Suz McA
I love the little man clothes! I am a sucker for anything that looks it could be sold in adult size (like Bean’s red & orange shirts). Adorable.
Jessica
I do the same thing with the box at the bottom of the closet. It is very sad to look back at the cute outfit and memories. I mostly get sad that I didn’t take a picture of him in a certain outfit, when I was always meaning to do so. It makes me realize how fast he is growing and how fast time is flying by. 🙁
Mindee@ourfrontdoor
I still have a few tiny outfits that I just couldn’t part with. So many happy memories in those little pieces of cloth.
Ashley
There will always be more babies….right….RIGHT?!? 🙂 Save those adorable outfits!
Amanda
Oh, that’s so hard, isn’t it?? It’s like looking through an old photo album as you’re putting away their clothes. It’s so sad!
Sara Rickman
Oh my gosh! You just made me cry in my livingroom. I hope you are saving some of those cute little outfits. Even if you have more boys, there are some great things you can do with the most treasured items. I saved a few of my favorites from when my daughter was newborn to have them made into a quilt. And my Mom saved my outfit that I wore when I came home from the hospital. She framed it scrpabook style and gave it to me as a shower gift when I was pregnant with my first.