The Big, Yellow Tote

Again, last night, I took a large pile of Lucy’s clothes down to storage. It required both hands to carry the stacks down to the basement. In the smaller, clear tote are the yellow, green, and occasionally blue clothes that can be used for a future little brother. In the big, yellow tote, the pinks, the hearts, the lace, and the dresses…

She is officially out of every single ‘Newborn’ item we ever had. That was tough for me to handle. When I put into storage the outfit she came home in, it broke my heart. All I can think about is: will this ever be used again? Will Lucy get a little sister to wear these outfits? Will they ever really be the next little girl’s? Or will they always be Lucy’s clothes that her sister wears?

I had favorites: the hospital outfit, the family tree shirt, and the fluffy pajamas with hearts all over. It seems like forever before we’ll get them out again, either to use or to garage sale.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that Lucy is fitting into her 0 to 3 overalls finally and shoes are becoming fun! But, why is it so tough to handle that she is a growing girl? I still haven’t wrapped my brain around the fact that she is only 5 days away from being 4 months old! And, here I am, still dressing her in 0 to 3 month outfits. Then, I am completely shocked when they don’t fit!

Alright, where am I going with this? All of you parents are thinking, “Get used to it. This is just the beginning.” Well, I knew she would grow and it would go fast. But, it seems like the clothes are the one thing that measures how fast time is going by. She only wore some outfits once and others - never! Okay, I lied; I can tell the growth in other ways too. Each time I pick up that car seat, I swear it is 10 pounds heavier. By 12 months old, I won’t even be able to pick up the thing…that or I will have some crazy muscular arms! :)

Other milestones worth noting: she can take her ‘binkie’ out of her mouth and occasionally get it back in, she can sit in her Bumbo unaccompanied, she can finally appreciate a rattle, the giggling is loud and common, and she can soothe herself to sleep, to an extent.

Well, her bedroom is cleaned out, once again. Clothes that are too small no longer linger. I know I will be going through it again here in about two weeks. Then, again, I will have to face that big, yellow tote. I am hoping over time it gets easier to close. Maybe one day I can think about the joy the clothes will bring me when I unpack them, with a big pregnant belly.