In a fit of energy and organization, I dragged several bags of The Poo’s old clothes up from the basement a few weeks ago. I sorted the bags into four categories: save, Shaggy, give away to a friend, and sell.
The energy has long since dissipated, but before it did I managed to drag one basket of duds over to my friend’s house. I also got rid of the sell bag, dropping it off for the community garage sale that benefits The Poo’s preschool.
Because the school is a cooperative, parents are required to put in a number of hours fundraising every year. I put my hours off until the end of the year, so I also had to work at the sale.
I arrived bright and early last Saturday, and when I walked into the room I was confronted by rows and rows of The Poo’s little sleepers and dresses laid out on tables.
Strangers rifled through them, assessing, rejecting or choosing the items. I found it hard to keep my eyes off them.
The Poo’s clothes were popular with the shoppers. Of course they were, they were barely used. Those she had worn were washed so gently, with so much care, that they appeared to be brand-new.
Piece by piece I took dollar bills in exchange for my memories. It was difficult to resist telling the dad holding a flowered skirt just how beautiful my daughter looked wearing it.
“This was only worn twice,” I said instead, gently rubbing the fabric between my fingers before surrendering the skirt.
As the rompers and onsies disappeared into tote bags, visions of The Poo flashed before me: how I put an undershirt on beneath a tiny sweater, prompting my sister to cluck her tongue in disapproval and strip my sweating infant down in order to cool her off; watching her struggle to sit up by herself at six months old, clad in a Gymboree bubble suit with fluttered sleeves; the Old Navy peasant blouse she wore when we were reunited at the airport after a seven-day separation when we moved to Chambana.
Bits of cloth, nothing more, when held in someone else’s hands. Outfits that will be worn by other children, making memories for families we don’t know.
But for me, every T-shirt, dress or wee pair of pants was a piece of my motherhood, walking out of the building in a recycled plastic bag.
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I am tearing up here. I can’t get rid of clothes, this just breaks me up, the letting go. I give you a lot of credit for doing this and raising money.
You know that now that all of the girly things are gone that Shaggy will turn out to be a girl!! Just kidding!
Getting rid of the baby things was hard but knowing someone else would be getting use from clothing my kids could no longer wear was strangely comforting to me. Most of Flynn’s baby clothes went to another Co-op family, as their daughter is a year younger than mine and every time I saw her with Flynn’s old clothes on, I recalled when my girl wore that same piece. It was nice to be reminded she was once so little (something I tend to forget over the course of the day).
I saved only a couple of pieces from each child: the outfit they came home in from the hospital and maybe one other sentimental piece (like the t-shirt Evan wore as a baby that has a robot on it. Every time Frank would dress him in it he would say in a robotic voice, “Baby robot!” Evan would giggle every time and it became a family joke).
I had those pieces mounted and framed (I gave Frank the baby robot tee for Father’s Day). They have yet to be hung, but will be someday.
Elliot’s things are still in bags downstairs. I have a hard time thinking about giving them away, but plan to soon. I know exactly what you mean – I can picture her in some of those outfits and sometimes miss that little baby I used to know.
The Poo looks so sweet in that picture.
I know exactly what you mean. It’s always a relief to get the mountains of old stuff out of the house, but when I walk by them at the big consignment sale, I always fight the urge to pick them up and re-buy them. But I don’t know if keeping them would help. My mom kept boxes and boxes of our baby clothes, but when my brother and I were both expecting babies, no one really wanted them. Suddenly, those clothes that had once been so cute were now old looking, covered in stains that weren’t there when she lovingly boxed them up. I could see the disappointment in her eyes when I only took one or two things, but even though they were sentimental objects, I couldn’t bring myself to put my new baby in such old things. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been very conscious of purging little man’s wardrobe periodically.
I’m a frequent reader but rarely comment. I had to on this post; I agree. I kept most of my 8 year olds clothing until recently. I sold some and gave much away because it was lovingly washed, like yours, and well taken care of. Every time I see my new niece in my daughter’s clothing, it makes me happy and sad. I like being flooded with the memory of when she wore it but sad that she has grown so big. *sigh*
I feel the same way about my kids’ clothes!
TOTALLY! I feel the same way. It is hard to let go of the tangible pieces of our babies, because everything else changes SO quickly.
Lucky you though, looking at The Poo – that gorgeous baby – and you’ll have another wee one here in no time! You can create a whole new set of baby boy clothes to one day sell at a co-op fundraiser (and oh, do I remember those days — such a lot of work! That DOES get easier as they get older and no longer attend co-op).
awww! I can not bring myself to sell Sugarplums clothes at a yard sale. I have to donate them to goodwill or send them far away to her cousin in another state. Most of the outfits I dressed her in a lot as an infant are being held onto in case we have another girl. Pieces I didn’t like as much have been given away or donated. Don’t know what I’ll do when we decide we’re not having any more children.
My lord! The sweetness of your child!
Email me your snail mail address so I can send some knitted goodies your way.
xoSMJ
I so hear you on this. I have had a really hard time letting go of the wee baby clothes. But as the boxes of stuff piled up, I finally had to resign myself to sorting through it. I kept only the most sentimental pieces: first birthday dresses and holiday outfits, along with sleepers and onesies stained with breastmilk or pureed sweet potatoes – stuff no one else would ever want, but that I simply cannot let go.
oof, girl my HEART
I have a summer’s worth of pictures of Q trotting around, wearing that same sealife hat. The Poo looks so cute!
It isn’t until I dig the first year clothes out of the bins that I get a sense of nostalgia. This is why I avoid the bins at all cost.
Half a lifetime ago I went into a small town thrift shop and recognized several things of my daughter’s – the very smallest of her baby clothes. My ex-husband had given them away (I’d left them in the attic, apparantly). I of course, had to buy them, and Ms25’s Cabbage Patch Kids were all very nicely dressed, tho the size was a little off.
This was so, so beautiful.
Sniff. Shudder.
Ah, I fondly remember grabbing Annika’s little sundress away from a lady at a consignment shop who was going to price it as (gasp!) 25 cents. I told her that it was okay, I’d just keep it. I was absolutely astounded that someone could put a price like that on something that meant so much to me.
Oh my, Cordy had that exact same outfit. She had a TON of Gymboree, most of which I sold on eBay before Mira was born. (It’s how I afforded my Gymbo habit – resell old clothing to buy new ones.)
I wish I would have saved more of it for Mira. I never realized how much I would miss it. Now I’m going to have to track down that ocean-scene outfit on eBay again…
Beautiful post.
From a mama who has crouched over boxes of baby clothes, sniffing them, convinced she could still smell the milky goodness of those babies.
*sigh*
This post rings so true. After passing clothes down through my three kids, some of them are so hard to give away. (And some are too worn to give away!) But, like you say, new memories will be made with them.
You’re better than me. I still have a box of each child’s first year–and three for my daughter. I just couldn’t part with them.
And one of them is twelve now. And we have boxes of his outgrown stuff that I need to get to the Salvation Army. ugh.
What a bittersweet post. I’ve given stuff away, and sold stuff on eBay, but some stuff has to go into the “vault” – never to be touched until she has her own child.
I can’t do it. I have bags and bags of baby girl clothes that I just can’t part with yet.
I adore The Poo’s fishy outfit!
My bags of baby clothes are only starting to grow and I can not imagine how I will ever part with them.
I think this is one reason I liked my daughter in second-hand clothes. I knew adding new memories to these little outfits’ lives.
You’re killing me with this post. I’m going to have to go up into the attic and smell baby clothes.