Here are a couple of indisputable facts:
Fact 1: My last child was a boy, and the next baby is also a boy.
Fact 2: This child was born at the beginning of April, and this baby is due at the beginning of June - 2 short months apart.
Here's one more indisputable fact: I have bought additional clothes and baby supplies for this baby.
WHY? I talked to a friend today who is also expecting her second boy, also due within a couple months of her first's birthday, and due a week or two before me - she hasn't bought any additional clothing.
I found myself trying to justify my expenditures: Some of what Ben wore was too stained to put on another child. A few items I never liked anyway, and at least one outfit is being sold in the same style in which I bought it - at a garage sale. It was too boyish for Leah, and too girlish for Ben - out it goes. And surprisingly, some things won't make the seasonal difference. After all, we can be optimistic and hope that June will be much warmer than April, right?
I guess I feel the need to get some new things for my newest baby because I want him to feel special and unique, not just a carbon copy of his brother. Isn't that ridiculous? Kind of, I think, but also not, because I've seen how much my kids look at their baby albums. Not that this is a make-or-break issue for therapy, but I think there is something to be said for looking at photos of yourself as a baby and just seeing all your brother's clothes.
It may be completely subconscious, but wouldn't you feel better knowing that your mom got certain items just for you?
Well, baby #3 can rest easy knowing that his mommy bought these outfits just for him. Well, that and for myself. Because I like buying cute clothes and dreaming about putting them on another cute baby, whose personality I'll get to see unfold in the upcoming years.
Sorry about the sideways-ness. Not my fault. But can you tell I like monkeys? Also, dinos and froggies.
Here's an evil little secret about my selections, though: I have already purchased the scrapbook and kit for Magnus's baby album, and the color scheme is browns and blues - so guess what I've been leaning towards? The green is just so that I don't feel like I'm dressing my child to match my paper supply. It's all a decoy.
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5 comments:
The last paragraph leads to something more ominous...the clothes colors won't MATCH the scrapbook paper...the colors will COMPLEMENT them. This takes the scheming to a whole 'nother level.
I would be totally fine with MVJ having all handmedowns... or at least superclearance deals. JJ on the other hand is vehemently opposed. I suppose being the ninth kid had something to do with that... : )
EJ - You can say that now, because even though MVJ has "handmedowns", she's the first, so of course you bought them all specifically for her, or she's the first to wear them in your family. We'll see how you feel when you get to number 3 - or 6!
I tell you this Liz, I've found myself doing the exact same thing with boy #3. It's hard not to want to dress them in something new, but at the same time, it's hard to have them wear something that was from the previous son, because it WAS the previous son's. As my family has grown, I've realized that there are TOO many ways to compare the kids, so adding the same clothing to the mix is only asking for more comparisons. I can completely agree with purchasing things specifically for the new baby. (and if you don't do it, I will!) hehe
And thanks to the moms on this Mothers Day because if clothing the kids, new or hand-me-dwon, were left in the hands of the dads, there would be a lot more naked kids running around...not a good thing in North Dakota in the winter.
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