This afternoon, with Toby asleep on my lap and the Olympic rhythmic gymnastics on the television, I sat down to do my first piece of mending of Toby's baby clothes.
His beloved knitted dungarees had lost a button and sewing it back on made me feel motherly and warm and like a completely new person!
I grew up able to sew, my aunt taught me well, but I have never really thought about how it made me feel before. I was also slightly smug at the fact that "my" button was so much more secure than the one remaining shop sewn one...maybe I'll remove and reattach the buttons on his next size up...
Once the button was suitably reattached I folded and smoothed them and put them away in the box I have put aside for those clothes of his that I want to hold onto...
...as yesterday I had to put him in his first piece of 3-6 month old clothes.
He is no longer tiny!
Most of the clothes he has grown out of so far have been plain white baby grows and vests so, apart from one of each to keep in his box to show how tiny he once was, I have put all of them in a vacuum bag under the bed, ready for baby number two or, more likely to come first, any baby cousins...but some things I couldn't let go of.
Also into the box went his white baby cardigan with a little knitted teddy bear in the pocket, his favourite brown cardigan, all of my favourites of his too small fluffy socks and the selection of mink and duck egg blue vests with tiny hints of burnt orange.
Luckily I have the next size up in the socks and vests (I wish I had bought a few more sizes before they stopped being sold) and have replaced the brown cardigan with one in deeper chocolate, safe in the knowledge that this one is still available if I want to add this to his 3-6 month clothing wardrobe...
I know it may be me being unfair or odd but all the cartoon covered, neon and primary clothes, so bright they hurt the eyes, have never really looked right to me. I have bought greens and reds and oranges and browns as well as the usual blue, but I will not be putting him in cartoony, cutesy clothes...he looks far too much like a little man for that ;)
(The hat is far too big but will hopefully fit come winter...he needs a couple of woolly ones too...I have to learn to knit again!!)