Of Dresses and Dreams
I've reached that point in this pregnancy. The point where I can barely remember what life was like before I was pregnant, but can't imagine actually reaching the end of the pregnancy either. It's humdrum. It's discouraging. I feel like I need something to make it real, to help me believe there will be a baby girl at the end of all of this--and sooner than I realize! I didn't pack a hospital bag with the boys until 32 weeks (not that I didn't want to earlier!), but I decided that this time I wouldn't wait that long. With two busy little boys running around, it's hard enough to focus on this baby. I need something tangible. I need to take the time to wash her clothes, hold them up, fold them into a suitcase, and imagine the little person that will fill them in a few short weeks. So it's a luxury I'm allowing myself today.
I've enjoyed that first load of laundry with each of our kids--crazy, I know. I even took pictures when I washed Henry's first load (so early, I still had some pink things in there because we didn't know what he was yet!). Today I went through the little assortment of hand-me-downs and gifted sleepers and picked out a few of my favorites. Henry was almost as excited as I was to see them fill up our washer!
We've (OK, mostly I--although Micah has often weighed in) been looking for her "going-home" outfit for weeks. We picked the boys' out pretty early, and it was fun to have something to focus on. We would try to imagine them actually coming home in them, and talked about whether the clothes we'd chosen would suit their individual personality or looks. It's been hard to find something "just right" this time around. I know what I envision in my head, I've just struggled to make it a reality. Today I found a dress (on sale for 50% off, as an added bonus!) that I loved. I showed it to Micah and he just said, "Buy it." I looked at him and asked, "Just like that?" He grinned. "She only gets one going-home outfit. I think that's it. Go for it." I was so excited! Here's what we decided on:
And now the fun part: to accessorize. I have a headband that will already match, but I was trying to decide on shoes. She has a few pairs of shoes, but they're all too big. So I hopped online to look up ideas for homemade shoes. I haven't loved crocheted or knit shoes in the past, but some of these are adorable. I thought I'd post them, just for fun. Who knows what we'll end up with (or whether I'll reveal it all beforehand), but it's fun just to dream and let the creative juices flow! Here are some of my favorites from my search:
I've enjoyed that first load of laundry with each of our kids--crazy, I know. I even took pictures when I washed Henry's first load (so early, I still had some pink things in there because we didn't know what he was yet!). Today I went through the little assortment of hand-me-downs and gifted sleepers and picked out a few of my favorites. Henry was almost as excited as I was to see them fill up our washer!
We've (OK, mostly I--although Micah has often weighed in) been looking for her "going-home" outfit for weeks. We picked the boys' out pretty early, and it was fun to have something to focus on. We would try to imagine them actually coming home in them, and talked about whether the clothes we'd chosen would suit their individual personality or looks. It's been hard to find something "just right" this time around. I know what I envision in my head, I've just struggled to make it a reality. Today I found a dress (on sale for 50% off, as an added bonus!) that I loved. I showed it to Micah and he just said, "Buy it." I looked at him and asked, "Just like that?" He grinned. "She only gets one going-home outfit. I think that's it. Go for it." I was so excited! Here's what we decided on:
