Motherhood Mementos: What I Can't Toss from the Baby Days
Because we’re moving soon, I’ve spent a lot of time lately sorting through closets and cupboards, making decisions about what to keep and what to purge. I’m finally parting with grad school notebooks and the dated pantsuits from my days with an office job, and I’m getting rid of tattered towels and pathetic old dish cloths that need to be replaced.
An unexpected part of this process has been the question of what to do with my children’s belongings, and particularly those mementos of their baby days that aren’t traditional “keepsakes.” And while I’ve held onto the cherished items that every mother treasures (the locks of hair and inky prints of newborn baby feet), I’m finding that other things have just as much sentimental value for me.
Here are some of the treasures I’ve uncovered from my children’s baby days. I’m packing these away to take with me into the next phase of my family’s life: they’re mementos of motherhood that have no expiration date.
Clothing Worn By All 3 of My Babies
I saved some of my oldest’s gender-neutral clothes— a sweater, some sweet sleepers, and some other basics— and my other babies were able to wear them. Even though they might not be the most beautiful things they ever wore, because of the sentimental value attached to them I can’t get rid of them!
Photo Credit:Flickr
A Favorite Teether
When my daughter was born she received this Sophie the Giraffe teether as a gift. To say that she loved it is an understatement. We took Sophie with us everywhere! I’m holding on to it as a reminder of her baby days.
Sophie Teether, $19.31Amazon
A Positive Pregnancy Test
It may seem a little odd but I just can’t toss my positive pregnancy tests. After trying to get pregnant for a year and a half, I was so happy to see that positive result!
Photo Credit: Brown Guacamole/Flickr
A Tiny Pair of Shoes
She may have grown out of them long ago, but I can’t bear to part with a tiny pair of my daughter’s shoes.
Photo Credit: Sewing Daisies, Flickr
A Much-Loved Pacifier
Two of my three children were pacifier lovers, and while I may have struggled with them to finally say bye-bye to their binkies, I just can’t toss the last one. It’s one little reminder of my days of being a mommy to babies, and it’s something I don’t want to forget!
What have you held on to that you just can’t toss? Share it in the comments!
Mary Lauren Weimer is a social worker turned mother turned writer. Her blog, My 3 Little Birds, encourages moms to put down the baby books for a moment and tell their own stories. She writes about all things toddler at Babble’s Toddler Times. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
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