When Fashion Happens

There was this girl in Junius's 2-year-old preschool class who wore something smocked and monogrammed. Every. Single. Day.

You know what I'm talking about -- the matching ruffly outfits, the seasonally decorated dresses, the ready-for-a-professional-portrait clothes. The girl with nothing from Old Navy or Target in her closet. 

She ended up being one of his best buddies because beneath those fancy duds was a really fun little girl. But I teased her mother regularly about the outfits. 

Why in the world to do you do that to her, I would ask. It's just preschool, not a fashion show.

Her answer? "Because it's fun and I can and it won't last forever."

I still thought she was crazy.

Until I had Pippi.

Let me tell you, no matter what you might believe before it happens, having a daughter is not the same as having a son. I enjoyed dressing Juni in cute outfits as a baby, but nothing compares to little girl clothes. The vast and unending realm of patterns and ruffles and layers and smocking completely overwhelms the tiny little boy section of stores.

Although I never got to the smocked-every-single-day level (mostly because my budget wouldn't allow it), I did so love dressing her in adorable outfits. I even let a photographer friend use her as a photo model for a fashion project because she just looked too cute (I mean, seriously, just look at that picture!). 

And then Pippi decided she wanted to dress herself. 

[Cue sound of screeching brakes]

After far too many knock-down-drag-out fights over what she was supposed to wear to preschool last fall, I finally just gave up. I decided that as long as she was wearing something weather-appropriate, she could pick out her own outfits most days (I reserved the right to put her in smocked for church). 

I knew it was the right call on the morning we went grocery shopping -- Pippi was wearing pink leggings, a white long-sleeved shirt, a satin floral sleeveless bubble dress that was two sizes too big, silver glitter shoes and a tiara. The 50-something woman in the elevator with us looked at her with a big grin and said, "You dressed yourself this morning, didn't you? You look very beautiful!"

She was right. Pippi did look beautiful. And it was quite obvious that she'd dressed herself -- no one was judging my personal style or my parenting skills because of Pippi's own sense of flair.

In order to really enjoy this fashion as it happens, I started taking pictures of her outfits -- trying to catch the essence of Pippi style.

So I'm happy to share with you my latest venture: I Dressed Myself. It's a new blog about how the best fashion happens when mommy and daddy aren't involved. I hope you'll check it out, follow along and maybe even share some of your own gems. There's a few posts there already and I plan to post at least one new outfit a week -- because there's no better way to keep myself sane than to enjoy the wealth of blog material in my crazy life.

photo credit to evolve studio photography

Costumes: Not Just for Halloween Anymore

My kids can get some serious mileage out of a Halloween costume. It's not unusual for Junius, Pippi and friends to appear downstairs in a combination of Spiderman, Batman and Buzz Lightyear costumes with a couple of ballerina-fairy-princesses thrown in for good measure.

But today, Pippi took the costume recycling to a new level.

This was Junius on Halloween in 2006, when he was 15 months old:

This was Pippi earlier today, at age 3:

Giggle, giggle, quack!
.

J-Fest 2010: Things I've Saved

When Junius was a new baby, I was afraid that he and I might not survive those early, sleepless months together -- in my exhaustion, time seemed to move so slowly. Now that he's about to turn five, I look at his itty-bitty baby clothes and wonder if he was ever really that small -- and every year seems to go by faster than the one before.

Since then, I've handed on lots of his baby clothes, toys and gear -- but there are those little treasures that I've tucked away for safe keeping. Now that I've (more or less) recovered from the insanity of his newborn-ness, I can't let go of those reminders of how small and round and sweet he was as a baby.

For Junius Fest 2010 Day Two, here are five things I've saved from Junius's baby days:

1. Crocs: For his first year and a half, Junius was either barefoot or wearing Robeez. But ever since, his favorite shoes have been his Crocs. I think he loves that they're comfortable, colorful and easy to put on. I love that they're antimicrobial, so they don't get stinky from his shockingly smelly feet. He's picked a new color each year -- a little rainbow that charts his growth.
2. Coming home outfit: The first baby gift I received was a tiny little yellow onesie with a so-soft teddy bear on one side and snaps down the front. Since we didn't know he would be a boy (although in my heart, I knew he was), I took it to the hospital for the coming home outfit. I was startled when this tiny onesie swallowed up my 8 lb. 12 oz. baby -- who knew even the big babies were still so small?
3. First photo outfit: For his first professional photo in the studio at the 3 months old, Junius wore a little tan and white seersucker outfit that had once belonged to his Daddy. My MIL saved it and gave it to us when Juni was born -- we consider it his first (and definitely not his last) seersucker suit. He is a Southern boy, after all.
4. Christmas outfit: I love Christmas as much as my own birthday (and they're conveniently in the same month), so celebrating Junius's first Christmas was a big deal. He wore this one-piece footed pajama-like outfit (because, really, aren't all baby clothes just fancier pajamas?) that came with a matching velour hat with little reindeer antlers on top. He was so cute, it was almost dangerous. 
5. Swimsuit: It wasn't actually his first swimsuit (which was a hand-me-down for that very first summer), but it's the first swimsuit he wore when he was old enough to cruise around on the sand at the beach. His beautiful round toddler belly stuck out over the blue gingham trunks in the most adorable way.

There's more, of course, but those are the highlights. And in case you missed it, you can read about things Junius loves to do (that I hope he never stops doing) on Day One of Junius Fest 2010. The party continues tomorrow...

Birthday Preview

You'll have to forgive my amateurish photography, but seriously -- how cute is this shirt?!

My awesome neighbor made it, of course, just like last year. The difference this year was that I took her the shirt and fabric back in December given that her newborn son was due to arrive in January. Because that's the kind of thoughtful, caring neighbor that I am -- I didn't want her to have to make it in February with a 3-week-old (and her own 2-year-old) in the way.

Anywho, the Pipster will be proudly sporting this adorable shirt and announcing "Happy to you!" as we celebrate her birthday on Sunday. And Monday. And maybe Wednesday, too. You're only two once -- you might as well get the most out of it!

Round 1 Goes to the Pip

Today I thought I would be writing a post about how I spent my first night away from Pippi last night -- I had to be out of town for a meeting, so she and Junius were home with my husband and my in-laws. Although I've spent a few nights away from Juni, it was the first time that Pippi and I slept under different roofs in her entire little life.

But as it turns out, my night away was pretty uneventful for both of us -- and I had to be up so early for the meeting that I didn't even get to enjoy some extra sleep.

So instead, I'm going to write about this cute little outfit (shown at left), which is what Pippi was supposed to wear to preschool today. As it turned out, she wore the pants -- along with the pajama top she'd slept in the night before.

Why? Because she flat-out refused to take off her pajamas. I wasn't here to witness the struggle, but apparently neither my MIL nor my husband could wrestle her out of the jammie shirt. My husband (wisely) determined that it was not a battle worth waging.

After I stopped laughing at the vision of Nonna and Daddy trying to pin down our not-yet-two-but-thinks-she's-a-five-year-old daughter, I tried to figure out two things:

1. What about the cute outfit was so offensive to her? Did she remember that (although it's a Carter's brand) I bought it at Costco? Does she think mixing pink with chocolate brown is too trendy? Was she worried the leggings made her tushie look big?

2. How many battles are she and I going to have about her clothes over the next 16 years? And will I have enough sense to let her win the ones that don't really hurt anything so that I have the energy to conquer her stubbornness in the wars that make a difference?

At the end of the day, it really didn't matter what she wore to preschool today. In fact, some of her toddler clothes aren't so different than her pajamas -- and I'm sure her teachers love her no matter what she has on. But I can see the day coming when what she wears (or doesn't wear) Is going to make a difference in how others see her -- a skirt that's too short, a shirt that's too tight, a face-piercing. Ugh. I am so not ready for her teen years.

So I think I'm going to start working out now. Because clearly I'm going to need to be a lot stronger than she is if I'm going to win the wrestling matches yet to come.

Growing boy

I think consignment sales are great for baby and toddler clothes -- especially in the first two years, babies grow through the clothes so fast that they hardly get messed up and it doesn't make sense to spend a lot on new clothes. Every time I go to a consignment sale, I think about all the things I have stored away in closets and the attic and I promise that next time I'll bring some items to consign.

And so now that Junius is 3 1/2, I'm finally forcing myself to make good on that promise. Earlier today I started wading through the three large storage bins filled with baby boy clothes -- I've already passed along the generous hand-me-downs we received from friends, but there were plenty of things left that seemed like good candidates for a sale.

As I sorted through the clothes, I realized I was putting more pieces back in the bin than I was pulling out. Every time I looked at a little striped romper or tiny velcro sandals, all I could see was my sweet baby Junius. It was the outfit he wore on his first day of preschool, the swimsuit he wore for his first trip to the beach, the shoes he wore when he started walking on his own. I was amazed at how many things I'd forgotten that came rushing back, the clothes serving as photo reminders of how much he's grown. Keeping the clothes makes no sense, but somehow giving them away started to feel like letting go of my baby.

And that's exactly what I have to do.

He's trying so hard to be big -- writing his name (or at least a backwards "jumpin J"), riding his bike, using the potty, sleeping through the night (thank goodness!) -- and it's my job to help him, even if that just means getting out of the way. Even though it's scary sometimes, it's also exciting to watch him grow. And keeping his baby clothes isn't going to slow anything down.

The clothes he's wearing these days aren't likely to make it as hand-me-downs -- his jeans have holes in the knees and his shoes are so stinky that I have to keep them outside. So I will keep just a few favorites from those crazy baby days and let go of the rest.

Who knows? Maybe one day I'll have a grandson who can wear that seersucker onesie from Junius' first portrait -- it's the one that my mother-in-law saved from when my husband was a baby. Guess I'm not the only mommy who had trouble letting go of her baby boy.