So the time was finally upon me.....time to start finding new homes for all the baby things we've collected over the years. Tim had organized all the things we needed to get rid of on a table in the garage, as I had been promising to list everything on Craigslist so we could have some extra spending money for our upcoming Disneyland trip.
I'll admit now that I was stalling mainly out of selfishness and denial. Selfishness because I didn't want to share the kids' baby things with anyone else and denial because my kids are growing up right before my very eyes and no longer in need of things like, an exersaucer, jumperoo, highchairs, baby toys, etc, etc, etc.
I sat down on Saturday and finally got a few things listed on Craigslist and to my surprise started getting calls right away. One lady never even called back to let me know what time she was coming (what a flake...why are people like this? I'll never understand) so we decided we weren't gonna spend our whole day waiting for her and we left. Another lady called and told me she wanted 3 of the things (a stroller, a Laugh-n-Learn table and a Baby Einstein Discovery Center)...she was pretty insistent that she wanted these things and said she'd come over the next day to get them. Then she called back and realized she had missed a couple other items I had listed and she wanted those also.
This afternoon I was going over each of the things again with antibacterial wipes, just to make sure they were squeaky clean. As I was cleaning the exersaucer, I got all teary-eyed. Silly hormones....and I'm not even ovulating at the moment!
Bella came up and asked what I was doing and if she could help. She noticed my tears and we had a conversation:
Bella: Mommy, are you sad?
Me: Yes, just a little but I'm okay
Bella: Why are you sad?
Me: Because we're finding new homes for all your baby stuff and it just makes me sad because it means you're all growing up
Bella: Mommy, if I hug you, will that make you happy?
Me: Yes, of course, it will
Bella: *gives me a huge hug and then continues to hang her arm around my back rubbing my shoulders gently* Awwwww, Mommy, you're gonna be okay...do you want a Band-Aid...will that make you feel better?
Me: No, just another hug from you...that's all I need to feel better.
Bella: But I have Dora Band-aids...are you sure you don't want one?
Me: When did you get to be so funny?
Bella: I'm not funny, I'm just me.
Then I realized I was practically in full-on cry mode as we're having this conversation, which really just confused her because I had said I wouldn't be sad anymore and she just doesn't understand at her age that a person can also cry tears of happiness. By the end of the conversation, she had me laughing and crying at the same time.
As we cleaned each of the things, she asked me questions like "did I really like sitting in the exersaucer when I was a baby?", "did I jump really high in the jumperoo?", "did this toy make me laugh when I was a baby?". I told her about the very first time I put her in the exersaucer, how she was too little to sit up yet by herself but I was so anxious to see her in it, that I propped her up with a pillow behind her back and a little towel rolled up in front of her, and that her feet barely touched the bottom of the saucer.
I do know one thing....that with the close of every chapter, comes a new chapter....a new journey and another fun adventure. As I'm leaving the baby years behind, the school years will come and then graduations will as well. Lots of good times to be had in the future.
Goodbye exersaucer, strollers, Baby Bjorn, baby toys, crib mobiles and pack-n-plays.....Hello backpacks, school supplies and homework....and then hello dating, proms and broken hearts. I'm not sure my heart can take all this!!
I'll admit now that I was stalling mainly out of selfishness and denial. Selfishness because I didn't want to share the kids' baby things with anyone else and denial because my kids are growing up right before my very eyes and no longer in need of things like, an exersaucer, jumperoo, highchairs, baby toys, etc, etc, etc.
I sat down on Saturday and finally got a few things listed on Craigslist and to my surprise started getting calls right away. One lady never even called back to let me know what time she was coming (what a flake...why are people like this? I'll never understand) so we decided we weren't gonna spend our whole day waiting for her and we left. Another lady called and told me she wanted 3 of the things (a stroller, a Laugh-n-Learn table and a Baby Einstein Discovery Center)...she was pretty insistent that she wanted these things and said she'd come over the next day to get them. Then she called back and realized she had missed a couple other items I had listed and she wanted those also.
This afternoon I was going over each of the things again with antibacterial wipes, just to make sure they were squeaky clean. As I was cleaning the exersaucer, I got all teary-eyed. Silly hormones....and I'm not even ovulating at the moment!
Bella came up and asked what I was doing and if she could help. She noticed my tears and we had a conversation:
Bella: Mommy, are you sad?
Me: Yes, just a little but I'm okay
Bella: Why are you sad?
Me: Because we're finding new homes for all your baby stuff and it just makes me sad because it means you're all growing up
Bella: Mommy, if I hug you, will that make you happy?
Me: Yes, of course, it will
Bella: *gives me a huge hug and then continues to hang her arm around my back rubbing my shoulders gently* Awwwww, Mommy, you're gonna be okay...do you want a Band-Aid...will that make you feel better?
Me: No, just another hug from you...that's all I need to feel better.
Bella: But I have Dora Band-aids...are you sure you don't want one?
Me: When did you get to be so funny?
Bella: I'm not funny, I'm just me.
Then I realized I was practically in full-on cry mode as we're having this conversation, which really just confused her because I had said I wouldn't be sad anymore and she just doesn't understand at her age that a person can also cry tears of happiness. By the end of the conversation, she had me laughing and crying at the same time.
As we cleaned each of the things, she asked me questions like "did I really like sitting in the exersaucer when I was a baby?", "did I jump really high in the jumperoo?", "did this toy make me laugh when I was a baby?". I told her about the very first time I put her in the exersaucer, how she was too little to sit up yet by herself but I was so anxious to see her in it, that I propped her up with a pillow behind her back and a little towel rolled up in front of her, and that her feet barely touched the bottom of the saucer.
I do know one thing....that with the close of every chapter, comes a new chapter....a new journey and another fun adventure. As I'm leaving the baby years behind, the school years will come and then graduations will as well. Lots of good times to be had in the future.
Goodbye exersaucer, strollers, Baby Bjorn, baby toys, crib mobiles and pack-n-plays.....Hello backpacks, school supplies and homework....and then hello dating, proms and broken hearts. I'm not sure my heart can take all this!!