Tuesday, November 25, 2008

How to dress a 3rd child, for the snow.

First you happily accept a gently used pink fleece hat, when you learn you are pregnant with your third child and you have already donated your old baby clothes, from either your neighbor or playgroup friend or your girlfriend that moved South but you can't remember anymore. It doesn't matter where it originated because when it magically appears in the plastic bin labeled "Winter Clothes" you shout with glee at the money you saved when you place it on top of the third child's head.

Second you send your husband to preschool drop off on his day off in October and he comes home bearing gently used purple mittens from someone named Michelle or Elle or maybe it was Shellie. The precious mittens that once were Nicole's, or Maggie's, or even Kiera's are now placed upon two little eager hands of your third child.

Third you dig around in your crawl space and pull out boy's black 3T snow bibs of the highest quality that were purchased for your first born child years ago. You alter the bibs, pin the straps back, and fold the legs up to fit a 20 month old. Or maybe she's 21 months old. Oh vey. She is already 22 months old.

You return to the crawl space this time with three anxious children fully dressed for winter fun and search around for boots. Not quite sure what size of shoes the child actually wears you guesstimate by pressing her foot to the back of each boot. Brown boots. Purple boots. Boots with fur. Boots for rain. Finally finding a pair of pink boots with faux fur that "look" as if they fit, you gently stuff her feet inside after a quick tickle and a kiss.

And that is how, my friends, you dress a third child for the snow.


The third child.

Lola modeling what the 3rd child will be wearing two winters from now.

Jay modeling what the 3rd child might be wearing four winters from now.
Mama loves you, sweet third child, and vows to buy you a pony if your little heart desires.

It might be a gently used pony. But a pony nonetheless.

69classy comments:

Rhea said...

A gently used pony. *snort* Your kids are adorable no matter what they wear. Love em. Cute, cute, cute.

And I'm so jealous of all that snow. No snow here in Texas yet. No ice either. darnit.

Meg said...

Recycling and/or sharing winter items is so very "GREEN." And what cute pics! Not from this year, are they?

Heather said...

very cute! Not as much snow here as there, it rained and wiped some of it away

Gretchen said...

I think a rocking pony counts.

Stephanie said...

Amen, and the greatest part is that they don't care.... yet!

Anonymous said...

a pony none the less, you, my friend are priceless!!

the mama bird diaries said...

Cute cute pics. And I love the way you dress your third. Hilarious.

Do you really have all that snow?!

Rachel said...

That top pic is just too adorable for words!!!

So jealous of the snow! It was 82 here today. ugh.

It's all about recycling, I mean reloving and revisiting beloved outfits of the previous beloved children :-)
XOXOX

Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] said...

You'd have to teach me how to dress, cause I haven't seen that much snow in literally 25 years. Yup. 25 years.

I'll be in jeans and t-shirt tomorrow. Enjoy!

Mrs. L said...

That sounds so much like how things are around my house. That poor third child. I like how you can't remember the age. That is so me!

Dennis and Leslie said...

Too cute! Where do you live, Antarctica??? Your snow is so pretty, it looks fake!! I wish I had snow to play in...

Meredith said...

So...yeah...I just asked my friends at dinner if it would be strange if Santa went shopping for Christmas gifts for our second child in the attic. Only a little worried the oldest might think something was up with Santa if her old toys appeared under the tree...but hey Santa has to be economical...money is tight!!!

Mr Lady said...

The captions stole the show, sister. Just be glad she only has ONE brother. My poor kid. :)

Melisa said...

WOW I would kill to see fresh white snow like that....okay maybe not kill....but I would definitely trade...for like a week...or a day...anyways, it looks like fun!

Karen MEG said...

Wow, you got a LOT of snow there.

Ain't nothin' wrong with those cute hand-me-downs... girlie actually loves wearing her brother's gear more than her brand spanking new girlie stuff. Go figure.

4funboys said...

just imagine how cold my "fourth" child is???

ha!

Anonymous said...

very cute and precious no matter what they are in!

Kat said...

HAHAHA!!! I love this. She looks like she is having a wonderful time regardless. ;)
My poor second child gets all the hand me downs. By the time two children are done with them they have holes all over and are all raggedy. Too awful for the third to wear. Oh, he does get plenty of them, but not as many as the second boy. ;)

the planet of janet said...

my fourth child was glad she was the only girl after three brothers.

she was assured of fewer hand-me-downs and leftovers. it was too tempting to dress her in pink and frills after all those boys!

April said...

LOL - I just read this while finding all of Sylvia's old clothes for Riley to wear (which, in SoCal winter means long sleeves). But Sylvia has already said what she wants for Xmas "clothes." It's dressing the FIRST child that's a problem over here!

ShredderFeeder said...

We had the same issue. Baby "Oops" came along after we'd already given the "Planned" baby's clothes away.

That's ok, we found that our three boys grow at three different speeds, nothing fits during the right season. We should have stayed in California where it really doesn't matter what time of year it is.

Laura said...

Oh this is sooooo true...my additional issue is that #3 comes after 2 boys!!!

Melissa ♥ Spoiled Mommy said...

Awwww, they are so adorable!

Im right there with ya with everything was gone from kid 1 and 2 since 3 was a HUGE surprise 9 years later..ahhh...talk about finding whatever you can!!

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

Adorable, but so true!! I have a big pile of boots and snowpants in every size that my best friend gave me...she has two girls that are now 10 and 12. By the looks of what is in that bag, I won't be buying Sarah her own boots and pants for years to come!

I love these pictures of your precious kids frolicking in the snow....Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Lisa

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

I can't help but smile at that!

Look at all of the savings! And I'm sure Fifi knows she looks stunning!

Good luck finding that gently used pony.

Anonymous said...

Holy cow - I talked to my best friend in Ohio this week and she didn't mention snow. And here I am in Georgia trying to figure out what day I am going to ride my motorcycle this week. I don't know what I would do with that much white stuff in November!!!

My child will be wearing my hand me downs this weekend at hunting camp since I forgot to get to the store to buy him long johns. He will get over the scarring of pink ones - they are under his clothes after all. :)

Unknown said...

Fifi looks very CLASSY. She'll be fine after several years and several thousand dollars spent on therapy. Just kidding!

Jessica said...

I should send you a picture I took over the weekend...I have 2nd child syndrome in our household. Poor little girl. Went out to play wearing a red 2x hand me down parka, light blue Obermeyer (super duper expensive but a friend got at the Aspen clearance sale for $8.00) bibs, pink target boots, navy fleece gloves...she looked like a yardsale or a "mixed lot" from ebay. Poor thing. She was warm but honestly Mama needs to work on coordinating items!

Indy said...

How true. I love that "Prefers Her Fantasy Life" doesn't realize that these pics are from THIS year. This November has been more like January. Have to love the lake effect snow. Better than rain, I guess.

Ellyn said...

We have a lot of that around our house too. Only it is child number two in all the gently used clothing.


Loved those photos. I love kids in winter finery. Very cute kiddos you have.

Marinka said...

I love this! And not just because that's exactly how I dress myself for the snow!

justme said...

she looks FAB

Anonymous said...

Can you send some of that snow down to GA?! She looks cute. My sister looked like that when my mom got orders from Cali to Maryland in the winter.

GypsiAdventure said...

Awe - how cute! Is it just me...but I always feel so bad when I think poor little miss is wearing her sisters blah blah blah and you know, she will be wearing her sisters blah blah blah for a LONG TIME. Yes, my dear...I might be buying a pony some day too - Can' I place my order for yours when your finished with it? :)
~K

Hockeyman said...

Awwww, I really miss those snow days. It'll be 75 here today, I don't think we're gonna need to bundle anything!

Lisa said...

Love your pretty & snow & your beautiful kids. Also love the glimpse of what love my third child will receive. If it's a girl she'll be lucky that I have 4,200 plastic bins in my basement full of girl clothes. If it's a boy...he may need to learn to like pink!

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

Darn straight. I LOVE freebies, hand me downs, and clothing sales. New stuff is such an unknown entity for my children, that buying stuff at the STORE is a rare treat!

Sadly, my eldest is at the age where the hand me downs are fewer and further betweeen than when he was a toddler... And the clothes are More Expensive!!

Miss Lisa said...

well at least she is a girl--a girl can get away with anything--I have such cute pink winter items that my husband will just not let the boys wear--I have no idea why ;)

The snow is pretty though :)

Anonymous said...

I love the pictures! This would make a nice Christmas card. I wish we had snow here. It is just cold. My girls love the snow.

I know how you feel. I saved all of Pookie's clothes and so Peanut is wearing all of those. We always add an outfit or too and then my friends have graciously given me all of there old girl stuff so some of Peanuts clothes are 2T, 3T and even 5T. It just depends on the brand and how much it was washed. This year I had to dig way back in the closet to find peanut a coat. The 2T I had for her did not fit. We had to jump to 4T. Did I mention she is tall. This coat should fit her next year too. I found Pookie's old gloves and gap hat. All are a bit big but hey it's free and she is warm and this is all that matters. She does not know or care yet. Shoes are a little harder because Peanut's foot was an extra wide and out of season with Pookie's so shoes we usually have to re-buy.

I love passing things down or giving it away so others may enjoy all we were blessed with. I love seeing Peanut in her sisters old clothes.

My rule is her whole closet can be filled with gently used clothes but she has to have one or two that are her very own.

I love this post. I can relate even though I do not have three children, I know how you feel.

email: mwshores@bellsouth.net

Courtney said...

I love it. They are so loved, you could have just stuck her out there in a dress, right? You didn't you worked very hard to piece that ensemble together.

Kelly said...

She's still as cute as can be!!

I can't believe you have all of that snow! I'm not ready for that.

Stephanie said...

LOL, a gently used pony, Too funny! And I totally have a hard time remembering how old Chicken is (the one that shares the same bday as Fifi) so thanks for the reminder! ;oD

And I'm definitely joining the club with being jealous of the snow. I haven't seen a snow that stuck around here for more than a few hours since 1993. UGH.

Anonymous said...

They are adorable. Those pictures are great.

CC said...

Bwhahahahaha!!!!!!!

Maybe a gentle used "buttercup" pony like they sell at Target during the holidays ;)

Grandy said...

A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!

Yay for ponies!! :)

tiarastantrums said...

Very cute - I was just thinking yesterday as I saw baby girl in old socks (sisters), old sweat pants (sisters) and a shirt of her very own. You are a hot little mess baby girl! I must buy you your own clothes!!

Do you REALLY have that much snow already????

Tara R. said...

Our poor first child had much non-gender specific clothing, know we would be passing along every bit of still usable clothing to her subsequent sibling.

Unknown said...

*Channeling the Father on "Everybody Loves Raymond"* Holy Crap!! You guys got whacked. Dontcha just love lake effect snow.

The kids, however, are the real beneficiaries of living where you do. Anywhere south of a North wind blowing across the Great Lakes makes for a great winter. When you're THAT small. that is. when you grow up to be Mommy and daddy, it ain't so much fun - except when you see the rosy red cheeks of children coming in from play in the snow. Than, maybe, it isn't quite so bad ...

Unknown said...

I REALLY need to proof read my comments better. People who mow the lawn and find a car spell better than that.

Beth said...

Gently used ponies are the BEST!

And yes, that IS how you dress a third child. lol

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

xoxoxox

Valreegrl said...

Imagine my SON'S surprise when I pulled out PINK bibs for him this year! Lucky for him, hubby got them away from me and demanded I NEVER put them on him!

A Crafty Mom said...

I wanna see a gently used pony :-)

I SO hear you on the third child thing. Poor Leah, my first little girl and constantly wearing blue. She has a pink snowsuit right now, borrowed from a friend, but as soon as she outgrows it she will be stuffed into a blue one, lol.

And they say the "middle child" has it the hardest ;-) I doubt it!!

She is still a cutie in your pictures, and would be no matter what she wore.

McMommy said...

If I'm already that way with my second child, what chance does my future 3rd child hold??!!!

Lynn C Mama to 3 said...

Wow.... I thought by the third child you stopped caring if they were dresses appropriately for the snow as long as you can just shove them out the back with the other two? Or is that just me?

Clare said...

i love this post, too cute!! i can only imagine the money and clothes it takes for three children. i can hardly keep up with bradley!!

Colleen - Mommy Always Wins said...

I ♥ this post!

I was just comparing in my mind the other day, my 4yo's brand spankin new *matching* (and stylish) snow pants/jacket, and the black and winter cammo snow pants and blue too-big jacket of my 21mo old. At least the little guy gets light-up hand-me-down boots!

Jaina said...

But she looks SO adorable!

Kalle said...

I love it. Speaks nothing but the truth and she looks adorable in the snow outfit. They all look adorable. I love your snow - please send some this way.

Unknown said...

Yep, that's pretty much the way it goes!

I love the second pic with Lola and Fifi together. So precious!

Anonymous said...

What adorable little snow bunnies!

kim-d said...

When the third child is as darling as Fifi, you can dress them in a burlap bag and they will still look cute! This cuteness seems to be a recurrent theme in ALL three of your children...not to even mention you and hubby, too :)!

Angie @ KEEP BELIEVING said...

I had this problem with the second child, only my second child was the same gender and only one and a half years behind my first, so it worked out pretty well for us.

Second child is going to get his very own bright shiny brand spanking new BIKE this year. His first non hand me down riding toy.

KEEP BELIEVING

Unknown said...

How adorable! I had to go under the crawlspace myself and try to find winter stuff for my youngest. I found everything except for a pair of boots. Now, I have to go shopping for a pair now, which I guess is ok because I love shopping for shoes even if they aren't for me. :)

Rachel said...

Oh - I know this would be true if I had a third boy. However, after 2 boys I now have a GIRL! So, she is getting new, pink, flowers.

Very cute pictures!

Anonymous said...

Love your blog!!! My parents live in Cleveland and I grew up in New England wit 6 siblings....don't I know it about the scrounging around for the hand-me-downs for the younger ones.

Very cute kids and I will be back o visit you

Missives From Suburbia said...

I'm sooo with you already on this! My little girl will be modeling the latest in boy snow fashion from two years ago the moment she pops out of the womb! No wonder the oldest child is always the most confident in any family. They get all the best stuff.

Irene said...

Yup, I know exactly what you mean! My third child also is lucky enough to get to wear the unmatching, very worn, hand me down stuff. It is very hard to justify new clothes for the third, and last, child.

I am trying to get smarter though, and start buying my oldest better quality clothes so they will still be nice three kids later.

Michael from dadcation.com said...

In Atlanta, "snow" means something else. The DEA doesn't like it when I get all bundled up and play in it.

Happy Days said...

I can relate sooooooooo much with this post! I find myself even doing this with number two, but only since I have had number three. Before having number three, number two would have never been put in anything but pink. Thanks for sharing.

 

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