Change #2 – Ian’s closet

Ian was born on May 2, 2007… a whole twelve days past his due date. As any pregnant woman will tell you, every day past the due date is excruciating (it really is just an estimate apparently). I spent those uncomfortable and exasperating days: eating (cheese chips), watching Oprah (yes, I watch Oprah) and leaving nasty messages on my answering machine for friends and family calling to inquire about the whereabouts of the baby.

I also spent a great deal of that time folding and unfolding, organizing and reorganizing his cute little baby clothes. There is something about baby clothes that is incredibly irresistible. Even now, I get a great deal of satisfaction from washing and folding his clothes and picking out what he will wear for the day. The absolute best part though is shopping for those cute clothes! It’s VERY hard for me to resist going into those baby stores (you know the ones I mean) and adding to his wardrobe, even though we are very lucky to be getting great hand-me-downs from Derek’s sister Karen and my sister Annie.

So change #2 will be to stop buying Ian clothes (no matter how cute they are) unless he really, really needs something. When he does need something (we don’t get many socks as hand-me-downs) I will go looking at the great consignment stores we have in Ottawa such as Boomerang Kids and Hush Baby, before I buy things brand new… (though I’m not sure how I feel about buying previously worn socks -might have to make an exception there). Derek is fine with this, as long as Ian doesn’t look (to quote my Aussie friend Shannon) ‘daggy’. The really green thing to do, is buy organic clothing…but seriously, who can afford that?

There are many benefits to this change: 1) we will save money (especially important now that daycare costs are looming) 2) I will be supporting independent stores in my community 3) we will be reducing our consumption of 'stuff' 4) the clothes won’t come with (according to Adria Vasil ‘a sheen of wrinkle-resistant formaldehyde' that new clothes have and 5) according to the green book, for every second hand article I buy, energy is saved in the making and transport of the new clothes I didn’t buy.

Even though this change makes sense on so many levels (and it really shames me to admit this) whenever I walk by Gap Kids, I will be filled with a deep sense of longing, much like how I feel when I walk by a chip truck advertising ‘the best poutine in town’…