During the baby shower that my family threw for us at the reunion last summer, I opened a gift from my mother. The non-descript cardboard box held a onesie. The garment was sky blue with a subtle white grid pattern, and yellow rocking horse in the middle. It brought a tear to my eye.
We’ve received many gifts of baby clothing from many people, but this one was different: it was an outfit that I had worn as an infant, and which she had saved for over 25 years to give to me when I had a son.
More than a simple outfit, that fabric represented a link in history: a passage from one generation to the next. It was a tangible reminder that my parents knew me as a little baby, and a symbol of the enduring bond that we have. On the face, it was a gift for Xavier, but more meaningfully, it was a gift for me.
On a recent trip out to see my parents, we got some photos of Xavier wearing the outfit. Looking at my boy in my arms, I imagined how the same scene played out a quarter century ago, as I sat in my father’s arms and smiled up at him.
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| Spencer at 6 weeks. | Xavier at 4 months. |
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| Daddy once was a little child... | ...a little child like me. |
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| Joy |
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| Father and Son | Daddy's Boy |
I love it! Now I really want to save something for each of my kids (of course I have to make sure they've had a picture or two taken while wearing it so they can compare like you). What precious pictures.
ReplyDeleteAdorable!
ReplyDeleteAre you really just 6 weeks in those photos? You're huge.
Lys - I'm thinking of doing the same thing! Fortunately with digital cameras you may well have pictures of them in just about every outfit they've worn. But then again, something in a more formal posed picture is nice for comparison's sake. I've been looking forward to writing this post for months.
ReplyDeleteCor - The outfit says it's sized 6-9 months, and I'm certainly tempted to believe that I was six months, but "6 weeks old" is clearly written on the back of the photo. That and Mom's journal reports that at 6 months old I was wearing 18-month clothing. So yeah, I was a bit of a "Buddha baby."
Xavier is so adorable!!! I think it's interesting that you were 6 wks old when you wore that outfit and he is 4 mos. :)
ReplyDeleteYep, Spen. You were a fattie. I think we all remember the "Lys holding Spen" pic (in a cemetary, I think?) where you were about crushing her. Hm. Now that's a photo worth recreating.
ReplyDeleteAwwww... love the pics guys! Keep 'em coming.
ReplyDelete