Steve loves trains. He likes to think about them and read about them and talk about them. When we go to the train station to catch a train, he likes to guess which kind of train will be taking us to our destination that day. He has a favorite train (the Intercity 125) and he would really like me to agree to go trainspotting with him. I'm not opposed to trainspotting exactly. I'd like a flask of hot chocolate to sip and a tweed jacket to wear, but I can't really muster any genuine excitement about the sighting of a specific train (unless that train happens to be carrying a loved one who's coming to see me bearing a box of Thornton's chocolates). I was trying to find an example of something that excites me that Steve finds less interesting, so I could explain to him my train feelings and today I discovered the correct parallel: baby clothes.
Last week I was given a load of baby clothes. We know a family with ten children and they invited me over to rummage through 25 years worth of baby boy clothes and to take whatever I liked for our baby. I selected enough items to get us through the two months we'll be here after the baby is born and dropped them off at our old flat. Today we were back at the old flat picking up a few things we've been missing, including an outfit for the baby to stick in my hospital bag. As I was going through the baby clothes, I was going wild over the tiny, tiny pea coat and the itty bitty socks and Steve was being bored out of his mind and wondering aloud why we couldn't just take a onesie (the first thing he saw in the pile).
MBC: We can't take that because it has no legs.
Steve: Do we need something with legs?
MBC: It's the middle of winter.
Steve: Huh.
MBC: Isn't this adorable? It has a puppy on it. You love puppies.
Steve: Yeah, but I like real puppies. That's just clothes. They're all the same.
But they're NOT all the same. Some of them are tiny baby-sized, making them fascinating to me for hours on end. In fact, I think that next I'm going to go look at Baby McBaby's tiny sleepers and think about stuffing him into them in a few weeks when he comes to live with us.
(Did I mention that Baby has little socks with puppy faces to match the the puppy sleeper? Eeeeee!)
(And a puppy hat.)
(And bib.)
(So cute.)
(Better than trains.)
5 comments:
Yes, yes, before Baby E was born I thought Marmot Dad and I would have all kinds of fun shopping for baby clothes and blankets and what have you when what really happened was we went out ONCE and Marmot Dad started looking at his watch after about 2 minutes and wondering if we weren't done already. Apparently, thats what sisters and mothers are for, not husbands (despite the fact that they are the FATHERS and should have a vested interest in the cuteness of their offspring).
There is nothing here I could say that would help Steve's case other than to give you hope in that Baby McBaby will someday help you out as Steve's train watching buddy. Beware he may also be size challenged as to picking out what to have the baby wear. I learned that a size 3 to 6 in baby wear meant the baby's age not his weight when I provided a size 6 sleeper set to bring home my 6 pound son. His Mom still laughs at me over that gaff.
KWB
SCS--Yes, it's mind-boggling! How can they resist the cute? And how is it less interesting than trains or tractors or whatever it is they find interesting? I can't wait to look through the clothes you sent (with MOM not Steve) when we get to TN.
KWB--That is an amusing system you had figured out for baby clothes sizing!
You are getting ready for a baby! Love it every time.
Whee!
Post a Comment