Hard to let go

I never understood why women wouldn't want to give up breastfeeding. Or why they suddenly felt all emotional when their little baby could suddenly crawl or walk on their own. These are occasions to be celebrated, not mourned - it's all part of moving on with life.
But today I had a little pang of baby yearning of my own.
I clean out Ari's clothes cupboard fairly regularly, for a couple of reasons - because space is pretty limited in there and because I'm a total neat freak.
Doing my usual thing of ferreting out the stuff that doesn't fit him anymore, I came across his little t-shirt pile and noticed a pale blue Bonds t-shirt sized 000.
It was the first thing I ever bought for Ari when I was pregnant and to this day it's still my favourite. It's just a little cotton t-shirt with a navy blue donkey. It's very cool.
What I realised was the t-shirt had survived at least 3 clothing chuck-outs, despite being way too small for him.
I couldn't bring myself to throw it out again today.
My little baby is growing into a big boy. But that t-shirt brings so many happy memories flooding back - of a time when I was pregnant and wondered whether a little boy or girl would be wearing it. And when Ari was only a week or so old and he wore it for the first time.