By Krystal Sieben 
Can we please talk about the clothes, and the heart-string-pulling moments when your little people no longer fit into a certain size? I’m way into the motherhood game—12 years in to be exact—and man, this STILL gets me.
I remember it first hit me on a rare solo Target run. It came out of nowhere. I was rounding the corner heading back to the toy section, when all the infant baby supplies came into view. Holy moly. I’ll never shop this aisle again. My kids at the time were 1,3, and 5, and I was in the thick of it. But still, the brand new bottles, car seats in boxes, the smell of diapers. And then I saw them: the white onesies. They took my breath away. I don’t want to be done with chubby legs and tiny snaps. Might have cried a little on the way home.
Next came the 5T moment. I love the “T” outfits—2T, 3T, etc.—with cute logos and graphic prints of dinosaurs and unicorns and little rabbits. The stretchy jeans without buttons, perfect for noticing a Pull-Up peeking out from time to time. The stretchy pants easy for diaper changing. The soft sets. Pajamas with feet—oh, those fleece jammies! So cozy for rocking to sleep with pacifiers and stuffies and bottles. And then one day, they are a size 6. No more T. No more feet on the jammies. And I spend time longingly clicking on all the 5T outfits, wondering if I can eek out one more year.
Now, I’m in what is commonly referred to as the parenting sweet spot. My kids are bigz—like big enough to stay home alone for a couple of hours. Big enough to watch movies with some adult content. Big enough to use words like “brah” and “rizz” and many I can’t spell out or understand. Big enough for big lacrosse bags with their last name printed on them. For bike rides without me. For riding the pony without any help. And big enough to—excuse me?!—wear my cute new Free People sandals to chase your brother out on the dirt track. Big enough that my favorite shampoo is often mysteriously low and my lotions are sometimes missing. Big enough to be in sizes 12-14.
What is after 12-14?? Is it adult sizing?? I honestly don’t want to know the answer to that.
These sizing milestones are just little aches of missing that feeling of a baby in my belly, and all the excitement and newness that come from buying supplies for a person I don’t yet know. Missing that toddler who looked so cute in his dinosaur jammies with rubber bottom feet. My little girl with curly hair and a big brown horse on her favorite sweater. Seeing these sizes—and how dang fast it all goes. Too fast.
So, for me, if you have chubby legs in a onesie today, give them an extra squeeze.
Let them wear those adorable footie pajamas all day.
Get them the adorable sweatshirt with cats on it.
And take it all in.
by Melissa Jernigan 
by Lauren Eberspacher 
by Jennifer Waugh 
