Lily is a little doll. She truly is. Everyone spots those big eyes of hers, then comment on the way her lips tense up when she's examining a new item. I could easily dress Lily up in new dresses and rompers on a daily basis. There are tempting baby clothes sales from Target, Old Navy, GAP and Macy's ALL the time.  By tempting, I mean fabulous pants for $3, dresses for $10 or band t-shirts that are more for mama, then for Lily. Three bucks here, 10 bucks there, it adds up.  Let's face it, all baby clothes are for us, not the kids, right? :)

Here's the rub, most babies are the comfiest in elastic, cotton pants and a simple onesie. Most of the time, Lily hangs around the house in this uniform, or, we change things up with shorts or just the onesie. Within an hour of a change, our little princess either spits up, over drools or licks her clothes (she is a master dress licker) to a fine pulp.  That little had-to-have outfit I just picked up at the Crazy Insane Boutique was worth a photo opportunity for a family member, that's it. 

As of this writing, Lily is 7 months old and the BULK of her wardrobe were gifts from family and friends. Oh sure, I pick up things here and there, but I am thankful to have a deep set of clothes to choose from. I also have an older sister who was kind enough to save my niece's clothes for Lily. Score.  The sad part? Lily grew SO fast that there are a handful of outfits she is yet to wear. I spend weekends going through the baby closet sorting the following categories: 

• Wear now
• About to outgrow
• Get ready to circulate in
• Store in old clothes stack

Because a good portion of Year One's Wardrobe is set, I'm trying to stop buying random clothes and look towards the future - when I'll need a new season's worth of coats, pants, sweaters, etc. Of course, I plan on having my daughter rock some cute winter gear, but I'm not going to go nuts buying things that will never see the light of day.

image c/o Flickr