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Kate’s Laundry

January 7, 2021 By Dusty Rogers 6 Comments

I ironed one of Kate’s shirts today. (Something I never do.)

I was folding her laundry (something I still do; she washes and I fold) and noticed it was a little wrinkly. I knew she wouldn’t mind the wrinkles, but suddenly ironing that shirt seemed like a tiny treasure to the mom in me. 

Kate turns eleven on Saturday. 

I remember washing all her baby clothes before she was born, folding them neatly on the bump she made out of my belly, and organizing them in the purple dresser I painted for her nursery.

I remember after she was born, gently pulling her tiny arms through the little arm holes of the softest outfits I could find, and washing all her clothes separately from ours because they seemed too pure and special to mix with our cynical adult clothing.

I remember needing to change her outfits multiple times a day when she was teething, drooling, battling reflux, and learning how to eat solid foods. Oh, how the little laundry piled up! And oh how I loved washing and folding her clothes and neatly arranging them in her purple dresser. 

When I went back to work after my maternity leave my mother-in-law, “Grandma Pam,” was truly a godsend. She did everything she could to help make the transition easier on all of us, including coming to our home one day each week (even though we lived an hour away) to care for Kate and reduce her daycare schedule, getting a cell phone and learning how to text so she could update me throughout my work day, bringing food, cleaning our home, and doing our laundry. She made our lives so much easier in those early years (and still does). I’m forever grateful for her loving presence, and for her showing me the kind of grandma I hope to one day be if Kate chooses to have children.

A memory from those earlier days bubbled up this morning while I was ironing Kate’s shirt. 

My memory of the first time I came home from work and saw Kate’s little laundry already done – all freshly washed and neatly folded while I was at work.

I knew I should’ve felt grateful, happy, and relieved that Grandma Pam had completed this task for me. It was one less thing I had to do! It was the gift of more time I could spend snuggling with my daughter, or getting some sleep! The logical part of my brain said there should be a chorus of angels singing “Hallelujah” in my mind right now and I should be bowing down at my amazing mother-in-law’s feet…but something inside me felt so sad I had missed out on that load of baby laundry.

I never told Pam this (and I’m embarrassed to confess it now), but after that, I started doing Kate’s laundry before Grandma Pam days.

I don’t particularly like doing laundry, but washing and folding Kate’s baby clothes was something I truly savored. Matching up her little socks, running my fingers along a ruffle, bringing a freshly washed sleeper up to my nose to give it a deep smell and then holding it to my heart to infuse it with love I hoped she’d feel the next time she wore it…

When I think of a word to describe how I feel being Kate’s mom it’s “savor” – and oh how I savored her little laundry. 

As time went by, I loosened up on my laundry obsession and allowed others to get in on that action. Truth be told, I rarely do laundry now. Kate’s in charge of her own laundry (she sorts, washes, and puts her clothes away – I still fold, otherwise they’d all go into the purple dresser wrinkly) and G usually does all the rest.

I don’t particularly like doing laundry.

I do particularly love being Kate’s mom. 

I savor it.

Happy 11th birthday, baby girl.

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Comments

  1. 1
    Ashley B says:
    January 7, 2021 at 9:24 pm

    It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that you were sharing your pregnancy on here. I really enjoyed following, I wasn’t far behind – my firstborn is 10. Happy birthday to Kate!

    Reply
    • 2
      Dusty Rogers says:
      February 26, 2021 at 11:03 am

      Thank you so much for following along all these years, Ashley. I remember you from the beginning! Happy birthday to your little guy as well. It’s truly remarkable how quickly the time goes by.

      Reply
  2. 3
    Carla b. says:
    January 7, 2021 at 9:54 pm

    Happy 11th birthday, Kate! 🎉 I learned so much about being a mom just from reading about and watching you grow up here. I hope this year is full of magic and wonder and beauty!

    P.S.– yay! A blog post! (Also ledt this same comment on Instagram.)

    Reply
    • 4
      Dusty Rogers says:
      February 26, 2021 at 11:04 am

      We both love this comment so much. Thank you so much, Carla! Your words are a treasure!

      Reply
  3. 5
    Dawn says:
    January 8, 2021 at 10:15 am

    What a sweet post! I still remember reading your blog when you were putting together her nursery and then using ideas from Kate’s room when I was putting together my son’s nursery. My oldest is now 7 and time is going so very quickly. What a sweet reminder to savor the moments. Happy Birthday, Kate!

    Reply
    • 6
      Dusty Rogers says:
      February 26, 2021 at 11:05 am

      Aww, I love hearing that! Kate’s nursery was so much fun. I loved going with such an untraditional color for her walls (that dark magenta). It’s actually her ceiling color in her current room in our new house now and it still brings me so much joy to see it and remember her sweet little nursery. Thank you so much for joining in our lives all these years, Dawn!

      Reply

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