How have you spent your Sunday morning?

I have finally completed a task I've put off for awhile now: getting rid of all our baby clothes. It's kind of difficult to accept that there will be no more babies in the family, but continuing to hold on to the clothes out of sentimentality when other people actually need them is just wrong. So I've spent the last 3 hours or so going through them for different charities and friends, packing them, and basically making everything ready to move them out the door tomorrow morning.

My friend Kelli will have a few pairs of pants, sweatshirts and such, together with the birth gifts for the boys. Co-worker Eric has the few things he requested for baby Sven, too.

The Next Step, a domestic violence shelter in my old hometime, will be receiving a very large box of new/nearly new baby/toddler clothes, a few new toys that I'd overlooked when packing things for the Katrina victims, and a few personal-care items for the women in the shelter. Although most of us think of the holiday season as time filled with family love, for far too many people that is not the case. Around the holidays, family violence often increases and women are forced to flee with their children, often having nothing beyond the clothes on their backs. I can't imagine a situation more traumatic.

There are 4 bags of less gently used, but still good quality baby clothes that I'm taking to the dropoff point today. Every town here has several drop off points for 2nd-hand clothes. I'm not sure how the clothes are re-distributed, but at least I know they will be used by someone who needs them.

And finally there are 2 more bags of new/nearly new clothes for newborns that I have yet to find a "home" for. These are typically Dutch clothes in that you cannot put them in the dryer, so I plan to find someplace here that specifially needs newborn clothes. If any Dutch readers know of such an organization, please let me know!

Our bedroom has a little less clutter now, and I have finally completed a task that I have really dreaded. It was so strange seeing the tiny outfits I bought for Rowen on the day we found out we were having a little girl instead of another boy. The pink outfits my mom sent, delirious with joy at finally having a granddaughter. Gorgeous hand-knitted sweaters from Sara. It helps a lot to know that the clothes will be worn and enjoyed once again.