My Little Fashionista

Abby loves clothes. 

She loves putting them on....

Abby in one of her Saturday
Morning outfits.

On any given day Abby can easily go through 4 or 5 outfits. Now some of those changes are legitimate changes. None of us wants to spend the afternoon in a shirt that's gotten bubbles spilled down the front of it, but some of the clothes changes are...just because. She doesn't even have to have taken off the previous outfit before something else goes on. This is why I've stopped folding her laundry when she is around. There was one day when I had to peel off five shirts before I got to the kid. Typically, these ensembles are quite colorful and, shall we say, interesting? With Abby, the crazier the better.

.....and she loves taking them off.
The first time I realized this, she was a wee one in her stroller. We had gone into a children's clothes store while Jason was picking something else up at the mall. I held up a shirt to check sizes and turned to find

Abby seconds before ripping off her
clothes in order to try on the skirt
Auntie Kir made her for Christmas.

Abby half naked in her stroller. She wanted to put the shirt on - right then and there. I think that was the fastest purchase I've ever made for her - luckily it fit. I believe that was the last time I took her clothes shopping. We also make sure if she is given a gift of clothes she opens it at home, or just around family, because whatever she is currently wearing will be quickly stripped off and discarded in order to try on the new duds. Since she doesn't care who is around, we have to.

Abby has certain favorite outfits...
There was a time, not too long ago, when she went through a bit of a "brown period" - it seemed like she was always asking for something brown to wear. It didn't matter if it was a brown shirt, or brown pants, but she was certainly on cloud nine when she was wearing one of each. This caused Jason to declare that he would take care of the next round of clothes shopping, and when he did, there wasn't a brown piece in the bunch. She also has several favorite shirts that have spots and holes, so they are for playing at home. At times it's a little tricky convincing her that they can't be worn outside of our house (and I will neither confirm or deny that they've never been worn in public - we choose our battles, after all).

....and the memory of an elephant when it comes to finding them.
There have been some outfits that I've resorted to hiding. Usually, these are the ones that are too small, or reserved for special occasions. There is one dress that she refers to as her "Photo Shoot Dress". This was the dress that she wore when getting her picture taken for the Mott Hospital Project, "Walls of Hope". This is kept in the front closet, and she knows exactly where it is. It is on a day when Mom is feeling very lenient that I will let her romp around in that for a bit.
Then there is her pink robe. This is something that I keep trying to get rid of, but like a bad penny, it keeps showing up. There is nothing wrong with the robe - there are no holes or stains, in fact it is a very cute pink robe with a darling elephant embroidered on it. The only problem with the robe is the size - it is for children 0-9 months...yes, that was 0-9 months. Some might say that the fact that Abby, the seven year old, can still put this robe on should earn her the right to wear it wherever and whenever she wants, but they haven't seen it on her. The sleeves are now short, instead of long, and the belt that should be tied around her waist is now neatly pulled together under her armpits. Despite Abby's small head, the hood will not stay on her head, and although the front comes together, her tummy has a way of sneaking out. It is a sight to behold - and Abby loves it. She found the robe this morning in a basket of clean laundry (waiting to be hidden from the last time it surfaced), and she immediately put it on. I know what you are thinking: Where's the picture? Let's just say, I don't want her to totally hate me when she is a teenager, so I will leave it to your imagination.

Currently, she is on outfit number three for the day, which is pretty tame for her. We'll see what the rest of the day holds, we still have about four hours before bedtime - time enough for a few more quick changes.

This is the outfit she picked out after
I went school shopping for her. None of
this is meant to be worn together, but Abby had
other ideas. What fashion sense!

This was the way she wanted to go to church a
few weeks ago. The "headdress" is really a skirt
and under her coat she's wearing her blue medieval dress.
I was able to convince her otherwise.