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What NOT to Sell in a Garage Sale: A Favorite Memory

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June 7, 2011 By Ann-Marie 2 Comments

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For me, it’s Tommy Tummy Turtle.

This is a picture of my oldest daughter when she was two months old. She’s turning 7 this month. The toy in front of her is called Tommy Tummy Turtle. I don’t remember if we bought it, or if it was a shower gift, and really it’s not that it was such an awesome toy or that “go-to” toy for a fussy child.

But for me, I have the memory of Mallory laying on the boppy pillow, my first child, trying to work that “tummy time” so she didn’t have a flat head; so this toy provided at least a small amount of visual stimulation for her to have a moment of interest. Until of course she slid down the Boppy, did a face plant into the floor, and I’d pull her back up again.

Why did this toy, or better yet this memory, resurface after almost 7 years?

I have a screen saver on my computer that I have not changed in, well, probably 6 years. It is set up to run a slide show of photos, pulled from a folder of the photos I took with our first digital camera, purchased right before I gave birth. Two kids later, and the screen saver still shows pictures of only Mallory, when she was a baby. Not that my other kids aren’t cute, mind you, it’s just one of those things I’ve never gotten around to changing.

Yesterday she came to me, teary-eyed, asking what happened to her baby toys. Now while I am a bit unorganized in certain rooms of the house, I have never considered myself a pack rat. And I l-o-v-e to gather up outgrown, unused, unloved items for a garage sale.  So yes, there have been many a baby toy that has been donated, given to a friend, or sold in the last 7 years.

When she asked about her baby toys, I had a moment of panic – Yikes! Did I sell them all? Did I keep anything? What kind of a mother am I that I sold everything to make a buck at a garage sale?! – but then I calmed down, and remembered that I did save a few toys, a few of my favorite outfits, from each of my children.

And I called Mallory over to her little sister’s room. I closed the door, opened the closet door, and from a box in the back of Carlie’s closet, I pulled out Tommy Tummy Turtle. And I told Mallory about my memory of when she was two months old, and I would lay her on the Boppy pillow and she would look at her beautiful self in the little mirror. And then slide down and do a face plant on the floor.

We had a good, long hug after that.

I heard some advice recently, I can’t for the life of me remember who said it, or where I was when I heard it. Regardless, she reminded us to put down the camera, and just live in the moment. However I am really glad that I have this picture, which I’ll probably print and put into a box with Tommy Tummy Turtle, and save for Mallory … forever.

 

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Filed Under: About, Family Fun

Comments

  1. Kelly Mason says

    June 8, 2011 at 9:45 am

    awwwwwww! I’ve done the same with my kids fave baby toys and books and of course the baby outfits, too. So sweet that she asked about them now. The comment about putting down the camera was a mops mentor and I believe it was from the last newsletter.

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      June 8, 2011 at 9:51 am

      Yes, I had a feeling it was maybe mentioned at our last MOPS meeting but didn’t want to be wrong. Thanks for your comment!

      Reply

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