Do you see it? The missing button? Who knew that a missing button on a sweater could bring back a flood of memories? Well for me, it did. I was gathering all of our "junk" and kids clothing for a garage sale we had today, and came upon this sweater, and in an instant, Amaleah was 18 months old again. I was getting her ready for bed, unbuttoning her sweater on the changing table, and I saw that her 3rd button was missing. I asked her, "Where did your button go?" And of course she looked at me like "how in the world am I supposed to know?" We talked about it for a few minutes, and then forgot it and got her into her PJ's and plopped her in bed. Fast forward to the next morning, after breakfast, early morning diaper change..."Oh, Mommy found your button...did you eat it, Amaleah? And wow, it made a little button mark on your bottom!" I have told Amaleah that story several times and she laughs so hard. I think that sweater goes in the memory box.

That memory led me to many more little snapshot memories of my kids as I rummaged through the mounds of clothing. Like the little 3/4 length shirt trimmed in red with dragonflies all over it...Amaleah climbed all over our bricks in front of our daffodil garden in NC in that shirt. The little tie-dyed shirt she wore and wore until Daddy said maybe her belly shouldn't be poking out of her shirt anymore. Oh and the red and white pin stripe pants that Am wore at the McNay Art Museum during a visit to Texas. Or the "Durham Rocks" shirt that Julia just has to wear, even though it is soooo stained that any rational Mommy would get rid of it during the night!

I realized that clothes play an intrinsic part in solidifying my memories. It's like I can always remember what happened when she or he or I was wearing that. It's weird how something so "material" can affect me so deeply, and yet it does. All of these nostalgic feelings come rushing over me! So, here's to the missing button...(which, by the way, I threw in the trash immediately.)