Airplane Jammies

Every mom has her favorite outfits for her little ones. You know the ones I'm talking about. Sometimes it's the cutesy look or it's the perfect color to compliment their eyes. Other times it's the softness of the fabric and how it makes the child feel more cuddly. Still others might show off their chubby legs just so or simply make mama's heart melt for no apparent reason.

To be honest, I've had far more favorites with Abby than with the boys - girl clothes just are cuter; it cannot be denied! :) The extra-special ones I've pulled aside in order to save them for future years - to be able to look at and hold and remember just how precious my little girl looked or just how bright and blue my little boy's eyes were or just how snuggly my baby felt in my arms. (Yes, I know I have pack-rat tendencies, but I think that sometimes a picture just doesn't bring back the memories to the fullest that the actual, tactile object does. And, plus, it will be fun to pass the clothes onto the kids when they're adults.)

Right now Ben has a pair of jammies that are growing on me and slowly attaining that level of "special outfit." The jammies themselves are nothing terribly special. They were hand-me-downs, like most of our clothes are, and I can't even remember who gave them to us. In fact, they came to us in a less than perfect state and more worn than most of the clothes we receive. But that actually made them better. The fabric is thin and worn now which makes them so wonderfully soft and cuddly. They are perfect for summer nights when I need something cool to put on Ben, just like the other night...

Fresh out of the bathtub and clothed in his summery airplane jammies, Ben headed for his toy cars and trucks. There was barely enough light to get in some pictures, but I attempted my best to capture the moment. I love how these jammies don't have "feet" like most of his pajamas do and allow his little feet to show. Again, perfect for summer nights.

I love the antique airplane look and the soft blue color - so boy, and yet so adorable. Ben likes to point to the airplanes and talk about Grandpa flying airplanes. Unfortunately, our children won't get to fly with their Grandpa like his children and other grandchildren have (his pilot's license was pulled a few years ago because of health issues). But I've told Abby and Ben about my dad flying and flights he took me on and now Ben deems almost all airplanes as "Grandpa's." (It just occurred to me that I should have stuck an airplane in Ben's hands to play with...but these are candid, unstaged pictures and that's just how things went. :)

Ever inquisitive and daring, Ben climbed up on the window sill, barely fitting but wanting to see everything that was going on outside.

Afterward we cuddled for awhile and I enjoyed the closeness of my little boy, smelling the lavender scent of his freshly washed hair and feeling the warmth of his body through the soft, light-weight fabric. Yes, I think once Ben grows out of these jammies, I will have to pack them away so that I can pull them out someday to touch, feel, hold and remember special summer evenings with my special boy.