I’m sorry, Hampton Roads, I should have known better.

 I thought I had waited long enough. I thought we were in the “safe zone” to do this sort of thing. But I have to admit, I knew I was putting all of Tidewater at risk by doing this, and I did it anyway.

People, I packed up the pants.

 Well, it started with pants, anyway. Then the task turned into the whole exchange of winter long-sleeved shirts and sweats for breezy summer ensembles in the dressers and closets of not just myself, but my two little girls as well.

Yes, the days have been mostly warm lately. And we have seen highs in the 80s more than one day out of the week. Still, Mother Nature does not appreciate some human woman “deciding” for her that the seasons have officially changed. In fact, Mother Nature gets a little ticked off about it. 

So when you’re sloshing around the parking lot, trying to dig your keys out of your purse while balancing a bag of groceries and your umbrella, wondering if it will be Tropical Storm Alberto to the south of us or that other storm system to the north of us that will be dumping rain for the first part of the week, at least you’ll know where to lay the blame.

Let me point out that I may have done the region a favor by doing this seasonal wardrobe shift when I did. After all, imagine if I’d waited till after Memorial Day, I could have caused record low temperatures in June, and maybe even the first-ever hurricane blizzard! Imagine how many summer vacations I might have ruined if I had waited even one day longer!

While I was knee deep in t-shirts and skorts, I decided to take the opportunity to unburden my children’s closets of the items they no longer fit into. For my five-year-old, that meant packing up anything sized 5/5T. This task was done easily, knowing that I would see those outfits on my youngest daughter in a couple more years (or months, at the rate she’s growing!)

. But packing up the 2T clothes belonging to my two year old, Nora, was a whole other matter. Almost every little dress, animal print legging and graphic T had some little memory attached from when one or both of the girls had worn it. There is no “littler one” that I can look forward to making new memories in these well-worn items.

The most I can hope for is that my recently-married sister will get herself knocked-up, have a beautiful baby girl, and once in a while post a picture of her on Facebook wearing one of the hand-me-downs and sporting just the slightest resemblance to one of my sweet little girls.

 However, with my luck (need I point out the rainstorm resulting from my seasonal swap?) she’ll wind up having a boy.

Mother Nature also does not favor those who have already “decided” for her the sex of unborn/unconceived children!

I know this feeling is not unique to me. Many a mother out there will be grieving the loss of baby and toddlerhood as they carefully pack away little onsies and rumba tights. Even those who emit a hardy “good riddance” as they take their wares to a consignment shop have to admit to a little twang of the heartstrings at bidding goodbye to what their growing little monsters once were.

So would it really be that weird to have, say, a toddler-sized doll to keep around and model all the favorite little outfits of yesterday? Really???