Toddler is way more trendy than us

It's funny how so many parents, especially moms, dress down after having a child, but when it comes to their baby, they sort of go all out to dress them up. At least that is my observation.

I love to dress comfortably. That means yoga pants or sweat pants all day, except when I go out I wear jeans or corduroys. Tops are simple cotton t-shirts or hoodies. Some times my top and bottom don't even match. I wear the same outfit for days too. I don't wear makeup and my hair is in a pony tail most days. Dress up to me is when I blow dry my hair, wear a nice sweater, and put on lip gloss. As you can tell, I don't really care about the way I look anymore.

When it comes to Tristan, I spend the time to groom him properly. I make sure all his clothes go together; even the socks have to match. Comfort is important too. I just really love to buy cute clothes for him. Everything is so much cuter when they are smaller! Tristan gets a new change in clothes every day. Simply because he dirties them. Changing him every day also means I get to dress him up again :) I know this is only a phase so I'm totally taking advantage of it. Soon, he will have a bigger opinion of what he wants to wear and as he grows, clothes will no longer be as adorable :(

Shopping for baby clothes is fun for me. There is a lot involved and I know Jean-Louis doesn't get it so obviously he doesn't buy clothes for Tristan nor does he pick out Tristan's outfits at home. When he complains that I take too long at Gymboree or Jacadi, I explain why it can be difficult some times. Here are a few factors I consider when I buy clothes:

• Cost and quality: Is it a good bargain?
• Attractiveness: Do I think it's cute?
  
• Size: Does it fit him now? Will it fit him next year in the same season?
• Matchability: Does it go with his existing clothes? If not, can I find a piece to match it right now?
  
• Style and color variation: Does he already have something similar? I would love to have different styles to mix/match and to keep things interesting.
• Ease of wear: If it's a one piece bodysuit or has many buttons, I would probably steer clear of it since they are a pain to put on. Potty friendly pieces will get priority.
  
• Wear time: Will he get a lot of wear out of it? If it was expensive, he better get more wear out of it! Too many dress up outfits are just not practical for us.
• Stock availability: Is there more than one? If it's the last one and I like it, I may overlook some of the other factors and buy it anyway. I know. I'm so bad.
  
• Time to shop: How much time do I have to carefully shop or do I only have time to pick one nice thing?