The purple First Day of School pants. She can’t wear them.

On Saturday, the girls and I hit Target for back-to-school gear. I was so proud of myself — doing it two weeks ahead, instead of two days, or two hours. The three of us stood in the backpack aisle, debating. I’d decided Annabelle needed a rolling backpack this year, and she concurred, but reminded me wisely that it better be lightweight enough to make it up the stairs.

Those damn stairs. For the first time, this year, Sophie will have to negotiate them as well. So it took some searching to find her a REALLY lightweight backpack, since she insisted on having a rolling one like her sister (of course).

The outfits were easier. Annabelle chose very basic brown shorts and a light green tee shirt, informing me she doesn’t care for messages on her clothing. (Me either, come to think of it.) Sophie, too, was a Plain Jane, in purple, of course. She chose a tee and pants and will look like a grape.

In the shoe aisle, we searched long and hard til both girls decided on sporty slip-on sneakers with Velcro fasteners — easier for Sophie to negotiate, since she’s far from knowing how to tie a bow.

When we got home, I had to hide all the back to school stuff — I’m a firm believer in keeping it special. No one’s going to scuff her shoes or mess up her backpack. Not til the second day of school, anyway. Sophie talked non-stop about her outfit, her shoes, her striped purple rolling backpack with the little pink kitty cat applique for about an hour. Then we all forgot about it.

It was a full three days til I woke up and realized there’s no way she can wear those pants. They’re jeans — they button and zip. Sophie does not button and zip. We didn’t try the clothes on at the store, I already know the girls’ sizes and as always I was in a harried hurry. Crap. What was I thinking? I wasn’t thinking.

What am I going to do?