A little old lady crocheted my 3 three boys blankets when they were younger. The older two boys had larger blankets, while Ryan had a smaller version. I truly did not notice how much he liked that blanket until we went to the beach one year for vacation. It was the first day of the trip and we were busy all day. When it got time for bed, Ryan came up to me and said, "Where is my blankie?" I simply told him that we had not brought it. I shall NEVER forget what happened next. This easy-going child of mine laid down in the floor and began crying and saying, "I want my blankie". I was in SHOCK as I called Robby into the room. Well, THAT was the LAST time that would ever happen. Ryan personally put his "Blankie" into his suitcase FIRST every time we traveled somewhere; clothes we could forget...We went NOWHERE without "Blankie".
Ryan's "Blankie"...
The pre-school Ryan attended had an annual art show. Large poster boards lined the hallway walls with each individual's work. I hopped out to view Ryan's creation one day and as I perused each piece, I immediately knew which was his. Glued all over his piece of art work was...BLANKIE FUZZ! Once again, I was in shock. Oh, by this time I knew that he was VERY attached to his blanket; he would leave it in the van each morning as I dropped him off at school. What I didn't know was that he would pick little pieces of fuzz off of that blanket to keep in his pocket while he was there. "Blankie" went with Ryan EVERYWHERE until about the age of 10.
Parker Ann has a "Lovey". It is one of those small square blankets that is satin on one side and fuzzy on the other side. She ALWAYS takes her "Lovey" to bed with her. Sarah even bought her another one just like it, so when she washed one, she would have the other one available. I can already tell that Parker's "Lovey" is going to be EXACTLY like Ryan's "Blankie". THAT is why I could NOT believe that when I noticed her getting sleepy for her morning nap, I could not find it. I thought perhaps I had just overlooked it in her bag, so I began to take everything out...search through the pockets...see if it had gotten put with the stroller...NO " LOVEY" (ugh...). I sent a text message to Justin: "No 'Lovey' today?" He sent back: "We must have forgotten it". Not wanting them to worry or feel bad about leaving it, I said, "Oh, don't worry; we'll make do." HA! Who was I kidding?! This could be BAD...REALLY BAD!
I began to rock Parker and it was obvious as she started rubbing her eyes that she was wanting her "Lovey". I just snuggled her a little closer to me, sang a little longer and eventually her eyes closed. As I laid her in bed, she immediately popped her head up, began to cry and then pointed at me. I could NOT let her "cry it out"...that just wasn't in my job description as a Ya Ya. It was obvious she was in distress because of the missing "Lovey" so I quickly glanced around to see what might replace it for this morning nap...I WOULD have one for her afternoon nap. I grabbed the softest washcloth I could find, sat back down in the rocking chair...and thankfully, she took that washcloth and put it up to her face. Morning nap accomplished! (Whew...)
Parker awoke from her nap as happy as a lark and ready for lunch. My plan was to feed her and then head to town to purchase a "Lovey" that would be kept at MY house for her. Before leaving, I decided to change her diaper. It was one of those diapers that required a whole outfit change (you know what I'm talking about...). I took her clothes off, grabbed the diaper bag and...YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING! No extra outfit...They must have been in a REAL hurry this morning! I sat there for a minute watching Parker play in nothing but a diaper and her bloomers. I was STILL going to get that "Lovey"...even if I had to take her wearing only that. I grabbed her bag and my keys and headed out the door. Luckily, laying on the back seat of my car was a dress that was a little big, but it would do for our purposes.
OOPS!...What NOW?
It was only about 100 degrees outside and I attempted to find the closest parking place available. I opened the door to the store and before the girl could even get, "Can I help you?" out of her mouth, I anxiously said, "I need a 'Lovey'...Do you have a 'Lovey'?!" She looked a little confused as she replied, "No." "NO?!", I asked. "OH MY GOSH...I HAVE TO HAVE A 'LOVEY'..." Then I realized that she most likely didn't know what I was talking about, so I explained what it was and YAY!!! They had so many that we got to even pick out the color we wanted. I was also in luck because I noticed that their summer clothes were now 75 percent off; we got a clean outfit too.
Parker Ann's new "Lovey"!
Armed with a brand new "Lovey" AND clean outfit, we headed home, where I decided that I needed a little "Lovey" of my own...a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup! Well, it gave ME a little comfort after a somewhat stressful morning!
Ahhh...CHOCOLATE! Now THAT'S what I call COMFORT...
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