Sunday, December 5, 2010

Blankie, Boo, Sheepy too

Hannah's been a blanket dragger since she was ten months old. It was a fuzzy pink blanket with a picture of Piglet sewn on the bottom. Piglet is still there, but the blankie is more of a dingy grey now. Surprisingly, it is not missing any pieces. Considering the number of places that blanket has been dragged and the number of nights it's been cuddled, it's amazingly durable. I have been pushing Hannah toward daytime separation from her most prized possession--just baby steps, like leaving it in the car instead of dragging it into the store with us, then leaving it at home all together--but it has been a rough separation.

My gradual weaning plan may have backfired on me. Recently I overheard Hannah whispering, "I love you, Blankie. I love you so much. I love you more than anyone else. You'll never leave me." And worse, two new friends joined Blankie this fall to form an inseparable foursome. First came the doggie pillow Hannah was rewarded with after her biopsy. On the way home she informed me, "His name is Boo. It's short for Boot. I love him so much!" Then came the adorable sheep-headed, silk-lined fleece blanket that Prenatal Partners for Life sent for each of my children. Naomi, Emma, and Toby like their sheep, but Hannah's has become entwined as the newest member of the love quartet.

"Hey, Mama," she announced, "It rhymes: I love Blankie, Boo, and Sheepy too!" And so it remains. If she discovers one to be absent during the bedtime story, the story must wait while a state of emergency is declared and all parties are consumed with the search. If one is pushed under the depths of the covers by a careless, sleeping foot, and Hannah should awaken to take roll and find him missing, Mama must be awoken and a flashlight brought in to retrieve the lost friend. Toby has caught on, and if he should find one lying around the house, he will yell, "a-nana!" and run the helpless fellow to his owner as if there's not a moment to loose. So when I enroll her in kindergarten next summer do you suppose I'll be allowed to enroll Blankie, Boo, and Sheepy too?

2 comments:

  1. This too shall pass....

    Her great-uncle David once had an endearing and enduring affection for a blanket. The blanket lace was actually the item of adoration as it detached from the blanket. That affection lasted until the blanket lace wore out. But that lasted until he was about 8 years old.

    It concerned my mother to a degree but she figured it would finally run its course, and it did.

    He referred to it as his "Bee"...

    I wonder what he would think about that today if I asked him...

    Best wishes with Blankie, Boo and Sheepy...affectionate attachment is a good thing. Just remember that a "need that is met will soon go away, but an unmet need lasts forever!"

    Just think...someday she will have a boyfriend! Talk about affectionate attachments!!! Then you will remember Blankie, Boo and Sheepy and wish she were back to those years...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lol, yes I suppose it's better than being inseperable from a boyfriend :)

    ReplyDelete