We knew this day would come; the day a tragedy would happen with a beloved 'lovey'. Kailey was wrapped from the day of her birth in a fluffy, pink blanket and it has been her prized blanket ever since. This afternoon she said Roxy had gotten her blankie all dirty, and asked, could I wash it for her. I washed blankie and through it in the dryer as usual. It came out toasty warm, just like she likes it. She thoroughly inspected it only to discover the most important piece was gone!!! The blanket had been fondly name "tag blankie" years ago. She would hold the tag, you know, the tag that has the brand name on it, up to her cheek, with the rest of the blankie covering her. She often would hold the tag in her hand while watching a movie or while trying to fall asleep and softly rub it against her cheek or between her fingers. This tag was frayed and worn to the point you could no longer read who the maker/brand even was any more. This beloved tag must have fallen off in the washer or dryer - it was gone.
The tears, sobbing really, did not stop for 45 minutes. We searched both machines and inside and out of each other garment that it was washed with. I told Kailey it must have been swept away down the drain with the water. That was the best I could come up with on a moments notice. Of course then she wondered where the water went (great!) Finding Nemo was what first entered my mind, so I told her "all drains lead to the ocean". Nice one mom, right?!? This only made her cry harder, the thought that it was really GONE! I told her maybe we would still find it somehow, mix in with something we just weren't seeing but she was not consolable.
Lexi was, as usual, VERY concerned for her sister's well being. "Mom!!! We HAVE to find sissy's tag!! Her NEEDS it!", she said in a very serious tone. She grabbed a chair and frantically helped me search through the machines. She tried to console her sister with words of reassurance, such as "I am searching for clues to find it" as she ran around the house hoping it was SOMEwhere. When that didn't work, she went into search and rescue mode. She said with the most serious face I have ever seen, "mom, let's get Tailey (Kailey) a boat and we will go right to the ocean to find hers (her) tag" in her cutest, grammer stricken language. Kailey cried even harder, explaining the reality of the huge ocean to her ever hopeful little sister.
When Kailey was about 18 months, we took a trip to Cannon Beach. Half way there, we realized we had forgotten the favorite blankie! Ut oh! Do we turn back? We decided to stop at the nearest mall on the way south instead to replace the blankie, which at this point was still in pretty could condition, complared to the now warn, color faded, not-so-soft version 7 years later. I had bought it at Macy's and knew that it was one they carried regularly. We found the exact one! Phew!
She didn't ask for her blankie till we arrived at the beach hotel. This is when I made my first big 'first time mom' mistake. She took one look at that new blankie and cried "that is NOT my blankie"! Oh No!!! I was hoping she wouldn't notice! It really did look JUST like it..... I thought.... but she was NOT having it.
We made it through the weekend with some more tears, but survived. I kept the extra blankie because, well, why not. I pulled out this blankie tonight, which was still the pretty pink, fluffy, soft blankie I remember my newborn being wrapped in, rather than the dingy pink, less-than-soft or fluffy one it is today. I asked her if she would like me to take the tag off this one and put it on her favorite 'tag blankie' so that it still posessed a 'tag'. I'm not even a new mommy anymore, you would think I would learn that these things do not work. I was, once again, shot down. She said "It took me YEARS to make it that soft!!". Apparently the warn, torn, tattered, frayed, dingy tag was special because to her, these qualities made it 'soft'. I never knew this. Oh the things we learn as parents!
She laid in bed, still sniffling at her loss, with Lexi and I laying next to her in an attempt to help her calm down and sleep. She said there was NO WAY she would be able to sleep without her tag. I offered to pray for her and reminded her of the verse she learned tonight at AWANA in Sparks. Her verse Jeremiah 32:27 "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind; is anything too hard for me?" I told her we would pray for her to not feel so sad and to be able to fall asleep, and that nothing is too hard for God to do, including helping a sad 7 year old fall asleep. She stopped sniffling long enough to ask, "but when I get to heaven, then how will I have my 'tag blankie'". Ugh!!! I simply replied that God would have EVERYTHING we needed when we get there. She accepted. Phew!! Lexi chimed in "mom, wouldn't it be tool (cool) if we took a tain (train) into the dates(gates) of heaven, like the one at Tasey's (Casey's) party". She was referring to her best buddy Casey Holmes 2nd birthday where he had a kids style train made for a road that they actually got to ride in. I could only chuckle. Oh the imagination that sweet little thing has!!
Sweet dreams Kailey Bug - everything looks brighter in the morning : )
3 years ago
