Ode to a Blankey

Caitlin's blankey had to go back to California with Brian and Brandon this weekend. She keeps biting it, and it fractured and started to fray badly last week while in Santa Fe. Who can blame the poor thing? I don't know why the girl feels the need to bite and chew on fabric, but her blankey, coat hood, stuffed Elmo and favorite stuffed koala bear have all endured the war. Even my shirts have suffered a few cuts and bruises along the way. Caitlin has been made well aware of the fact that I feel pain, and has finally stopped biting my shoulders.

I wish could say that she doesn't miss her blankey, but I'd be lying. Her favorite question for the last two days is "Where's my old blankey?" I've stopped answering it, instead asking her, "I don't know? Where is your blankey?" The answers I get range from "California" and "Aunt Jackie or Nana fix it" (since I possess absolutely no natural or learned talent for knitting, or the ability to fix frayed knit blankets) to "no more biting blankey" and "makes me sad blankey gone on plane" (Caitlin's been expressing her feelings for a while with sentences starting with "makes me sad" or "makes me happy"). Luckily, Donna gave me a few of Brian's babyhood blankets, two of which are knit (or crocheted). I've told Caitlin that Daddy left his blankey and took hers on the plane back to California so it could be fixed. She cried profusely yesterday and did not nap because her blankey was gone, but today has accepted that fact and moved on to the fact that Daddy left her a nice blanket as a substitute.

Although I have endured many blankey questions over the last two days, and expect more tomorrow, I hope she has learned her lesson. Biting blankey is not acceptable! What odd lessons we have to learn!