Monday, April 20, 2009

The Replacement

Sabrina got a stuffed bean bag dog for her first birthday from her Uncle Gary. Since Uncle Gary owned a Beagle at the time named Peanut, and this stuffed doggie was decidedly "beagle-ish" he was christened Peanut.

And that was pretty much the last time Sabrina ever thought about Peanut.

She owned the requisite 9 million stuffed animals. I'll admit, as annoying as they can be (they take up so much ROOM!), I was guilty of buying at least half of them. Though Sabrina always seemed to like each and every stuffed animal when it arrived, she rarely played with them or cuddled them, or even cared if they were there.

Jamie on the other hand, adored stuffed animals and would insist on having them ALL in his crib (a trait I'm sorry to say his little sister also has) so that some mornings we were unsure where JAMIE was for all the surrounding plush and fluff.

As a toddler, he filched Peanut from Sabrina's bed one day and in a rare act of sibling generosity, Sabrina graciously said Jamie could keep him.

It was true love. They rarely spent a moment out of each other's company. Jamie, much like Linus and his blanket, took Peanut everywhere. Every now and then Peanut got too grubby for my taste and he took a bath, causing Jamie to fret and worry and ask for 10 billionth time in 2 hours, "Where Peanut?", up until the very second they were reunited.

True happiness is one boy still slightly grubby, and one doggie, freshly washed and fluffy warm from the dryer.




















I read a story once about a little girl who had lost her lovey. Her lovey was a cheap stuffed animal made by Carter's. This animal probably cost $5.00 originally. But when the little girl lost her lovey and was heartbroken and spent many sleepless nights, her beleaguered (and exhausted) Dad went in search of a replacement.

Except this lovey had been discontinued by Carter's. He did locate it on eBay for the bargain price of $100. Because it was now considered a "Collectible".

This story was enough to give me nightmares. Not so much the $100 replacement cost, but more so the thought of those sleepless nights listening to that child cry for her lost lovey. We all know how I value my sleep. Any parent can understand why that Dad actually went ahead and paid $100 for that replacement lovey. You just cannot put a price on sleep.

Besides, I know for certain, had someone told me sometime during Sabrina's first two (sleep-free) years, "If you give me $100, I can guarantee she will sleep through the night from now on," I would have simply said "Cash or check?"

So when I saw a doggie identical to Peanut, in a Motherhood Maternity store of all places, I snapped him up. Twin Peanut has been residing in a green plastic Motherhood Maternity bag on the top shelf of my closet for the past three years.

Jamie's five now. He still loves his stuffed animals and there is a rotation that goes on in his bed. Favorites come and go. But a few weeks ago, Peanut inexplicably disappeared. We're not sure where. Jamie no longer absolutely needs Peanut to go to sleep, but he sure did miss him. And last night, most likely because he was a bit overtired, he decided he was NO WAY, NO HOW going to sleep until SOMEONE found Peanut.

Out came Peanut's twin from the closet. I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he grabbed him and squeezed him and said, "He's all soft and he smells so GOOD!" Dave had the pleasure, as I was busy putting Meredith to bed at the time.

But I had the privilege of checking on him before I went to bed and finding him happily snuggled with Peanut Jr., sleeping deeply and contentedly, knowing all was right with his world.

Undoubtedly the best $10 I've ever spent.

7 comments:

Keeling said...

that is a great post! you're back!

And Jamie is the cutest little thing!

Colleen said...

We have "Freny" aka "Pup" in our house...what is it with the boys and the dogs? I found a 2nd pup for the sitter's house, and unfortunately, the original has seen better days (Bobby isn't satisified just cuddling Pup, he must chew on his tail, so he's washed at least once a week if not more...)I've contacted the brand company who directed me to the manufacturer and have been trying to find a replacement for MONTHS...
I still routinely check E-bay...
ahh the things we do as mothers :)
Glad that Jamie has his Peanut back!

Eileen, Founder, Organizer, Mayor and Chief Cook And Bottle Washer of the Anger Management Girls. said...

We had a giant big bird. Danny got it for his first Christmas and it was his buddy for years and years. When he got older it became his wrestling buddy.
There is not one piece of insides left to that thing plus it is filthy but he is 24 and I still have it.

Eileen, Founder, Organizer, Mayor and Chief Cook And Bottle Washer of the Anger Management Girls. said...

Actually, next time he is having a bad day or trouble sleeping, I should stick it in his bed.
It would prob. scare the shit out of him!
There comes a day when we get even with out children!

Irishembi said...

I've been plotting my revenge for some time now.

http://irishembi.blogspot.com/2008/07/epilogue.html

Thanks for the tip Eileen! I'll add the "Place scary smelly dirty old lovey in bed unexpectedly" to my arsenal.

tbsomeday said...

so good to have your blogging back on mb :)

what adorable pics--he will hate you when you show those to his girlfriends :)

i try to make my kids have a lovey b/c i think it's so darn cute!...so far the closest i've gotten is i am tayla's lovey :) she sucks her thumb and twiddles my hair

Norkio said...

Melody loves this pink dog that we just used to call Doggie. It's one of those that has a bell inside it, so when she rolls over in the night and lets go, we hear the bell. It's kinda sweet. Fortunately for us, she also loves ALL 5 Backyardigans, so she snuggles them, and her favorite blanket. Last night it was over 85 degrees in the house and she had all six toys and the blanket. Ugh, but thank goodness for the fan!