August 13, 2013

Un - Bear - Able

For awhile now, Lily has slept with the following items:

Large fleece blanket

Small fleece security blanket (Grandma had to make two so we could get one away from her)

Stuffed dog

Security blanket with giraffe (we call him Jeffrey)

Jeffrey was recently replaced with a sock monkey sporting a Tigers hat and jersey and most recently, Lily has added a stuffed bear to this assortment - added not replaced.

She received the bear as a gift for her birthday and has paid it zero attention since then. It was in the bottom of her toy bin in our living room which she emptied on Sunday and re-discovered. Bear has been very loyal and has not left Lily's side (or sight). Sunday night she slept with Bear, Monday morning she woke with Bear. When I suggested we leave him on the "bench" by the garage door I was politely told NO. Bear accompanied Lily on the ride to daycare and I suggested we leave him in the car seat for after school. I was not so politely told NO. While watching the daycare camera during naptime, I watched Lily chuck Bear at a sleeping child on the cot next to her which she then followed up by retrieving him and laying back down (I think I've mentioned she's not much of a napper). At pickup, I asked her teacher if Bear ever got put away and was informed after multiple attempts of hiding him he got to stay out and play. And that Lily wasn't really interested in sharing Bear with her friends.

Getting Lily into her highchair for dinner without Bear was similar to World War 2 I imagine. After an attempt to hide him under her chair, we ended up with Bear on the corner of the table in Lily's direct line of vision. He was retrieved immediately post dinnertime and taken to bed. Thinking I could outsmart my 17 month old I snuck into her room this morning before she woke up and hid Bear behind her chair on the floor. When Lily woke up, she wrecked havoc on her bookshelf, toybin, laundry basket, and bathroom until she found him. It's probably not much of a surprise that Bear went to daycare with us this morning without any suggestion of getting left behind. The one good thing about Bear being around - I didn't have to sit on Lily to get pigtails in AND she was so distracted by him that she didn't pull them out. One point mom?