Always have a back-up for your back-up...

Remember Linus from Charlie Brown? The little guy who was constantly dragging around a blue blanket EVERYWHERE he went? Yeah, I have one of those. Not a blue blanket, but a Linus. My youngest has in her possession what she affectionately refers to as her "me". Her blankets, her security, her lifeline, her protection from the outside world, her reason for being, her universe. She cuddles with them, drags them around, sleeps with them, requests them EVERY time the buckle clicks on her car seat, etc, etc.  She has four "mes" in her stash, normally we can leave the house with just one but when we are home, she requires all 4 for naptime, bedtime, upon waking up, and so on. Yes, four. It's always good to have a back-up, right? Well, sometimes you need to plan on a back-up for your back-up....





What do you see in this picture? My little cherub cuddling sweetly with her "mes", right? Yep, one would think so. What you aren't seeing is what transpired just moments before this photo was taken.

Naptime yesterday didn't end well. She woke crying, which she never does. I opened her bedroom door and INSTANTLY knew something was off. Upon closer inspection I realize her friggin diaper is what was off....awesome....no, no it's not what you're thinking. It's not the "she-took-her-diaper-off-and-smeared-poo-everywhere-and-onto-every-surface" story. She DID poop, but it wasn't what I would call "everywhere" and she peed too. Awesome. So needless to say, her "mes" were not in the best of condition and required a bath, as did my spawn. Why is it this shit (no pun intended) always happens when you're in a hurry? As it turned out we were literally on our way out the door for my oldest's softball practice. The other two were already in the car. So I hosed her down, changed her, and ran. Unfortunately the mes did not get a bath at the same time so when we returned home at 7 pm, they finally got tossed in the wash...not ideal timing but I had hoped that a rare late-night viewing of Wall-E would help. No such luck.

At 7:30 she got another bath and jammies, immediately followed by a request for the mes. 6 minutes later she was looking around for her mes. 7:42 found her rolling around on the floor wailing "me me me me" over and over. At 7:54 she was standing in the laundry room whimpering by the dryer...2 minutes later she was banging on it shouting "ME ME ME!" By 8 she was standing by her crib wailing and begging for her mes. By 8:04 we had a tantrum reminiscent of the shopping cart meltdown. One would think I had just sat in front of her ripping her mes into tiny pieces, then I yanked the arms off of all of her baby dolls, poured out an entire gallon of apple juice before her very eyes, and ate an entire box of fruit snacks without sharing (all things that would devastate her little self if you hadn't already figured that out). By the time I got the damn things out of the dryer she was so pissed she didn't even want them, she didn't know what she wanted at that point...she was that far gone. She threw them back at me and was doing her best to get away from me, the offending bitch who took her mes from her. We finally got her calmed down with a few more minutes of a movie, some late night apple juice, and a fistful of pacifiers (so my kid has a few vices...don't judge)...only THEN did she ask for her mes. She cuddled happily as if nothing had ever happened while I scoured the internet looking for back-up "mes"...because a good mom ALWAYS has back-ups for her back-ups.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...
March 26, 2010 at 9:21 AM

You are telling me that sweet little face could do all those horrible things?? Never!!

S. B. said...
March 26, 2010 at 9:25 AM

Once again, your post describes my life!! Except that, in this case, I am too cheap to be a good mom. My son has two (formerly) stuffed animals that he calls his babies and I have searched and searched for replacements for that fateful day they are not available to him. I finally found them on e-Bay and I just couldn't bring myself to pay $25 each plus shipping, from two different sellers of course!! Hopefully the torture will turn into a lesson in frugality!!
: )

Heather said...
March 26, 2010 at 9:55 AM

That would have made an awesome home video to send in.... little girl throwing a tantrum, crying "me me me". People wouldn't know that's what she calls her blankets. It would just look like and overly self-absorbed toddler. Haha, too funny!

Freedom Through Creativity said...
March 26, 2010 at 10:01 AM

I have 4 back-up blankies and one hidden in my closet that's still unwrapped just in case the others go up in smoke, and sadly enough Raya will sit in front of our front loading washer and watch blankie spin around for the full cycle! Nine times out of ten it doesn't make it to the dryer because of the reactions that you have mentioned above. I am not looking forward to pre-school next year when blankie has to stay at home...thanks for the good morning laugh and now I am off to try and capture said blankie and give it is weekly bath :)

a.rungee said...
March 26, 2010 at 10:12 AM

Oh my that sounds like some hell last night but I understand about having back ups on your back ups. My baby is the same about her binky.

Sneaky kind of Freaky said...
March 26, 2010 at 10:43 AM

Maggie's "Me's" are known as "Ugly blankie" and she's only allowed one at a time. Its a blue and green camo on one side and orange on the other. I got onto ebay and bought a matching one when she was 1 year old when I lived in mortal fear of losing the original ugly. As shredded as they both are, and as identical, she can still tell them apart. Go Fig.

Anonymous said...
March 26, 2010 at 11:34 AM

My kids have 4 "mes," too. Where did you get the bumpy blankets? They look so soft and cuddly. I want to get one!

K.W. said...
March 26, 2010 at 12:21 PM

Dylan is 7 and still sleeps with his "mes". He started with blue/white striped. I couldnt find back ups in those colors so i had to get yellow/white,and now that those are on their last thread, literally.The only back ups I have now are pink/white. We'll have to see how attached he really is when his only option is pink ;) Even now, when i take and wash Dylan's blankets he has a fit if they arent ready for bedtime. He was just like Ryan when he was a baby.

Unknown said...
March 26, 2010 at 4:44 PM

My son is 22 months and he has to have his water sippy, his bear, his doggy and his puppy (yes a "doggy" and a "puppy") IDK how the kids sleeps with his arms so full!

redfraggle37 said...
March 26, 2010 at 11:48 PM

yup, we now have 5 that my daughter deems acceptable. We have 2 good ones that stay upstairs and she sleeps with and 3 cheep-o carter ones that we keep downstairs and can wash all the time. She calls them various names: babies, bunnies, "dat"...but we have to always have one, all the time. When I tell her to "pick it up" while she walks she picks it up for a min and then goes back to dragging it on the ground. One night she woke up screaming, she wanted a blankey to cover her baby dolls, but not HER blankey...so cute. Is it bad my kid can't even share with her own toys?

DeeDee said...
March 27, 2010 at 5:21 PM

The 'mes' and the extra stash of Nuks! I found another one the other day that was left behind last summer!

Rebecca said...
March 31, 2010 at 12:13 PM

OMG here too... His babies, or "me-me's" go everywhere, can't sleep without them, can't get out of bed without them, all, tucked under arms AND his agua... He simply can't function without them. One of the blankets was too big to lug around in airports etc. so I cut it in half, good thing too since I lost one of the halves during travel! That would have been devastating. I have also made the mistake of leaving one at someone's house and we had sleep problems for two days because of that botched move. Freaking me-me's.

Tonya said...
April 6, 2010 at 10:39 PM

lol, ok, so i haven't been on in a few days and just now reading these and catching up. my two year old has 3 specific "nuggie blankies" he HAS to have on him to go to sleep. they have to be on him in the right order and straight or it is meltdown time. when he's not feeling well, they at least one of them MUST go everywhere with him...LOL, the things they love, but, if it helps avoid a meltdown then i am all for it!

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