Thursday, February 3, 2011

Oh, Sweet Slumber...and a Kleenex Box.

Every night the girls sleep with 2 items. Every night. Two things. The first is non-negotiable: their "She'll". Before you ask, it's their blanket. The name? Well, it's from the song, as in "She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain". This is what they named their blankets too many years ago for me to recall the exact moment. But it has stuck. And so has 'She'll' since it still must be tucked in with them, every night.

Item 2 is forever changing, based on their interest at that moment. While I long to fill that position with cute dolls and stuffed animals, the girls opt to choose odd items instead. Very often it's a book. How you can curl up with a book at night eludes me, but they do. Last night, Caedance snuggled to sleep with a Golden Book. A hard, cardboard covered copy of Disney's Alice In Wonderland. Because nothing says, "Sweet Dreams" like the flat rigidity of a book, right?

Other times it's household items that win that coveted "Next To She'll Placement" under the covers. They've each slept with feather dusters (unused ones, don't worry), Kleenex boxes (an odd choice), a wooden spoon they named "Nettie-Pie" (that one was kinda cute, I've got to say), and even my Bundt pans. In truth,  watching your child slumber alongside the gentle shine of a fluted tube pan is an interesting sight. Odd, but interesting.

We've also had the random articles of clothing as Item 2 title holders. Rolled up socks were a favorite for a period of time. They called them Cher-Chers and would love to pilfer them from Dan's sock drawer. That poor guy could never find the socks he wanted because his favorites tended to make the best Cher-Chers. For awhile they loved cuddling with pants and folded shirts, and I recall one night when they insisted on sleeping with their
Tu-Tu. Not "In" their tutu, mind you. With it.

I look with longing at Glow-Worms and stuffed dolls. Cute little kittens and furry bears call to me in the toy aisles, and sometimes I almost want to buy them in hopes that I can convince the girls to sleep with them. But what really  happens is that our stuffed animal collection continues to grow, left largely untouched and stuffed into the various over-flowing toy boxes.

I find myself sighing even as I write these words. (Can you hear it? Sigh...). Though odd, it has its charm. I suppose whatever brings them comfort should be what sends them off to dreamland every night. And while I'm waiting for the day they ask for my muffin pans or mixing bowls, I guess I'll be glad that they are quirky enough to know what they want. Even if it is odd.

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