Baby

My lil girl has a stuffed animal that she carries with her wherever she goes. This dog came into the picture out of sheer necessity. She was six-months-old and I was visiting Laredo. It was the first time my father was going to be meeting his first and only grand-daughter (sad, I know). It was June and the heat was already in full swing. My lil girl wasn't used to Laredo weather, having never been in the city before. It was suffice to say that she was having a very hard time adjusting and was very fussy. My room at the time was being used as storage and I was in desperate need of anything to entertain her so I chose this lil puppy that belonged to my sister-in-law. It had been given to her for Valentine's day and I guess it didn't meet her standards so she had it tossed out of her room. Giving it to my daughter was my salvation...it was love at first sight for her.

Since then, she's been pretty much attached to this lil guy. He doesn't have eyes anymore. They fell off some time ago and she gets mad when you tell her he can't see. She calls him 'Baby' and she treats him so. She'll sit and lecture him on how he has to eat all his food before he can have a cookie (lectures that she does not follow herself). She'll check him to see if he's sick and will ask for medicine should she feel a temperature. I've had him come along on our mother-daughter dates. He'd the third wheel but as long as I don't have to pay child's price for him at the movies, he's more than welcome all the time. She'll take him to the park and she'll take turns with him on the slides. At night, he better make sure to be in bed beside her otherwise she won't go to sleep. There's been many a time when I go in search of him because she just can't sleep without hugging him. It's cute, it really is cute how attached she is to him. Yes, Linus with his blanket comes into mind, but then again, I think we all carry some sort of security something at some point of our lives. One of my brothers makes sure he never leaves home without his sweater. It doesn't matter how hot it is outside, he'll be wearing his sweater. My other brother won't leave home with his beanie...again, the weather doesn't matter. My father won't leave home without a cap. My grandmother was like Linus and had a certain 'colchita' she carried with her at all times. It even went with her when she was lain to rest. I myself make sure to have a certain ring with me. It doesn't necessarily carry any specific meaning; I just feel comforted by having it with me. It's interesting how an item has the ability to comfort us. So here goes another night where mija goes to sleep with her 'Baby'.