MiniM#1 loves her cuddly toys. She has a special triumvirate comprising Pooh bear, Te (a rabbit comforter) and Pop (an octopus comforter). We have a rule that only allows her to take one of this trio out and about. There have been too many near misses.
She often carries all three of them around at home (the troop as DaddyM calls them). But she loves putting them in random places – in a drawer or a box, or behind a chair or a door, or inside a toy car or a wendy house – and then forgetting where she’s left them. Then at bedtime all hell breaks loose if she can’t find one or all of them. DaddyM and I will be tearing around the house frantically trying to find them, as she sits on her bed wailing their names.
It’s bad enough searching for them at home, but if you extend the remit of possible hiding places to the great outdoors, then you’ll understand why we have the rules in place.
On DaddyM’s birthday, though, they somehow managed to slip through the net. We were headed to a local beach – a good 45 minute drive away – and luckily the weather was fine. DaddyM was charged with putting the girls into the car (I hereby absolve myself of all responsibility..) while I rushed around getting the picnic ready and all the last-minute beach and baby paraphernalia. Vaguely aware there seemed to be more than one cuddly animal in the car, I remember muttering something about only one of them coming to the beach with us.
However, with all the muddle of getting the buggies, and little ones and paraphernalia out of the car, more than one furry friend managed to make it onto the beach.
The weather was warm, but the experience was far from relaxing: MiniM#1 wanted to charge towards the sea and run fast along the water’s edge, requiring one parent to jog along behind, pulling her back from the waves as they threatened to engulf her. The other parent meanwhile had the task of constantly removing the tiny pebbles that MiniM#2 was stuffing into her mouth.
The picnic was a bit of a flop too: MiniM#1 preferred to clamber up onto the groynes, while MiniM#2 thought it was a funny game to throw any food we passed her onto the sand. It was getting a bit cold and windy, so we decided it was time to go home, DaddyM dragging the laden buggy back across the pebbles to the car, while I carried MiniM#2 and two bags.
As the girls began to drift off in the car, I got excited at the prospect of having a childfree coffee on our sunny new patio back home. MiniM#2 transferred from car to cot nicely, but MiniM#1 awoke and started calling out for Te. She had Pooh Bear and Pop clutched firmly under her arm. But there was no sign of Te.
My heart sank. Our rare prospect of relaxation began to vaporise. “I think she just took Pop and Pooh Bear to the car this morning” DaddyM, said slightly unconvincingly. Thus ensued a frantic hunt throughout the house. MiniM#1 claimed all three animals were on the beach.
As she waited peacefully on her bed, I began to lose my patience. It had been an early start to the day and I felt tired and annoyed with poor DaddyM who couldn’t remember which animals she had had with her. We were probably searching the entire house for nothing.
I was so tired I actually began to cry that Te was missing. She had had that rabbit since she was born and I’d lovingly sewn her name on it when she first took it to nursey aged 9 months, and then repaired it when its arm came loose. MiniM#1 meanwhile had dozed off for her nap. It dawned on me that I was probably more bothered about the bloody rabbit than she was!
To my shame, DaddyM and my heated discussions about the missing bunny’s whereabouts ended up waking up our poor toddler (and baby who luckily went back to sleep…), so he decided to drive all the way back to the beach with MiniM#1. So much for our relaxing coffee.
By a stroke of luck, Te was found ‘peacefully sleeping’ on the beach and the world was put back to rights. I treated DaddyM to a relaxing birthday dinner in town later that night.
I doubt either of us will ever let any furry animals slip through the net again. This morning MiniM#1 developed a new obsession with a soft toy rabbit she has randomly named ‘Suzie.’ I suspect Suzie and her crew will be the object of strict surveillance.
MiniM#2 however doesn’t care in the slightest about soft toys. She only has eyes for a red plastic Star Wars ball…
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Calamitous Mummy 