hope

first of all, someone brought to my attention that i have never given any type of formal update on goo's condition. please accept my most sincere apology. after her really tough surgery experience (wink wink), she has done nothing but recover with grace. she's goo. what did we expect? so here is that formal update you've been waiting for. she is doing well. kickin' butt and takin' names. that's my goo.

but something i was not expecting? others' reactions to her. in her, you know, less than beautiful state. (oh, how i want to post post-op pictures. but for some of you with weak stomachs, i'm looking out for you.) her surgery was on a wednesday. we stayed home that entire afternoon/evening. thursday, we didn't do anything. friday, took big h to school and went back home. his teachers made comments about her eyes, but they were warm and concerned comments. but then. friday night, we went to one of the malls in the area. i promise we don't go to malls all the time. and it happened. tact went out the window. seriously, i was so surprised how many stared at her. pointed at her. laughed at her. little, little children. unbelievable. and then, we were in line at a fast food restaurant inside the little food court, and one little girl (couldn't be any more than four or five), started pointing with a disgusted look on her face. then, she went and got either her cousin or friend and told her to "come look at this girl." they both pointed and looked at her like she was a leper. then, they both went and got their brother/cousin/friend and told him to "come here. you gotta see this." and he replied with "oooh, that is disgusting."

talk about messin' with a mama bear's little cub. hot. i was HOT. but i decided not to do anything because i thought it might be a little appropriate to grab her by her hair and use profanity. not to mention the security guards and the possible time spent in lock up. i refrained. but i wanted to do something ugly.

so anyway, she is great. feeling great. not scratching her eyes anymore. because really, in the morning she was not looking her best. her eyes were already red. but the scratching at night left her with red circles around her eyes. i told you. it wasn't pretty. but she's back to her old goo self. easy to please but stands her ground when necessary.

let's go ahead and segue into the topic at hand. pink blankie. i am blown away by the support out there. nothing brings people (mostly moms) together like a lost lovie. you all are so thoughtful.

so here is where we are with the whole blankie ordeal. don't laugh, but the last three nights before i've gone to bed, i've prayed (pleaded) that God would lay on the heart of whoever has pink blankie to just RETURN THE DARN THING ALREADY! no, i prayed that whoever now has the beloved pink blankie would be less fortunate and be so appreciative of their new lovie. no, that wasn't it either. i prayed that either we would find it, replace it, or comfort goo enough that life can go on without it. i know i sound dramatic, but it sounds as though some of you out there know the magnitude of which i speak. this is big. she has cried for naps and nighttime, which makes me sad. really, really sad. and we had a babysitter yesterday morning, so that buz and i could go to big h's christmas program. (post for a later date.) even her babysitter who knows her pretty well said, "it was weird. she just kind of walked around the house most of the morning. like she was looking for you guys. or something else." yeah. blankie. that's what she was looking for.

i've called the mall two or three times every day since the "crime." still nothing. people, it's not turning up. pink blankie, as we know her, is gone.

but there's hope. two glimmers of hope.

one involves "Marino." the giver of pink blankie. one other little claim to fame in the blog world. she just so happens to be big mama's sister. marino is one of my dearest friends. and if you knew her, she would be one of your dearest friends too. we met working at a kamp twelve years ago. in the kitchen. if you knew marino, you would laugh at what you thought was a joke. the part about the kitchen. but that's neither here or there. we've been buddies ever since then. and she has been a rock in my life. when big h was born, she sent him a lovie with his name and birth date on it. he didn't use it for the first two and a half years or so. it sat on his bookshelf making his room sparkle with all the personalization. he found it right around when goo was born. one night, he was scared. we had prayed, told the monsters to go away, etc. nothing was working at this point. and i said, "know what goo does when she's scared? she loves on her blankie. you have a blankie. wanna love on your blankie too? just like goo?" and from then on, dog blankie was a part of his life too.

so to say that marino has played an integral part in our children's emotional security would be a pathetic understatement.

marino has called everyday since the crime wondering if we had a lead. marino knows the pain goo and i have gone through. because her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter has a lovie. and trust me when i say it goes everywhere.

so marino calls me on my cell today with hope in her voice. "i need to send you some pictures. i was looking in my daughter's baby stuff, and i came across a pink bear lovie that resembles goo's. if you think it could possibly be a replacement, i will overnight it." she's serious about goo's well-being. this is the picture.



definitely in the same family.

unlike these.

close but no cigar.

i've been staring at all of these while glued to the internet. who knew there were so many "pink bear lovies" out there? i know goos' only sixteen months old, but she's no dummy. i handed her one in the car yesterday on our way to go pick up big h from school, and i could swear she was either giving me the finger or using some kind of toddler profanity.

so when i saw marino's pictures, i was so hopeful. yeah, she's overnighting it on monday. true friend.

my second glimmer of hope came from my spouse. shocker.

he calls me from work with hope also in his voice. "pretty, i think i may be onto something." (yes, my nickname is pretty. isn't that freaking awesome? wonders for the self-esteem.) okay, proceed. "i found the free cub from the lillian vernon website listed on eBay. so i've emailed the seller asking if there was a pink blankie with the cub." and?

there was.

and she has it.

and after several emails and several waiting on pins and needles hours/days, she's sending it.

overnight.

on monday.

merry christmas to goo approximately one week before. because on tuesday, goo will be getting not one but TWO lovies. the exact replica as well as a sparkling replacement should we find ourselves in a bind.

now, i know what you're thinking. my comment about goo not being born yesterday? so i'm thinking that we wash the eBay one a couple of times so it will smell like our detergent. i mean, i have washed goo's, and she's never had a problem with it. she just makes it her own within a couple of hours anyway.

the funny part of it all. the story she's going to be able to tell when she's old enough to read. and she asks, "mom? why does my pink blankie say Sophie Elizabeth and November 20, 2002?"