Nubby

Dear Caden,

If you are going to get a good night's sleep, there are five things that you insist on having in your possession :

1. Your blue and white little car
2. Your minky blanket made by Esther Murphy
3. A pair of socks
4. Mr. Seahorse
5. Your little blue dinosaur

If any one of these items are missing then bedtime becomes quite the nightmare. Each item is special to you in it's own right. The car is the perfect fit for you to 'drive' it up and down your bed frame. The blanket is extremely soft and has your name on it. Anything with your name on it goes up a notch of awesomeness in your book. The socks, well, you currently have this weird sock fetish that has been going on the past few months. The key is that they must be put on by you after we have already tucked you into bed. Mr Seahorse, who recently had a disgusting incontinent episode, has been your oldest and longest friend. He went to the hospital with you when you had your cranio surgery and provided you comfort. Unbeknownst to you, we have 2 seahorses, in the event that we have to wash him. You love to chew on Seahorse's tail until it is disgustingly sopping wet and no matter how many times we have requested for you to stop, it seems to just solidify your resolve to chew on it more. You also like to shove his tail in our faces and ask if we could kiss his tail because it is now "ew yuck" from your slobber. Lastly, your blue dinosaur is a piece from a dinosaur puzzle that Aunt Sam gave you. Blue dinosaur has undergone some interesting changes since coming into your care. I believe it all started when you decided to use him as a chew toy while you were teething, but now you tend to nibble on him all the time. We've started affectionately calling the blue dinosaur "Nubby" as he is missing half of his face and most of his tail. You and Nubby do almost everything together, he helps you brush your teeth, get ready for bed by turning on your night light, he turns on your music, ect. While I am not a fan of you nibbling on Nubby, I suppose it is a source of fiber. I just don't know what we are going to do when Nubby has been nubbed into nothing. I suppose we will just cross that bridge when we come to it. Tonight you asked me to kiss Nubby and pray for him because he apparently didn't feel good. I knelt beside you and we prayed for Nubby to feel better. Thank you for reminding me that even the smallest things in life are important.

Love,        
Mommy