snuggle bunny (needs a bath)

I was in a cute local baby store in Newburyport, MA, last weekend, with a friend who's five months preggers, so of course I was pointing out all the stuff she had to get (hooter hider? check). And I saw this stuffed bunny that was familiar in a way I couldn't quite place.

Oh wait... Maya's bunny looked like that once upon a time. White and fluffy... really? Seemingly only for a day, but it must have been longer than that. As far as I remember, since we gave her this "ba ba" for Christmas, she's slept with it every night. She has a habit of chewing and sucking on the noses of her stuffed animals, so that's the most unfortunate looking area, but "Ba ba" is looking pretty worn and most definitely loved all over. (Grey + matted = loved. I think that one applies to moms of toddlers too.) Check him out on the floor in this picture. Maya is hugging her little bunny, with big bunny on deck.





The only place he doesn't go is in the bath with her, though clearly he could use a good soaking.

When I was little, I had Red Bear. I was old enough to remember that, though; I wonder if Maya will still be attached to Bunny by the time she's old enough to create memories with her stuffed pals. My dad brought Red Bear home from a business trip--a little bear dressed in a red coat and hat, like a furry Santa Claus. Does everyone have that comfort object from childhood?

Maya has been taking Bunny everywhere for a while now, then last Wednesday, out of nowhere, she woke up and literally screamed "Baby! Baby! Baby!" Until I grabbed the little sweet-smelling (vanilla, for reals) baby doll that our friend got for her first birthday. She'd never seemed to notice the doll until that very day. She's called it "baby" as I've pushed it upon her (because I like to smell its head), and for like five minutes once she was obsessed with how the eyes open and close. But she must have dreamed about it or something, because since that day, "Baby" has joined the posse. She sleeps with Baby, rides in the stroller with Baby (and Bunny, don't think he's getting left behind--it's just getting more crowded), calls for Baby when she doesn't know where she (the baby--the fake one--geez this is getting confusing to narrate) is. So in the crib at night are Big Bunny, Little Bunny, Lovey (her little animal blanket), Blankie (her big actual blanket), and now Baby. And don't forget Maya; she's snuggled in amidst all her friends.