10.15.05: we paid 50¢ for this smile

"Carl", the plush Hungry Caterpillar we bought at the Twins Club garage sale, is clearly the best fifty cents we've ever spent. The smiles it brings to Avery's face are priceless!

Avery took a liking to the ultra-soft, melody-playing storybook toy the first time he saw it. His face lights up as he grabs and squeezes it while pulling it up toward his beaming face. Even when Avery is fussy, the presence of the caterpillar seems to calm him. He even appears to sleep a little better when Carl is by his side.

The Hungry Caterpillar was the first book Mama read to Avery to stress to him what a beautiful boy was forming right before our eyes as he ate and ate and grew and grew.